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Inaugural Event

 

The systematic Dialogue regarding Sustainable Development issues in Greece is successfully launched 

20 + 5 business organizations support the Initiative

 

For the first time in Greece Sustainable Development is a common goal, a common pursuit and framework for cooperation between the Greek market, the civil society and the Greek State. This was the dominant message of the inaugural event held by the QualityNet Foundation, the Network of Responsible Organizations and Active Citizens, at the presentation of the Sustainable Greece 2020 Initiative in Athens.

 

 

The Sustainable Greece 2020 Initiative is actively supported by 20+5 collaborative members that represent the full range of Greek entrepreneurship and which include:

The Hellenic federation of Enterprises, the SEV Council for Sustainable Development, the Hellenic Association of Pharmaceutical Companies, the Hellenic Bank Association, the Association of Greek Tourism Enterprises, the Hellenic Association of Food Industries,The Athens Chamber of Commerce & Industry, the Greek Logistics Company, the Hellenic Management Association, The British Hellenic Chamber of Commerce, the Hellenic German Chamber of Commerce, the Hellenic Association of Insurance Companies, the Union of Listed Companies, the Greek Mobile Operators Association, the Hellenic Fund & Asset Management Association, the Hellenic Association of Cosmetics Industries, the Pan-Hellenic Exporters' Asssociation, the Pan-Hellenic Association of companies for the protection of the Environment, the Greek Federation of Industries of Peloponnesus & Western Greece, the Association of Industries of the region of Sterea Ellada, the Hellenic Association of Chemical Industries, the Sed-Hellenic Shareholders' Association, the Association of International Freight Forwarders & Logistics Enterprises of Greece, the Association of Chief Executive Officers and Hellas Cert. 

 

 

27 companies with deep footprint on the sustainability sector are the first Sustainability ambassadors of the Initiative and they include: Chipita, ENIA SA, Demo SA, Ernst & Young Hellas SA, Icap, PricewaterhouseCoopers SA, Raycap, UCB, S & B SA, Star investments, Novartis, Tupperware Hellas, Vodafone Greece, Wind Hellas, GEK-Terna Group, National Bank of Greece SA, ELVAL, Hellenic Petroleum SA, Thrace Mills Ouzounopoulos S.A, Fourlis Group, J & P Avax Group, ELLAKTOR Group, MYTILINEOS Group, Titan Group, and PHARMASERVE – LILLY.

 The Initiative is developed with the support of the European Commission, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development and the German Sustainability Council and is under the auspices of the Ministry of Development and Competitiveness and the Ministry of Environment, Energy and Climate Change.

 

The event began with the welcome speech by Mr Spyros Lioukas, President of  QualityNet Foundation, the Minister of Development and Competitiveness, Mr. Kostis Hadjidakis and the Minister of Environment, Energy and Climate Change Mr. Yiannis Maniatis

 

 

 

Ms. Chryssoula Exarchou, Vice President of QualityNet Foundation, presented the Initiative and highlighted the objectives and the importance of the cooperation between the social partners: "We are very proud because leading business organizations, representatives of civil society, companies with deep footprint on sustainability issues and representatives of the State embraced the Sustainable Greece 2020 Initiative, in order to help shape the conditions of a common sustainable future. The Initiative was developed, based on a structured dialogue with clear timelines, clear objectives and specific results. We aim to develop tools and methodologies that are missing today from the Greek reality and to efficiently support organizations to adopt Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility practices ".

 

Mr. Peter Bakker, President of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, attended the event and referred to the cooperation between WBCSD and the Initiative. "The priorities of Sustainable Greece 2020 are in line with national and European policies. WBCSD is eager to work with Sustainable Greece 2020 for the development of new business solutions, with application not only in Greece but also worldwide. These solutions will make the most viable businesses even more successful, they will promote greater social welfare and they will protect the beauty and functionality of the biosphere, on which we depend entirely”. Similarly, Dr. Guenther Bachmann, Secretary General of the German Council for Sustainable Development (RNE), praised the Initiative and expressed his optimism about the outcome: "I have been impressed by the dedication of Greek Initiatives, which promote Corporate Responsibility in the field of Sustainability. I am convinced that ambitious policies for a sustainable future offer new opportunities for a thriving green economy, decent work and prosperity. "

 

The following topic was about the Sustainability Ambassadors, the companies that excel in the field of Sustainable Development & Corporate Responsibility and will represent our country at International Sustainability platforms within the framework of the Sustainable Greece 2020 Initiative. The speakers were Ms. Sissy Iliopoulou, Senior Corporate Communications & Sustainability Manager at NOVARTIS and Mr. George Tsaprounis, Corporate Affairs Executive Director at WIND.

In the second part of the event, during a special panel debate, moderated by the journalist Mr. Fivos Karzis, representatives of the business sector and social partners submitted their opinions about how dialogue with the stakeholders involved can support a new model of development. The speakers were: Ms. Margarita Karavassili, President of CISD - Citizens’ Inspectorate for Sustainable Development, Mr. John Michael, President of ELLET, the Society for the Environment and Cultural Heritage, Mr. Nikos Charalambides, Executive Director of Greenpeace Greece, Mr. Efthimios Vidalis, Vice President of SEV – Hellenic Federation of Enterprises and President of SEVT – the SEV council for Sustainable Development, Mr. Christos Gortsos, General Secretary of  the Hellenic Bank Association and Mr. Konstantinos Frouzis, President of the Hellenic Association of Pharmaceutical Companies.

 

 

As noted by Mr. Efthimios Vidalis "SEV and SEV Council for Sustainable Development actively support the initiative Sustainable Greece 2020, which comes at the right time to revive the vision for a Sustainable Economy that will guarantee a sustainable society with perspective.  We believe that this initiative can be crucial for the dissemination of the principles of Sustainable Development and Corporate Responsibility, across the entire business community. The recent legislative developments regarding authorization (environmental and operation of companies) recognize the companies' current maturity and abilities but also give to the business world the main responsibility to follow modern monitoring and accountability procedures in terms of organization and management. In this particular context and representing the modern organized business world, we commit to contribute actively, through Sustainable Greece 2020, and develop appropriate tools and methodologies, in order to strengthen smaller companies in Greece to effectively respond to the new business standard of increased accountability and social responsibility.

Mr. Konstantinos Frouzis (The Hellenic Association of Pharmaceutical Companies) expressed as well his support to the Initiative, stating: "We are in a period that opens up a new perspective for our country and business in general and therefore the entire health sector must be there and be active in one of the main pillars of European development, which is Sustainable Development. The Hellenic Association of Pharmaceutical Companies is committed to work actively with all partners so that the final proposals are for the benefit of the society, the citizens and the business. "

The event ended with the signing of the "Charter for a Sustainable Greece" by the Founding members of the Initiative, the Collaborative members and the companies that will act as "Sustainability Ambassadors ".