Ecological issues and Business Development

In recent years, the trend towards an

ecological lifestyle is only gaining
momentum. Many of us are already sorting
garbage, trying to rationalize the
consumption of natural resources, or taking a
more responsible approach to buying things
for life. However, let's be honest, the efforts
of conscious people alone to restore the
planet are not enough.
Over the last 100 years of history, humanity has witnessed a
great technological boom. Of course, progress has given us a
more comfortable life today, but also its impact has caused
significant damage to the ecology of the planet. Every year,
business giants around the world continue to use vast
amounts of natural resources, pollute water, produce
hundreds of thousands of tons of garbage, and emit tons of
CO2 into the atmosphere. As a result, nature provides
answers and problems such as global warming, droughts,
floods, and the extinction of the planet's biodiversity have
become part of our reality.
 Let's look at some eloquent facts:

• A large Pacific garbage patch has already reached

1.5 million square kilometers in area - this is two and
a half of Ukraine's territory! About 9 billion tons of
garbage is dumped into the world's oceans every
year.
• Due to human activities, forest areas have
decreased by 40%.
• The forests of the Amazon cover 5.5 million square
kilometers and produce about 20% of the oxygen that
our planet breathes. But over the past half century,
17% of their vegetation has been lost, and the level of
felling in 2020 reached a 10-year peak, according to
the United Nations.
• The United Nations estimates that more than
600,000 people have died as a result of climate
change in the last 20 years.
 Corporate social responsibility

At the state level, many countries have a law "On

Environmental Protection", which regulates the activities and
inaction of companies in terms of the country's ecology.
Sometimes it also includes the concept of social
responsibility of business for the consequences of its
activities.
Social responsibility is the voluntary contribution of a
business to improving the environment. It is the willingness
to bear the costs of social and environmental activities that
are aimed at minimizing the consequences of the company's
activities or other areas of society.
Corporate social responsibility

Today, corporate social responsibility is

becoming not just an option, but a
phenomenon that should be the default in
every company. This is a competitive
advantage over other companies because,
according to a Nielsen study, 81% of
consumers worldwide believe that
businesses need to care about the
environment and minimize the damage they
do to nature.
Environmental responsibility attracts not only
customers but also employees. According to
a study by Cone Communications, 64% of
surveyed millennials will not work in a
company if it does not have a prescribed and
planned social responsibility program. It's
time to draw conclusions and incorporate
social responsibility into your business plan, if
you haven't done so before.
 Economy vs Ecology: where is the
compromise?

Achieving a balance in relation to the environment is possible

only by equalizing the importance of economic growth of the
company and its environmental component.

The first step for any industry that wants to reduce its
environmental impact is to measure greenhouse gas
emissions. As soon as the indicators become known, they
need to be analyzed to determine which of the company's
activities require attention and modernization for more
environmentally friendly work.
 Economy vs Ecology: where is the
compromise?

Also, every business can reduce energy consumption

as part of their business processes. Lighting savings,
use of energy-saving equipment, disconnection of
non-working equipment from the power supply when
it is not necessary, abandonment of paperwork - this
is a list of the simplest actions that can be done by all
employees of the company.
 What does an environmentally
responsible business do?
Many businesses around the world are already actively using the
principles of sustainable development in their activities. Here are just
a few striking examples of how businesses try to minimize
environmental impact and reduce the impact of their production.
• H&M collects old things for further sorting and recycling.
• BMW creates educational programs that raise awareness of social
and environmental threats.
• The supermarket chain Intermarche and Chipotle decided to work
together to combat the irrational use of natural resources and
opposed the increase in food waste through The Inglorious Fruit and
Vegetable campaign.
• The LEGO Group is launching and actively pursuing a process to
reduce the environmental impact of production, address global
warming and reduce emissions.
• Bill Gates, founder of the world's largest corporation, Microsoft,
spends huge sums each year on environmental initiatives.
The contribution of every
Ukrainian matters

Seventy percent of Ukrainians believe that

global climate change has escalated over the
past five years. Moreover, 83% agree that
counteracting these processes is the most
important task of mankind. At the same time,
77% confirm that climate change already
directly affects the life and health of every
inhabitant of the planet. These are the
results of a study by Mastercard and
UKRSIBBANK BNP Paribas Group.
The contribution of every Ukrainian matters

Mastercard and UKRSIBBANK BNP Paribas Group are two

global companies that demonstrate a conscious approach to
business in their work. For example, they are actively
involved in conserving natural resources and maintaining the
health of our planet.
 The contribution of every Ukrainian
matters

For example, in 2020 Mastercard founded the

Priceless Planet Coalition initiative - which unites the
efforts of consumers, financial institutions, traders
and cities in the fight against climate change. More
than 50 companies around the world have already
joined the Priceless Planet Coalition, and the
Coalition continues to expand. The coalition's next 5-
year plan to restore 100 million trees worldwide is to
strengthen the planet's lungs to help reduce
greenhouse gas emissions.
"The task of business is not just to take into
account the trend of sustainable
development in its activities, but to give
consumers a convenient solution to make
daily sustainability a habit, help them
participate in creating a global sustainable
future," explains Laurent Dupush, Chairman
of UKRSIBBANK BNP Paribas Group.
In 2021, UKRSIBBANK BNP Paribas Group,
which exclusively represents Ukraine in the
coalition, joined the project.
Thanks to the bank, every Ukrainian will be
able to benefit from the project. For example,
UKRSIBBANK customers can personally
contribute to reforestation and global
warming. To do this, simply make contactless
NFC payments with your Mastercard from
UKRSIBBANK. For such calculations, the bank
will allocate additional funds for planting 75
thousand trees in the important forests of
Australia, Kenya and Brazil - this is where
experts in climatology and reforestation
advise to do so primarily to prevent disasters.
Environmental responsibility should be one of the key points
in the business plan of every company. Then you do not have
to spend effort on correcting mistakes and reconfiguring
business processes. One small action inside the production
or in the office today will help to avoid a global
environmental catastrophe in the future. That is why it is
important for business, as well as for each of us, to think
about it today. It's not too late yet.
Thank you for the attention