Ecological Transformation

From the options available today, hydrogen is a promising alternative to fossil fuels with some companies, such as Wien Energie, already convinced of its benefits realising projects to test it as an alternative energy source.

The transformation of the Donaustadt power plant is not only a trailblazer for other companies, but also a clear signal that sustainable energy generation is the future.

Addressing physical climate risks is not just a regulatory requirement; it is a strategic imperative for businesses.

Martin Gary discusses whether the insurance industry is currently supporting the sustainable development of aviation, future trends and technologies being harnessed to meet ESG targets, and current restrictions impeding aviation’s sustainable future.

We invited stakeholders along the value chain to shed light on their strategies, new success models, opportunities and risks in the fight against climate change as part of a mini-series on the topic of “sustainable construction”.

General Manager of GrECo Sagauta, Katerina Pavlidi, recently met with Dr Tomas Kontautas, partner at the law firm Sorainen to discuss the sustainable development of the Baltic insurance market and just how green its future will be.

With the ESG spotlight upon us all, company’s need to meticulously craft their future communications strategies, making sure they truly understand the sustainable profile of their products, services, or activities.

The success of the global grid overhaul effort is instrumental to the success of green energy transition and indeed to the improvement of living conditions for the global population in this century and beyond. 

Erwin Soravia, CEO of SORAVIA, talks to Fritz Neubrand, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the GrECo Group, about the property developer’s responsibility in terms of sustainability, and how innovation and technology can strengthen the industry’s climate resilience.

Steffen Robbi tells Laura Hochegger about how digitalization can contribute to a sustainable transformation and risk minimization in the construction and real estate industry, especially in the circular economy and in the refurbishment of existing buildings.

In the light of impending annual ESG reporting, the challenges in the dimensions of sustainability cannot be fully met by the existing certificates. The requirements of the EU taxonomy and the growing demand on the real estate market for climate-friendly buildings require uniform assessment criteria and thus indirectly a harmonization of assessment systems.

Concrete is one of the most influential building materials of our time. It is durable, versatile and has outstanding structural and physical properties. Nevertheless, this building material has one major disadvantage: it is responsible for eight percent of global CO2 emissions. 

Rosenbauer Group is a thought leader and technology and innovation front-runner in the firefighting industry. Sebastian Wolf, CEO at Rosenbauer International, discusses with Argun Zia-Dam, Account Manager at GrECo, how Rosenbauer Group is blazing a trail in this industry and why cities in the future will rely on electrically powered firefighting vehicles.

The risk of water scarcity is one of the key considerations in the risk management and ESG policies of food and agriculture companies.  But where there’s acute risks, there are huge opportunities for change: Water scarcity concerns are driving innovation in the food industry and with members of the public.

In an interview with Laura Hochegger, Martin Schiefer explains why public clients have the strongest leverage for a sustainable future.

According to Michael Porter’s and Mark Kramer’s shared value concept, the solution lies precisely in resolving this conflict of objectives: The aim is to create economic value in such a way that it simultaneously benefits society.

Future-oriented action strengthens strategic resilience.

The challenges facing Austrian agriculture are diverse and complex. Prok. Dr Mario Winkler, Head of Communications at Österreichische Hagelversicherung, talks with Laura Hochegger, Executive Assistant Strategy, Sustainability, Innovation at GrECo Group

“The important thing here is that managers not only need continuity, but also openness to innovation and change. At the same time, they must stand on a foundation of values and principles that is stable.” – interview with Heimo Scheuch, CEO at wienerberger.

From one of the leading hotels in Innsbruck we learn how the world’s focus on ESG is affecting the hospitality industry and what businesses can do about the increased pressure to change.

Michael Groiss, CFO at F/LIST, talked with Norbert Bucher, Account Manager of F/LIST at GrECo Austria, about how they balance their vision of handcrafting the future of interiors with the growing demand for sustainable production.

HR alone cannot promote the openness to this learning journey; it needs ambassadors to help anchor the green mindset in the corporate culture.

With many countries across the world looking at coal and oil substitutes, renewable energy sources are becoming an increasing part of insurers’ and brokers’ portfolios.

In the face of growing environmental challenges and climate change, insurance companies like UNIQA Group are taking significant steps to embrace sustainability.

“At Erste Group, we have an ESG Office, a dedicated unit focused on sustainability. We are situated within the strategy department, and our main responsibility is to implement the entire regulatory framework of the EU Green Deal within the bank. ”

Procredit Bank, compared to its competitors in Georgia, is leading the charge when it comes to reducing the Georgia’s environmental footprint.

If carefully designed and managed, a captive is a tool in the risk manager’s toolbox for large companies that can help build resilience to future transformation risks as a result of climate change, amongst other things.

If you have followed the media recently, you are probably aware that the younger generation cares about the environment and their future, and that they are willing to go to the extreme to prove their point.  

A third of the younger generations believe climate change is the biggest threat of our time, and over half believe they don’t have the power to do anything about it.

The United Nations has recently indicated that the youth of today have the most positive outlook on Artificial Intelligence (AI) with an astonishing 93.2% stating they feel positive about it

82% of Gen Z will buy a car with a combustion engine. 

62% of the younger generation believe being vegetarian is a good way to help save the environment.

Companies need to think through these topics on time and think them through strategically, so they can build up strategic competitive advantages

August 2023 saw horrific flooding in Slovenia as a month´s worth of rain fell in just 24 hours. We ask: How can politics help in such a crisis?

Small steps by every business and every individual today will make a huge impact on our environmental footprint in the long run. We should all be thinking of cleantech living and doing whatever we can to help reduce our environmental footprint.

Austrian Post has laid the right tracks for vehicle fleet sustainability in the haulage and logistics industry with its future-oriented strategy.

Organic farming is not only about healthy food, but also about using practices that make our agriculture sustainable and resistant to climate change for many generations to come.

Despite Austrians receiving more and more parcels every year, by converting its fleet, Austrian Post AG is still managing to reduce its emissions.  Daniel-Sebastian Mühlbach, Head of CSR & Environmental Management, and Paul Janacek, Head of Group Vehicle Fleet at Austrian Post tell us how.

Ralf Mittermayr, CEO at Saubermacher AG, the most sustainable waste disposal company in the world (GRESB rating), discussed with Jürgen Spari, Regional Manager of GrECo Steiermark their zero-waste vision and what zero waste will mean for the insurance industry.

Times of climate change call for Johannes Ehrenfeldner, Director of Lake Neusiedl National Park, to address the restoration of biodiversity and ecosystems even more intensively.

Sabine Schellander, Co-Head of Sustainability at GREINER, describes why Greiner is sticking to a sustainable transformation process to create a circular company.

The analysis of natural disasters and climate risks is a new challenge for many companies.

Under the title “Environment in danger”, our upcoming HORIZON series concentrates on the ecological transformation and therefore looks at all its challenges from various angles.

Other crises, the climate crisis being a prominent example, are more likely to emerge as developments that gradually manifest themselves.

An effective risk management process is a basic requirement for tackling transformation risks.

Companies are exposed to various kinds of risks. At the same time, systemic transformation exacerbates existing risks and causes new risks to emerge.

Insurers are faced with a challenge during the energy transition. The past loss experience can no longer be used for predictive scenarios. New risks will emerge.

Comprehensive risk analyses combined with a presentation of the risks will be necessary for a successful renewal.

Amongst those most affected by decarbonisation efforts is the financial services industry, such as equity investors, lenders and insurers.

New modelling and technical tools are being utilised more than ever as insurers want to understand the complex technicalities of cargo risks.

 The insurance sector has adopted the ESG targets with every company developing an ESG strategy. The sector is particularly affected by climate change,

The prevention of damage from severe weather events will play an important role in future risk management.

The international shipping industry produced just over one billion tons of greenhouse gases (GHG) in 2018, almost 10% more than in 2012.

Environmental protection and measures curbing climate change have not lost their geopolitical and socio-political relevance during the pandemic.

With the ESG spotlight upon us all, company’s need to meticulously craft their future communications strategies, making sure they truly understand the sustainable profile of their products, services, or activities.