Neven Marinovic, director of Smart Kolektiv and Responsible Business Forum, attended the European Sustainable Industry Summit organized by CSR Europe on June 25-26.
The Summit attracted over 200 attendees from 135 organizations and featured 40 C-level speakers from European institutions, businesses, civil society, and academia.
At the summit, several critical lessons were highlighted. Firstly, the climate urgency message was underscored: the last generation to experience a stable climate is currently alive, and in that context, the European Commission is developing its 2024-2029 work programme based on a 3-degree warming scenario. The European Sustainability Strategy Act 2 was emphasized as a comprehensive approach, integrating a Green, Industrial, and Social Deal to enhance economic competitiveness, environmental protection, and social equity simultaneously. The next decade will focus on dematerialisation following a focus on decarbonisation. The launch of the European CSO Network was a key milestone, aiming to foster collaboration and dialogue with the incoming European Commission. The Business Manifestos for Action were presented, setting the direction for a Sustainable Europe 2030. Furthermore, the importance of optimizing collective intelligence within member companies and partners was underscored, issuing an urgent call to action: if not now, then when? If not us, then who?
The European Sustainable Industry Summit was organized by CSR Europe with the supporting partnership of the European Investment Bank and hosted by BNP Paribas Fortis.
The Responsible Business Forum, a network of leading companies in Serbia that contribute to community development, was initiated by Smart Kolektiv in 2008. Since 2009, it has been a national partner of the CSR Europe network. CSR Europe is a network comprising more than 30 national partner organizations and collaborating with over 10,000 companies and key stakeholders in 30 countries across Europe. The partners, including the Responsible Business Forum, work together to raise awareness, build capacity, and promote the development and implementation of socially responsible practices.
