AD Plastik Group won the Green Frog Award 2019 for the best Sustainability Report, an award given by Deloitte Croatia for the fifth consecutive year. This year, the Croatian Employers’ Association and the Global Compact Network Croatia joined them as full partners in the selection process.

The award was taken on behalf of AD Plastik Group by Zoja Crnečki, Consultant for Relations with Government Institutions and Funds, who emphasized on this occasion: “Corporate Social Responsibility is a part of AD Plastik Group’s business model and one of the most important components of the company’s development policy. Social responsibility is embedded in all our business processes, which contributes to the realization of UNGC’s Sustainable Development Goals. We are delighted that our work and positive impact on the environment and society as a whole have been recognized and rewarded. ”

Introductory speeches were given by Ivana Turjak Čebohin, Director at Deloitte’s Audit Department and Head of the Green Frog Initiative as well as Vali Marszalek, Consultant for Sustainable Development and Corporate Social Responsibility at CEA and Executive Director of Global Compact Network Croatia.

“Awareness of social responsibility, environmental protection and human rights is becoming bigger and clearer. Such trends in the contemporary market have stimulated positive changes in Croatia, and the number of companies that have started publishing non-financial reports is increasing year by year. Non-financial reporting can bring numerous benefits to companies, both for reporting entities and for companies that are not legally obligated to do so,” said Ivana Turjak Čebohin.

The awards ceremony was held as part of the „Employment with Effect“ conference, which included a panel discussion of the same name on the topic of the employment of people with disabilities.

CSR Index Awards were presented for the 12th time at the annual corporate social responsibility conference. The awards are given to companies for the best achievements in corporate social responsibility, and they are organized by the Croatian Business Council for Sustainable Development (HR BCSD) and the Croatian Chamber of Economy. Companies have been awarded in nine categories and more than one hundred have competed this year. AD Plastik won the award in the in the category of large companies again this year.

“We are proud that our continuous work and progress have been recognized by the professional public and I hereby thank for the award. First of all, I want to thank all of our employees who have most of the credit for the fact that social responsibility is part of our day-to-day business.” said Marinko Došen, president of the Management Board of AD Plastik Group, while receiving this significant recognition.

The central theme of this year’s conference was climate and climate change. Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Gordan Grlić Radman praised the efforts of HR BCSD and the CCE to contribute, through concrete activities, to achieving the sustainable development goals as effectively as possible under the 2030 Agenda.

Participating in the panel discussion, Marinko Došen emphasized the fact that the number of cars in the world has been constantly increasing and that despite new trends, the automotive industry is aware of its impact and is constantly taking various measures to reduce its negative impact on the environment. “This approach is imperative in the automotive industry. You really cannot be on the automotive supplier panel, whether you are a Tier 1 or Tier 2 supplier, unless you have a clear sustainability strategy and goals. We are also obliged to influence our suppliers, to choose them according to these principles and to exercise regular control,” Došen pointed out.  

Došen emphasized that corporate social responsibility is an absolute choice of AD Plastik Group and a part of all business processes. “By researching and developing new materials, we reduce the weight of the components we produce and consequently the weight of the vehicle. We care about the emissions of gases generated in our production processes using state-of-the-art technologies according to the highest EU standards. We use recycled materials increasingly in the production itself. We have introduced a model of chemical leasing, taking care in this manner of the entire life cycle of a chemical or solvent. We dispose of the waste solvents from our painting production process to an authorized waste disposal company which regenerates the waste solvent and returns it back to the process for use. In cooperation with our customers, we have been working on reducing the amount of packaging waste, so the packaging of our products is mostly returnable,” Marinko Došen emphasized, and as an additional indicator of quality and social responsibility, he pointed out the various certificates that all production sites, where AD Plastik Group has its factories, obtain, starting with IATF 16949, to ISO 14001, ISO 45001, ISO 50001, ISO 27001.

The CSR Index enables companies to objectively manage, monitor, measure and interpret their own specific impacts. Using this tool, it is more visible for the companies what is being done well regarding their stakeholders and compared to other companies, and potential areas for improvement are indicated. In order to ensure their own sustainability and development, companies in all aspects of their business and in all relationships must show continuously good results.

On the premises of the CCE of the County Chamber of Split, a round table was held entitled “November 3 – the day from which women work for free until the end of the year – why?”. The theme of the roundtable was the difference in personal earnings between men and women, organized by the Croatian Chamber of Economy – County Chamber of Split and the KRUG Businesswomen Association. The event was aimed at pointing out that women continue to be paid less for the same work than their male colleagues, and that there is room for improvement on this issue, as well as a will to change and improve should be found throughout the entire society.

The round table was attended by Katija Klepo, a member of the Management Board of AD Plastik Group, who emphasized that in AD Plastik there is no difference between a man and a woman in terms of promotion, nor a difference in salaries for the same job. “Men and women in the AD Plastik Group have a very similar progression path, but certain positions carry increased responsibilities and challenges such as travel, additional engagement and the like. It is very important for women to harmonize their private and business life so sometimes they do not want to take over additional responsibility. As for other developed European countries, the main difference is that in these countries women have a greater choice than in Croatia. For example, they have the option of choosing part-time after returning from maternity leave and a significantly better options regarding childcare arrangements. It is encouraging that women in the business world today have a much better status than just ten years ago. Work should continue to be done in this direction. I am sure the differences that exist will diminish in the future and I believe they will also disappear over time,” said Katija Klepo.

From November 3 until the end of the year women across the European Union symbolically speaking work for free, comparing their earnings with those of their  male colleagues at the same job. This day was called Equal Pay Day and it should serve as a reminder that women continue to be paid less for the same work than their male colleagues. The survey found that as many as 16.1 percent of women in the European Union have lower incomes than their male colleagues for the same job. The private sector in the EU is strongest in these differences, and the percentage varies across countries. In Romania, the difference is five percent, in rich and developed Germany as much as 21 percent, while in France it is 15 percent. Estonia has the biggest difference, as high as 25 percent, while in Croatia the difference is somewhere around the EU average.

As part of the 13th Conference of Croatian Security Managers held in Opatija, Croatia’s Big Security Awards 2019 were presented at the ceremony. AD Plastik won the award in the category Achievement and Development of Security in corporations, which was awarded for the successful integration of information and cyber security business processes. President of the Association of Croatian Security Managers Alen Ostojić presented the award to the President of the Management Board of AD Plastik, Marinko Došen.

“This award is extremely important to us. It confirms that our efforts and investments in raising corporate security level have been recognized by the professional public. AD Plastik operates in a very demanding global automotive market that has very high corporate and security standards. The results we achieve, as well as the awards we receive, give us the right to think that we are successful in this,” said Marinko Došen, thanking the expert jury and the organizers for recognizing the efforts and results of AD Plastik.

Croatia’s Big Security Award is awarded in 12 categories to individuals, companies, institutions and the local community for a significant contribution to achieving and developing the security of the Republic of Croatia. 

The main theme of the Thirteenth Conference of Croatian Security Managers was “New Forms of Security in Focus,” and the President of the Management Board of AD Plastik also participated in the “Economy and Security” panel in the working part of the conference. Marinko Došen illustrated the importance of security with examples in the AD Plastik business. “There are two key reasons why we are constantly investing in systems. One of them is the field of manufacturing globality, because we export to 24 countries worldwide from our five factories in different countries. Another important reason for investing in corporate security is the fact that we have a special relationship with our customers with whom we are constantly connected with information systems. This requires every serious managament board to deal seriously with risk assessments. Following such evaluations, we bring in a whole set of procedures. We have formed a team within the company that is constantly dealing with such problems,” Došen said.

He emphasized that with the development of technologies, risks also develop, and added: “Fortunately, both resistance, that is solutions that cancel out the consequences of such risks, also develop. In order to survive in the industry, we must pay special attention to the risks and the strengthening of corporate security.”

The conference was opened with welcome speeches held by Alen Ostojić, President of the Association of Croatian Security Managers, Holger Haibach, the Head of the Office of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung for Croatia and Slovenia and Damir Krstičević, Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister of the Republic of Croatia.

Just before Christmas holidays AD Plastik has donated twenty desktop computers to the City of Solin for the needs of associations, institutions and facilities. Thus donated computers were given to elementary schools don Lovre Katić, Vjekoslav Parać, Kraljica Jelena and Kralj Zvonimir, kindergarten Cvrčak, City Library Solin, Cultural Center Zvonimir, association Solinski bubamarci, KUD Salona, mountaineering association Sveti Jure and Gradska glazba Zvonimir.

While thanking AD Plastik for donation, Solin mayor Dalibor Ninčević said that this donation is an example of good cooperation between Solin entrepreneurs and the City of Solin. „In addition to the fact that we organize a reception for families of fallen soldiers, the City of Solin also organizes reception for local entrepreneurs and businessmen which we have named Entrepreneurial Synergy. The very name of that reception and gathering says it all,“ pointed out mayor Ninčević on that occasion.

President of the Management Board Marinko Došen and member of the Management Board of AD Plastik Mladen Peroš attended the computer donation. „I believe that this donation will help our fellow citizens in further work and AD Plastik wants to help the development of the community, above all the children who always need help,“ said Marinko Došen on that occasion.

AD Plastik received the CSR Index award in the category of large companies which was presented jointly by the Croatian Chamber of Economy (CCE) and the Croatian Business Council for Sustainable Development (HR BCSD) for the successful implementation of corporate social responsibility. 

The award was taken over by the President of the Management Board Marinko Došen on behalf of the company, who on that occasion did not hide his great satisfaction with the fact that work and progress in the area of corporate  socially responsibility have been recognized by the expert public. „Corporate social responsibility is a part of our corporate culture and management, and the standards that we have set are at high levels. Responsible business is not just a question of choice, it is the obligation of a modern and successful business,“ Marinko Došen pointed out.

CSR Index is one of the most prestigious awards in Croatia in the domain of corporate social responsibility and it is awarded annually in the categories of small, medium, large and public companies. The awards were presented within the jubilee 10th Conference on Corporate Social Responsibility that was held in Zagreb. CSR Index is a methodology for evaluating the corporate social responsibility practices of Croatian companies, based on a ranking system that enables an objective assessment of socially responsible practices of the companies and comparison with the practices of other companies. 

„Companies that we reward through the CSR Index are the leaders of progress in the economy and society by giving their example and incorporating socially responsible practices into their business strategies. Our further common challenge at the national level is to harmonize policies, strategic and plan documents with the goals of sustainable development,“ pointed out Tomislav Radoš, vice president of the Croatian Chamber of Economy for Industry and Energetics, handing over the award.

The first national campaign “STOP Workplace injuries” was conducted from October 2016 to October 2018, organized by the Institute for Occupational Safety Improvement. As part of the European Week for Safety and Health at Work, at the conference “Occupational Safety – Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow” held in Zagreb, acknowledgments and plaques of the Institute for Occupational Safety Improvement were given to the companies and institutions for achieving remarkable results.

Recognitions and plaques were given to AD Plastik, Cemex, HEP, INA, Holcim Croatia, DS Smith Plastics Karlovac, ROCKWOOL Adriatic and URIHO institution. In the explanation for AD Plastik, it was emphasized that additional investment in safety and quality is confirmed by many certificates the company owns. It was emphasized that AD Plastik pays special attention to the identification of risky situations and to informing the workers about preventive activities, and a special commission for improving the safety and health of workers was established.

Action plan for measures and activities for improving Occupational Safety includes elaboration of activities related to regular, targeted and internal controls, training for safe work of all employees, better planning and activities of the Occupational Safety Committee, implementation of quality systems, purchasnig of working equipment and means of work and continuous cooperation of all key stakeholders. Within the company’s strategic goals, specific tasks and goals were determined that will further improve the area of occupational safety, with investment in new technology, equipment and working conditions in order to optimize costs, as well as to raise the level of workers’ safety.

With its Sustainability Report, AD Plastik Group found itself among the top five companies at the regional level and received a special acknowledgment for human rights reporting, which was given to the company in Warsaw within CSR Fair.

„This is another one in a series of acknowledgments for achieved results and progress in the area of corporate social responsibility. We have been making great efforts and investing resources in improvement and perfection of our sustainable business and this is a prerequisite for success in the modern business world. Our choice is to constantly evolve in this direction and we are proud that the professional and wide public recognizes this. We are particularly pleased to see our reporting on human rights recognized at the regional level, but our sustainability report is only a sublimated annual review of everything we do everyday and live within our company,” said President of the Management Board of AD Plastik Group on that occasion.

AD Plastik Group has been preparing sustainability reports since 2012, and this is the second time that it has competed for the Green Frog Award at the local and for the first time at a regional level. The Jury singled out sustainable development report of AD Plastik Group due to the special focus on human rights, which are a key element of good practice in the organization. Five countries have participated in the competition: Croatia, Czech Republic, Poland, Romania and Hungary with a total of 69 reports out of which 12 was included in the regional level and five got to the finals of Green Frog Award.

The Green Frog Award was first awarded in Hungary in 2000, organized by Deloitte Hungary. Since then, it has been expanding to other countries in Central Europe, and since 2015 the award has been also granted at a regional level.

A total of 34 Croatian companies and organizations have signed the Diversity Charter at the Esplanada Hotel, aim of which is to foster diversity, non-discrimination, inclusiveness and equal opportunities at the workplace. AD Plastik Group is among the first companies in Croatia to sign a Charter developed under the joint project of the Croatian Business Council for Sustainable Development (HR BCSD) with partners from Slovenia and Romania. The signatories of the Charter undertake to implement a policy of diversity and non-discrimination in their working environments and business environment.

Croatia is the 19th country in the European Union to sign the Charter and the initiative is strongly encouraged by the European Commission. The signatories of the Diversity Charter have joined a community that gathers more than 7100 signatories from 18 European countries. In this way, they opened up new channels and potential for their organization, employees and community in which they want to conduct business responsibly. Diversity is one of the fundamental values of a modern society and although we know intuitively how important it is, it becomes increasingly clear that it is an important factor in the business sense.

The Diversity Charter in Croatia continues to implement successful models from other European countries and it is based on a set of principles voluntarily accepted by the signatories in order to promote diversity, non-discrimination, inclusiveness and equal opportunities at the workplace.

Knowledge, competence, ability and motivation are the only values that the business sector wants and can value. Accepting diversity is a matter of business ethics and AD Plastik Group promotes diversity, non-discrimination and inclusion in the workplace in its Code.

A public presentation of the Diversity Charter Croatia was held in the Journalism Center in Zagreb where its ambassadors were promoted. The honor to promote the Diversity Charter was given to five leaders of business organizations that have made a great progress on the path of respect for diversity, non-discrimination, inclusiveness and equal opportunities at the workplace. The Ambassadors of the Diversity Charter Croatia are: Gordana Kovačević, President of the Management Board of Ericsson Nikola Tesla, Marinko Došen, President of the Management Board of AD Plastik Group, Goran Ražnjević, President of the Management Board of Ilirija, John Mathias Gasparac, President of the Management Board of PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Croatia and Daria Mateljak, director of Hauska & Partner.

„To be an Ambassador of the Diversity Charter is a responsibility for me, but above all it is a pleasure because I can personally contribute to the development and progress of this project. This is yet another in the series of AD Plastik Group’s recognitions for achieved results and progress in the area of corporate social responsibility. Corporate social responsibility is a necessity in the modern business world, not a matter of choice. It’s a certificate of a successful company. The Diversity Charter obligates us to create a stimulating business environment that accepts diversity and ensures the right to equality. We need to develop jointly a culture of diversity within our companies, but also in communication with other companies and partners. In this way, we are creating a better and more quality business environment, which we all surely aspire to,” said Marinko Došen.

Understanding and accepting diversity as core values of modern society suggests that Croatian companies are actively reflecting on their future competitiveness and keeping pace with global trends.