ZF ESG Conference 2026. Beyond the report: where ESG starts that really influences business and how it is seen in the economy.
♦ Ciprian Dinca, BioShop Romania: «The local product is an example of good ESG practices and could be supported more, maybe not just at the image level» ♦ Dragoş Militaru, CEO of Kandia Dulce: «We need to be aware of our losses, energy consumption, measure them and then move on to optimization» ♦ Constantin Bratu, general director of the Romanian Brewery Association: «Being sustainable means putting a beer produced with Romanian ingredients». Beyond marketing, the essence of sustainability can lie in the local product. In other words, shortening supply chains could contribute not only to the reduction of the carbon footprint, but also to the development of local businesses and domestic production. Shortening supply chains and encouraging local production not only have a sustainability component, but can also contribute to the development of the economy. This was one of the conclusions of the participants at the ZF ESG 2026 event. Beyond the report: where the ESG that really influences begins You might also be interested: the business and how it is seen in the economy. The conference was organized by NV in partnership with Cushman & Wakefield Echinox, BRD, CarbonTool, Carrefour, ICAP CRIF, ING, Philip Morris Romania, Vodafone, Safety Coffee and JW Marriott. The main problem is that the origin of the product is not the most important criterion in the decision to purchase a product, the price still being the dominant one. Local production could reach all three points of ESG – environmental, social, governance. «The local product is an example of good ESG practices and could be supported more, maybe not only at the level of image. It is a product that we really like to take pictures with, because it brings reach, likes, shares. At the level of consumption, we still have a lot to support, because we have to do a lot, a lot of education here. And when I say that local businesses can be such models, they also touch the E, and the S, and the G of ESG», says Ciprian Dinca, founder of BioShop Romania, which has around 2,500 local products from 100 producers. Shortening supply chains could benefit not only small producers, but also large companies, which could reduce their costs and carbon footprint. Moreover, a local production would mean more jobs and thus all ESG points could be reached. Moreover, the shortening of supply chains also means an optimization of costs for large companies. «I think that ESG starts with measurement and awareness. And being a producer that handles over 9,000 tons of raw materials to put on the market over 9,000 tons of finished products, we start with losses. We have to be aware of our losses, energy consumption, measure them and then move on to optimization,» says Dragoş Militaru, CEO of Kandia Dulce. One of the examples of industries that manages to cover a good part of its demand through local production is the beer industry, being an integrated production system. Not only the beer is produced locally, but also the raw materials. «We brought malt producers and hop producers into the association precisely to have this short chain, to include Romanian raw materials in the beer we produce. To be sustainable means to put on the table of Romanians a beer produced with Romanian ingredients», says Constantin Bratu, general director of the Romanian Brewers Association. About 97% of the demand for beer is produced in Romania, he adds, being one of the few sectors in the economy with such a percentage. «We are, from this point of view and the environmental impact, a sector that has a positive impact, if we also take into account the Romanian raw materials that we want to develop», he added. Such an example should be replicated in several industries, and the shortening of supply chains could be one of the most important changes in the sustainability area of companies, but also a factor of economic development.
For other news, analyses, articles and business information in real time, follow NV on WhatsApp Channels