Environmental protection and innovations in recycling were discussed at the plenary session
The plenary
session "Investing in Ecology - Investing in the Future" was held at
the International RUSSIA EXPO on January 26 as part of the Ecology Day. Its
participants discussed the contribution of business in preventing environmental
pollution, talked about environmental challenges facing both the state and
industrial business structures.
"Our
country is a stabilizing supplier of food to the world market. The same can be
said about ecology. We rank first in the world in terms of the area of specially
protected territories. Russia is actually the lungs of the planet. And we
realize our responsibility for preserving Russia's unique natural wealth. That
is why all environmental reforms in our country are being developed based on
the principle of balancing the interests of the country's development and
environmental preservation," Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian
Federation Victoria Abramchenko emphasized in her speech.
According
to her, in recent years the Government has adopted more than 300 nature
protection regulations in various spheres. And the most important role in the
field of environmental protection belongs to Russian business - without
ecological modernization of enterprises it is impossible to achieve national
development goals.
Victoria
Abramchenko also spoke about the new norms concerning waste processing.
"On
the instructions of the President, we are reforming the system of extended
liability of manufacturers and importers. If earlier there was a principle of
"polluter pays", and the polluter constantly evaded responsibility,
now the principle of extended responsibility can be formulated differently -
"recycle or pay". From January 1, 2027, the entire volume of
packaging produced or imported into Russia must be recycled," said Victoria
Abramchenko.
President
of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs Alexander Shokhin
noted that in recent years environmental safety issues have been at the center
of attention of companies' activities.
"Undoubtedly,
foreign economic restrictions, severe sanctions pressure could not but affect
the investment opportunities of companies. Nevertheless, according to our
surveys, we see that 35% of companies have already undertaken major investments
in 2022-23, and the same number of companies plan to spend in 2024. Capital
investment without environmental modernization is impossible. The agenda is key
not only because it is "trendy", but because any new technology
inevitably has environmental components. That is why companies are trying to
find reserves for investments in ecology without slowing down," said
Alexander Shokhin.
Alexey
Mordashov, Chairman of the Board of Directors of PJSC Severstal, is confident
that the topic of climate protection and environmental protection continues to
be extremely important and pressing for Russian business.
"There
has been a lot of talk that under the conditions of sanctions and revision of
our economic ties, ecology will take a back seat. All this does not correspond
to reality. We understand perfectly well that the topic of climate change is
urgent, and to think that Russia can remain on the sidelines is an illusion.
For Russian business, as for all companies in the world, it is important to
maintain efforts to decarbonize and protect the environment. This is not a
matter of ratings. We are responsible to future generations and we must leave
our planet fit for life," emphasized Alexey Mordashov.
Vladimir
Bogdanov, General Director of OJSC Surgutneftegas, emphasized in his speech
that eco-riendliness of production is one of the strategic tasks for the
enterprises.
"Over
the last five years alone, we have allocated 154 billion rubles for
environmental preservation. We act in full compliance with the environmental
legislation of the country, but we also show our own initiative to protect
nature without slowing down," said Vladimir Bogdanov.
The
participants of the plenary session also paid attention to the issue of waste
recycling.
"If we talk about the target task of working with waste, it is just the extraction of useful things, if not fossils, then fractions from waste. If we combine the municipal solid waste projects and the closed cycle economy, it is just a project about raw material redistribution. We are saying that after a certain period of time, which is quite ambitious and short in our plans set by the President and the Government, we must switch from the basic consumption of original raw materials to the consumption of secondary resources. And bring these shares to extremely significant parameters. By 2030 they should make from 20 to 50% depending on direction," said Denis Butsaev, Director General of the Public-Legal Company Russian Ecological Operator.
The International RUSSIA EXPO is the most important achievements of the country gathered in one place. During the whole time of the Exposition, guests are welcomed by cultural events, a rich business and educational program. The expositions of 89 regions of Russia, leading federal departments, corporations and public organizations are presented to the visitors.
In anticipation of Easter, the Department Store of the National Centre RUSSIA has prepared a wide range of themed items and gifts for visitors.
The children's workshop "Houses and Little Homes in the City" was held on 19 April at the National Centre RUSSIA.
The large-scale international project Open Dialogue "The Future of the World. New Platform for Global Growth" will take place at the National Centre RUSSIA from 28 to 30 April 2025.