Santander Bank Polska Becomes a Strategic Partner of the Circular Week 2019

The International Circular Week 2019 is an event organised by the Polish Circular Hotspot in a strategic partnership with a number of organisations including Santander Bank Polska. The Circular Week is a series of events promoting environment-friendly solutions among business and the general public. The event was held in Poland for the second time but this year also with international participants.

The circular economy is a response to a wide range of environmental and social challenges and for manufacturing companies is one of the best ways to build their competitive advantage. The main idea behind the circular economy is to persuade people to rationally manage the limited resources of our planet and to change the existing economic mechanisms by introducing closed, circular systems in which wastes become precious resources. In an ideal world there should be no waste at all, just like it is in the natural environment. Does nature know the concept of waste? No! Each and every element of the natural environment serves its purpose and is returned to the environment as a resource in the new cycles of life. We should take the same approach to the production and consumption of goods. The longest possible useful life should be a priority already at the stage of designing a product or service. According to this concept, waste products of one process should serve as a raw material for other processes. Such circular systems help to minimise the consumption of natural resources, energy and the amount of produced waste.

In Santander Bank Polska we treat climate change as a challenge for each and every one of us. For that reason, we take part in actions aimed at counteracting climate change in the area in which our impact is strongest, that is through our products and services but also by supporting a wide range of educational activities. We also encourage our employees and customers to change their attitudes and ways of life and demonstrate care for the natural environment in daily life. That is why we have decided to engage in the Circular Week as a Strategic Partner.

Between October 7 and October 13 of this year, interesting and inspiring meetings, workshops and tours around selected factories took place all over the world and in a number of Polish cities. In Warsaw, a series of meetings in embassies were organized during which the representatives of such countries as Finland, Sweden, Netherlands and Switzerland shared their extensive experience in implementing the principles of the circular economy.

Each day of the week was devoted to a different subject:

The main event summing up the entire International Circular Economy Week 2019 was the Mazovia Circular Congress held on October 11, 2019. It was a meeting of leaders and renowned experts in the field of circular economy. During the conference, the participants had a chance to listen to many inspiring presentations, take part in interactive workshop sessions and learn about the most interesting case studies from Poland and Europe. A presentation entitled ”The Eco-transformation of the Packaging Sector” was delivered by Kamil Mikołajczyk who is responsible in our bank for monitoring the industrial production sector, including the packaging industry, doors and windows manufacturing and the construction materials segment.

For more information about the Circular Week go to www.circularweek.org

And how can YOU contribute to the implementation of a closed, circular system in your immediate environment?

We provide valuable tips and guidelines which can be applied in five different areas of activity: transport, housing construction, food, plastics and textiles.