site.btaBusinesses Exchange Decarbonization Practices at Sofia Forum

At a conference in Sofia, businesses from Bulgaria, France, Germany and Belgium exchanged ideas for decarbonisation in order to boost the process in the country. The forum was organized by the German-Bulgarian Chamber of Industry and Commerce (GBITC) in partnership with the French-Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI).

Here is what some of the participants said:

Deputy Prime Minister for Climate Policy and Minister of Environment and Water Borislav Sandov: Decarbonisation leads to a more sustainable economy and gives better prospects. Investing in a circular economy, energy efficiency and new energy capacity provides more predictability, a better business climate, more jobs. Investments around the world are in this type of business, which is focused on the transition to a low-carbon economy. There are businesses that find it difficult to make the transition, such as the cement industry and energy.

Head of Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for Climate Policy Georgi Stefanov: Bulgaria must catch up in the field of decarbonisation and climate change. In the field of reforms, Bulgaria has set great challenges under the Recovery and Resilience Plan, as well as within the operational programmes. These are over 25 billion euro of public funds and over 6 billion euro of borrowed funds, which Bulgaria must use in the next 6-7 years.

Arcadia Engineering Manager and General Secretary of the FBCCI Management Board Dimitar Atanasov: Decarbonization is an opportunity to industrialize Bulgaria. There are statistics that air pollution kills millions every year, although this is not officially recognized. Bulgaria ranks in the top ten of these countries and this needs to change. Bulgarian municipalities, even when they have financial resources, underestimate the situation. Oil prices are currently very high, so solutions need to be found so that economies can move forward with better alternative energy sources. It is necessary to gain experience from the leading countries in this field, most notably France, Germany and Japan.

Stefan Rocken, Deputy Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Bulgaria: Decarbonisation is a means of tackling climate change and takes decades. Risks must be considered, but also opportunities. Sustainability is one of the words that is important now, even more important than efficiency. Decarbonization requires structural change. The companies in France, Germany and Bulgaria are quite creative and will find the necessary solutions for decarbonisation.

Tim Kurth, CEO of Aurubis Bulgaria and GBITC President: Decarbonisation has been a major topic in recent years. The road to decarbonisation is challenging for all. The war in Ukraine complicates the geopolitical situation and the situation with energy sources. Solar panels, new solutions, all new technologies have contributed to decarbonization

Xavier Marcenac, Founder and CEO of Nasekomo: We have to face the problem of decarbonisation of agriculture and the disposal of large quantities of food. Using insects to produce a variety of products is one solution. This company wants to build 150 businesses over the next 10 years. One factory can transform 50,000 tonnes of organic, low-value waste stream into 10,000 tonnes of insect products.

Alexander Stoyanov. Head of Smart Infrastructure and Business Unit Building Products at Siemens: Eight times more solar panels and five times more wind turbines should be installed by 2030. The share of electric mobility must also increase, which means that the use of electric cars has to increase by about 25% by 2030. Siemens company has already implemented 37% of its energy efficiency programme in 14 countries. Regarding decarbonisation, by 2017 the company has managed to reduce its carbon emissions by 25%, by 2020 to 50%, and by 2030 the plan is for Siemens to become fully carbon neutral.