Looking back at 2022: International conference, a six-metre dinosaur, millions of good deeds. And what awaits us this year?

2/5/2023

Even us at the Association take the beginning of the new year as an opportunity to evaluate how difficult all the challenges we set ourselves were and how we managed to achieve them. We look back to the past in order to make the future even more ambitious, more beneficial for all our members and, above all, more sustainable. What did we achieve in 2022? And what will we devote all our energies to this year?

The first official event came along with the refreshing spring weather. March was marked by meaningful partnerships: when everyone joins forces. That was the subtitle of the members’ meeting. The event, which took place on the day exactly nine years since the establishment of the Association, brought a lot of inspiration and the introduction of projects with a social impact, such as vegan refreshments, volunteering “inside out”, social inclusion of people having experienced a stroke, and more. The 22nd of April then belonged to Earth Day and member projects, ranging from ecological transport, through fashion, all the way to composting. And the traditional Food collection brought 292 tons of food from 1,200 stores in its annual spring round.

Our marathon of ESG Rating started in May already, and culminated in November. In the end, 87 Czech companies, which together contributed to 22% of the GDP of the Czech Republic in 2021, participated in the project. They were among the first to receive a comparison with other companies according to ESG at the level of European rankings. This created the first Czech independent ranking, consisting of the TOP 10 large businesses and the TOP 5 small and medium-sized enterprises. Check out the results! And when is the next round? About that later…

At the beginning of June, we celebrated the World Environment Day in the gardens of the Embassy of Sweden in Prague and competed in the traditional SDGs Beach Volleyball Cup. “I am proud of our entire team. After the two previous years, when we always missed the finale by a little bit, this year we were determined to prove that we really have the best team, and we succeeded,” commented the captain of the winning JRK team, Robin Dufek.

And who was the star in October?

Legends in sustainability and everyday heroes. Those were invited to the stage during the first year of the spectacular Global Goals Summit and the traditional SDG Awards to have their work properly celebrated. “When we started planning the Global Goals Summit a year ago, we set out to deliver a clear message to you. And where else should we do it than here, at the National Museum, in a place symbolizing history and the almost invisible border between life and extinction,” Lucie Mádlová, founder and director of the Association of Social Responsibility, welcomed the audience on the October 13th, and gave the floor to Georg Kell, Melinda Taprantz, Julian Lechner and more.

“One day, states, whether democratic or autocratic, will realize that the real enemy is not another regime or power bloc, but the enemy within ourselves. The fight against climate change, as soon as nature shows us who is really the master, will perhaps sooner rather than later force us to cooperate in the interests of all,” concluded George Kell optimistically.

But it was mainly the Pla(s)teosaurus who took the floor. Yes, even a dinosaur model composed in a few months from 420 parts printed on 3D printers by Czech printers, professionals and enthusiasts, can speak. “Don’t choose extinction!” This in turn was his opening speech and at the same time the message he conveyed to the public and continues to convey in the National Museum. The evening was then spent in the inspiring atmosphere of the SDG Awards. As every year, the awards went to projects that make the world a better place. Come meet them!

And other stars of October were trees! The Association went with its partners of the Nakup na Dobro e-shop to the Tree Day in Vysočina, where they planted 700 seedlings. The traditional holiday of kindness – Giving Tuesday – was started by a meeting of non-profit organizations representatives and their talk about effective marketing communication of charity. In November, we had a joint breakfast, the main courses being topics related to the fight against disinformation. The end of November brought a lot of good, thanks to Giving Tuesday, since charitable projects received an amazing 62.4 million Czech crowns. And how did we finish the year? With fireworks of examples of good practice in the field of social entrepreneurship and ESG, and mainly the results of an extensive survey among members of the Association. And the cherry on the top of the Christmas gathering? Introducing the 500th member!

2023: A year of presidential elections, sports and sustainability

We don’t have time to waste any time. And for us at the Association of Social Responsibility, this is doubly true. The 6th of January will be the day of the presidential election. No, we didn’t get the date wrong. Just like five years ago, this year we will also give space to the first ladies and, for the first time in history, to the first gentleman. A debate including Robert Neruda, Eva Pavlová, Dana Středulaová and others. The First Ladies and the Gentleman Among Us will be watched by guests at the church Pražská Křižovatka and viewers on the online stream.

Perhaps the debate will help the audience make the right decision at the ballot box, but what it will certainly do is introduce them to a person who would be closest to the future president. “While five years ago the first ladies mentioned concern about democracy and a “roughened” society, this time they are more worried about ensuring basic human needs. They are facing a much bigger challenge – the war in Ukraine. And that’s a topic they haven’t commented on yet,” Lucie Mádlová outlined the topics of the debate.

For the time being, some of the biggest events ahead of us are covered in secret; the first meeting of our members in Mladá Boleslav, in cooperation directly with Škoda Auto, as well as the celebration of the Association’s 10th birthday – mark March 23rd and the Prague Airport in your calendar. We are also preparing one big novelty for spring. We will revive the previously very popular concept of Social Impact Networking for CEOs to spend time together in a socially beneficial workshop. “There will be no shortage of networking in general this year. It is one of our priorities to give members the opportunity to meet as much as possible. The challenge for us in this area will be a two-day autumn trip to Broumov, the program is being worked on,” Lucie Mádlová added. And whether you enjoy surprises or not, something you will also have to wait for is the date of the next round of our ESG Rating.

We will be delighted if you’re here with us for all of it and join the ride. Because a celebration is certainly not where this ends…