On 6^th October 2023 sustainable development experts and energy managers gathered at Hotel Antunović Congress Centre for our second conference organized in cooperation with the certification company Quality Austria Adriatic. The conference ENERGY MANAGEMENT – OPERATION “SUSTAINABLE FUTURE” was not just a gathering of minds, it was a joint drive towards a more sustainable and energy-conscious world.

The conference brought together a number of distinguished speakers who honored us with their expertise in the field of energy efficiency and carbon footprint management. They shared their knowledge, research and innovative solutions, providing participants with a wealth of information and inspiration to face the challenges of our time. Each presentation was a testimony to the dedication and passion that drives business progress.

• Mr. Flavio Gregorović, Technical Sector Director at Valamar Riviera d.d. presented the many energy efficiency projects the Valamar group have or are hoping to implement including the replacement of fuel oil boilers with heat pumps, the energy renovation of Hotel Corinthia, the implementation of an automatic meter reading system for energy and water consumption monitoring (LoRawan protocol) and the introduction of a waste water purifier to enable the reuse of waste water in the laundry.

• Mr. Stjepan Ergović, Management Board Member of NEXE d.d., presented the NEXE group’s progress towards sustainable production. Nexe group has invested in circular waste management to reduce production waste and the digitization of its plants for the purpose of process optimization, but the group’s biggest goal in recent years is the production of CO₂ neutral cement (the EU-funded CO2NTESSA project).

• Ms. Iva Jurkovic, Nord Mobil, explained the company’s process of implementing ISO 50001 and ISO 14001 and the challenges they encountered during implementation. Ms Jurković also highlighted the improvements that were successfully introduced as part of the process thanks to which Nord Mobil was able to reduce energy consumption by 15% in its first year of certification.

• Leading expert on EU funds in Croatia and the wider region, Ms. Ariana Vela, guided us through the opportunities for financing the green transition from EU funds until 2030. Ms. Vela highlighted expected call for project proposals “Support for the transition to an energy and resource efficient economy” for small or medium-sized companies or private mid-cap companies from certain energy-intensive industries. Also, in 2024, a new call is expected for the “Implementation of management systems” including the ISO 50001 standard for energy management.

Follow us on LinkedIn or Facebook to find out about these calls as soon as we have more information.

• Mr. Saša Avirović, Deputy Director of Čistoća d.o.o. Varaždin spoke about CO2 emissions of municipal waste collection, its challenges and possible solutions. The company’s biggest challenge is reducing the amount of mixed municipal waste collected and disposed of, the solution of which includes education and stimulation of residents to separate their waste in larger quantities. Other measures towards more sustainable communal services include reducing the number of disposal sites while increasing the capacity of tanks at those sites, optimizing vehicle routes and purchasing an electric vehicle fleet to be charged with electricity from renewable sources.

• The final lecture was given by Mr. Romeo Košćak, founder of Tempus Eko, who explained the challenges of calculating the carbon emissions from waste. His survey of some 300 companies proved that many companies still use estimates in the calculation instead of using already existing sources of information for a more accurate calculation, eg. fields F and G of the waste form.

The conference was a great success thanks also to the active participation of our participants. Their contributions were critical to the success of the conference, from in-depth conversations to informative question-and-answer sessions.

The enthusiasm and commitment shown by all participants, partners and speakers testify to our shared commitment to a sustainable future. The conference was just the continuation of our journey towards more responsible energy management, and the future looks promising.

What our guests said…

“All praise to the organizers and speakers.”

“Thank you for the pleasant gathering and quality conference and congratulations on its organization. I believe that one learns the most from practical examples and this conference offered exactly that.”

“The conference was very well organized, the speakers very interesting. Thank you for the invitation and warm welcome.”

“As a company, we will be happy to participate next year as well :)”