Economic development and environmental sustainability are often treated – especially in Poland – as divergent concepts. Meanwhile, sustainable development, which is a kind of compromise between these two stances, is increasingly becoming the focus of business intelligence around the world. The greatest simplification is to pursue economic goals in a way that meets the needs of humanity today, as well as securing the resources necessary to meet the needs of future generations.

But what does that look like in practice? Companies are increasingly checking not only the financial credibility of potential contractors but also their approach to the green economy. Most often, such an audit is carried out by internal CSR departments in companies, but such procedures are also outsourced to external companies specializing in business interviews. This means expanding the teams of analysts with people with completely different skills.

Increasingly, companies also include their environmentally friendly achievements in financial statements. However, to read these messages correctly, superficial knowledge is not enough. As with purely financial aspects, you often have to uncover the underlying meaning hidden behind marketing slogans.

We are probably still in the early stages of sustainable development in Poland. Although environmental awareness is growing every year, it has not yet resulted in specialized reports commissioned to examine how a competitor or potential contractor treats environmental challenges.

Monika Leszko-Cichowlas
Sales Director,Detective
Creditreform