Local services
Vitesco Technologies Hungary Kft. has been awarded the Sustainable Debrecen Grand Prize by the Municipality of Debrecen.
The award was presented by the Mayor of Debrecen, László Papp and Deputy Mayor of Debrecen, Ákos Balázs, to the HR Director of Vitesco Technologies Hungary Kft., Réka Makray, at the town assembly held on the 21st of December 2023.
Since 2019, the Municipality of Debrecen has awarded the Sustainable Debrecen prize to those business organisations, institutions and working groups whose activities align with the city’s sustainability efforts. Based on the recommendations of the Green Working Group, a new concept was developed in April 2022, through which the city will be awarded the Sustainable Debrecen Award and the Grand Prize. Since 2019, more than 20 organisations have won the title and the prize. Based on the decision of the City Assembly’s Environment and Urban Development Committee, the Sustainable Debrecen Grand Prize 2023 was awarded to Vitesco Technologies Hungary Kft.
Vitesco Technologies is committed to working alongside its products for a greener future in everyday life. During Green Week, an internal campaign series in the first half of September, they encouraged their colleagues to become more environmentally conscious by making small changes in their daily lives. They promote public transport as an environmentally friendly way to get to work. DKV local and county passes are reimbursed to employees who apply for them. In addition, there is a custom-built bicycle storage and electric bicycle charging station in front of the factory. They have landscaped arrival roofs and public spaces on their premises, where they have planted shrubs, saplings and bushes of various species and sizes. Earlier this year, the company purchased an adjacent plot of land for expansion. This project aims to create significant green areas with contiguous grassed areas and plant several trees. In the interests of sustainability, rainwater is collected from the roof of the building into a vast 763 cubic metre rainwater tank located next to the factory. In addition to paper, plastic and metal, electrical waste and batteries are collected separately. They also have their separate waste yard. All rooms in the building have LED lighting with intelligent control. The site was built to meet the globally recognised LEED Standard requirements and was awarded the prestigious Gold certification on 21 December 2021. This certification includes the use of energy-efficient engineering solutions, the installation of an energy-saving lighting system, the possibility of electric car charging and the recycling of waste produced. Maximum points were achieved in water efficiency, greywater use and rainwater use, among others. Their on-site restaurant is extremely proud that many of their ingredients are sourced from producers or produced on their farm. Their actions not only serve sustainable production but also serve the well-being of families in Debrecen through the recognition of high-value workers.
After the presentation of the grand prize, Mayor László Papp said that the city is very proud that one of the world’s leading technology companies, Vitesco Technologies, found Debrecen suitable to create a job-creating investment here, thus providing hundreds of people in Debrecen with job and career opportunities. It took a lot of hard work for Vitesco, but the city appreciates that the company has become a Debrecen-based company with a great corporate culture. The city made an excellent decision when it created the Sustainable Debrecen Award because it is not only a way of talking about sustainability but also an incentive for this initiative. László Papp expressed his delight that many of the world’s foremost companies feel the importance and necessity of doing something for the local environment and sustainability of Debrecen in our corporate operations by adopting our corporate culture here in Debrecen – and that Vitesco Technologies is also contributing globally to making the world a more sustainable place with its achievements in the field of electromobility. This is how localism and globalism meet here in Debrecen, for which the Mayor congratulated the company and wished it a very successful next few years and many achievements here in Debrecen for the well-being of many Debrecen citizens.
Réka Makray, HR Director of Vitesco Technologies Hungary Kft, thanked the company for the award. As she emphasised, the value of sustainability is encoded in the company’s DNA. As champions of clean mobility, they are increasingly producing innovative powertrain solutions for hybrid and conventional vehicles in Debrecen. However, they also represent an important message of sustainability not only through their products but also in their operations. For example, they continuously monitor their energy consumption to optimise usage and minimise losses. They recycle 95% of the waste they produce. Energy efficiency is also an important criterion in the procurement process of production equipment. They also support their colleagues in using public transport in various ways to help reduce carbon emissions. Rainwater is recycled at our site, reducing the load on the main water supply. Projects to harness alternative energy sources, such as solar and geothermal, are underway and will become a reality in a year or two. They are committed to electromobility in their long-term strategy and will be carbon neutral by 2027. The best example of their colleagues’ commitment to sustainability is the Green Week Challenge. As part of this initiative, they are asking their colleagues to show the world what it means to them to protect our environment through various sustainability challenges. Over the past few years, hundreds of people have participated in the week-long challenge, from cycling to work instead of driving to using reusable shopping bags, fruit bags, glass bottles, and even participating in a collective litter pick. The company encourages its colleagues to lead by example to help spread the message of sustainability.
Source and photo credit: debrecen.hu
