Water conservation is an increasingly important topic for employee volunteering and ESG activities in companies

Business is increasingly including water issues in its ESG planning, one of the more promising trends of the past year. That’s why it’s worth mentioning an event that is one example of engagement with this topic. AXA XL organized, as part of its global Valuing Nature campaign, a conference on water conservation, and specifically the Oder River. The event was held at the New Horizons Cinema in Wrocław, gathering several hundred company employees and invited guests – inspiring representatives of Polish public life actively working for water protection.

The Oder River – the DNA of Wrocław citizens

Wrocław lies at the confluence of five rivers, with the Oder River at the head, and this is an important part of the city’s DNA. This meeting of the rivers, for centuries, has made travel, transport of goods, communication possible… They have contributed to the fact that Wroclaw is famous for its openness, is called the a meeting place and a center for new ideas,” says Jarek Tobola, Head of Shared Service AXA XL Wroclaw. Like Wroclaw, at AXA XL we are diverse and highly value social inclusion. Our team is nearly 750 people of many talents and ages, performing a wide variety of tasks. We come from 33 countries and speak 24 languages – he adds.

The conference discussed how to restore the Oder River to the city and its residents, and how businesses, ngo organizations and, above all, each of us – can get involved in conservation efforts.

People who inspire us

The company’s team invited people who are involved in water and river issues on a daily basis and inspire others to take authentic action to protect them to share their knowledge. Among the guests were min: Dominik Dobrowolski, an ecologist and traveler (known, among other things, for the largest river cleaning campaigns in Poland: Aktion Czysta Wisła and Aktion Czysta Odra, and winner of the prestigious Green Titan of the Republic award for environmental activities in 2024), Kinga Waszkiewicz of the OnWater Foundation, and climate journalist Anita Dmitruczuk.

There was also a special presentation of the film To the Last Drop by the excellent director Ewa Ewart, who was accompanied by the film’s co-author and water expert Piotr Nieznalski. The film reveals the global costs and consequences of destroying nature in the name of progress. It is a story of powerlessness and desperation, but also of determination and hope. It tells not only about the rivers, but also about the people who are trying to save them and raise awareness of why the problem is so important.

By showing the struggle for clean and healthy rivers, the documentary inspires and emphasizes that we too can contribute to solving this crisis. Ewa Ewart and Piotr Nieznalski are also the authors of Code for Blue, an educational program for schools that aims to educate children – soon to decide how important water conservation is to the safety of our planet.

The event was partnered by THINKTANK and Hydropolis, a water knowledge center.

According to the founders of the Wroclaw-based OnWater Foundation The Oder is like the bloodstream of Wroclaw – thanks to it the city lives and flourishes. Various initiatives gather around the river, it fosters meetings. It is a kind of artery that feeds the city and nature . Fundacja powołała do życia m.in. Odra Centrum – miejsce spotkań na wodzie. To jedyny tego typu ośrodek edukacyjno-kulturalny w Europie, a przy okazji jedna z ładniejszych kawiarni w mieście, z widokiem na Odrę.

Risk management and sustainability go hand in hand

Suzzan Scatlife, Director of Global Sustainability at AXA XL, was a special guest at the event.

In our business of helping companies deal with risks and plan for the future, we recognize how improving sustainability can reduce risk and promote business resilience. As companies across all industries face the challenges of climate change, macroeconomic turmoil, shareholder activism and increased competition, to name just a few, it is clear that integrating sustainability into business practices matters. And not just ethically.

Water is one of the main factors through which we feel the effects of climate change. Often, however, water issues are not adequately addressed in climate risk management – said the expert. People are asking how to convince companies about ESG. I hope that in 10 years, such conversations will no longer be necessary. After all, today we don’t ask what the business case for ESG is. We simply do it because we know it is essential to our business. We should approach ESG in the same way – Scatlife adds.

AXA XL has set 23 targets as part of a three-year sustainability strategy called Roots of resilience. Additional information is available on the website.

Cooperation and proficiency that is in each of us

Dr. Malgorzata Bonikowska, president of the THINKTANK Center, which was a patron of the event, emphasized: We live in an era of interaction. If we do not learn this, it will be increasingly difficult for us to solve problems in Poland, Europe and the world. It is necessary to cooperate, to seek solutions between business, NGOs and city residents to preserve what is beautiful and important. After all, we are not on two sides of the barricade, and the planet is shared.

The result of the meeting and a full day of networking was a plan for concrete cooperation in support of Wroclaw community organizations, including those associated with local rivers. And before all, thanks to a meeting full of inspiration, discussions and conversations – the participants gained the conviction that everyone can join the action for climate protection right away. And that it’s worth getting involved in protecting and restoring nature in the immediate vicinity and taking care of the biodiversity that surrounds us.

Source: AXA XL press release