Sustainability, a competitive advantage for Bilka

What we sow now, we will reap in the future!

That’s why Eastern Europe’s largest roofing manufacturer has chosen to include the responsibility for the environment and our planet in its corporate strategy, in addition to the responsibility for the community and its own employees.

Horațiu Țepeș, the owner of Bilka, chose the entrepreneurial path in 2007. At the time he wondered whether in 10 years he would be able to have a major impact on the roofing market, the economy and the community. He was optimistic, firmly answered “yes”, and after 10 years the expectations were beyond all initial plans.

Currently, Bilka is the largest roofing system manufacturer in Eastern Europe. “In recent years, our status has become a responsibility as we have become the market benchmark. We set the quality standard for products and services in our industry. At the base of our business, development and investment strategy there was a culture of responsibility towards our customers and partners with the products we make, responsibility towards the employees with the jobs, conditions and opportunities we offer, and responsibility towards the community in which we operate. I believe it is time to add responsibility towards our planet to our strategy and treat sustainability as a competitive advantage. People need to understand that the planet has limited resources and unlimited needs. Thus, what we sow now, we will reap in the future”, the entrepreneur pointed out.

Steps to reduce carbon footprint

In an ever-changing world, Bilka representatives are aware of their impact on society and the company wants to remain focused on its goal of contributing to global development, but in a sustainable way. “This year, when it comes to sustainability, in addition to the other actions that we have carried out in the past and will continue to do, the goal is to continue to align Bilka’s development and performance with the needs of society. To this end, we take the Greenhouse Gas Protocol and the UN Sustainable Development Goals seriously and do our utmost to reduce our carbon footprint, but also to allow our customers, through the products they buy, to reduce their carbon footprint. We have always believed that our actions today influence the entire industry of tomorrow. It is a responsibility that we have always taken seriously in our business, but also in terms of sustainability. We are determined to become a landmark in this direction as well,” explained the owner of Bilka.

Roofs made of “green steel”

In terms of roofing manufacturing, steel is and will continue to be the material of choice for roofing. The metal roofing market has been growing steadily and still has great potential, so the consumption of steel used in Bilka’s business will also increase. Given that steel accounts for about 90% of Bilka’s business and products, the most important step in the company’s approach to reducing carbon emissions is to support the manufacturing of “green steel” with zero carbon emissions. “To this end, we want to develop long-term partnerships with our suppliers who have the same goal when it comes to sustainability. Thus, we already have an agreement with one of our raw material suppliers and, starting next year, we will also have roofs made of green steel in our range. The target is that by 2030 we will use 50% “green steel” in the manufacturing process, and by 2050 we will approach to 100%, Horațiu Țepeș said.

The importance of the carbon footprint of a house

He stressed that such measures are needed now, because society needs buildings, but their carbon footprint is currently too high. “We think customers will also see this as a great opportunity. We agree that at the moment few people are aware of the importance of reducing carbon emissions when building a house, but in the future the number will increase and we need to be prepared for that. Bilka’s success has been due to our determination to provide the best possible customer experience. Year after year we have continued our strategy of continuous innovation and development of new products and have been wise in anticipating new trends. Now we see a new trend, a future need of society and our customers and this is “green steel”, concluded the entrepreneur from Brașov.

Article published in fwdBV magazine, copy editor, Ionuț Dincă