‘We ensure that as a company we leave as small a footprint on nature as possible’

The banks of the Kupa River and the riverbed were cleaned today through the waste cleaning action ‘Volunteer Day’.

Partners Karlovačka pivovara and the Ecological Society Eko Pan united about a hundred volunteers to make Karlovac, which is a beautiful place to live, as clean and tidy as possible.

Alexander Gercshbacher, CEO of Karlovačka pivovara, stated immediately after he threw a portion of the waste he personally removed from the Kupa River into a large container that he and all employees of Karlovačka pivovara see themselves as part of Karlovac and therefore want to contribute to its beauty and tidiness.

Last year, the first Volunteer Day was held, and now the second. While last year a part of the forest above Karlovačka pivovara in Dubovac was cleaned, this time the action expanded from Dubovac all the way to Gaza, through the entire center of Karlovac, Gercshbacher said, emphasizing that sustainable development is an important topic for the company and the Heineken group as a whole.

– We ensure that as a company we leave as small a footprint on nature as possible, we take care to use as little water and energy as possible, we introduce the best energy sources for environmental protection, and we strive for the fifth consecutive year to contribute to a better quality of life in Karlovac and Karlovačka County through funding various projects, Gerschbacher said.

Denis Frančišković from Eko-Pan thanked Karlovačka pivovara for its efforts and for setting a good example for other companies on how even volunteering, if not financially supporting projects, can contribute to a better life in the community.

– We have removed various items from the river that do not belong in nature, including an entire bathroom with a toilet, and even a tire. I always wonder how it is convenient for someone to drag all that to the river, while with the same effort they could legally dispose of it for free at a municipal landfill, Frančišković said, appealing to citizens not to contribute to the creation of illegal dumpsites through their irresponsible littering.