Since 2004 the Business Leaders Forum (BLF) has united companies which have been trying to contribute to Slovakia’s sustainable development and prosperity through their CSR practices. “Responsible entrepreneurship is not about empty phrases, but about everyday decisions which strengthen companies in the long-term,” said Michal Kišša, the executive director of the Business Leaders Forum and program director of the Pontis Foundation. The BLF members admitted three new members at this year’s first quarterly meeting, which was held on 9 March 2017 at Philip Morris Slovakia.

The company ESET is proud to be a symbol of success in Slovakia, but it is particularly proud of its honest and ethical business practices towards partners, customers, and society. Its vision is to build a secure digital world that will enable each person to fully develop their potential. The company is doing so by supporting education and putting emphasis on research and development. It finds its employees and their development just as important. It seeks to employ people who believe in themselves and four key values: courage, honesty, reliability, and enthusiasm. 

The company HPE aims to reduce negative impact on the environment as much as possible. Besides usual activities, such as recycling, environment-friendly disposal of hazardous waste, and the use of means of transport which produce minimum emissions, the company encourages its employees to use public transport by contributing to the cost of seasonal passes. It also allows its employees to spend a part of their working hours working from home. 

The company Lidl’s key themes includeenvironmental protection, children as our future, and community support. The chain relies only on renewable energy, and its newest logistic centre in Sereď is the first building in Slovakia to have received the highest degree of international environmental certification BREEAM. Lidl also revitalizes Slovak forests by planting trees, builds children’s playgrounds named Žihadielka where they are most desired, supports sports activities and the transport literacy of primary school children, and purchases life-saving equipment for hospitals and their youngest patients. 

 Thanks to the admission of three new members, the Business Leaders Forum’s membership now stands at 41 companies. “We are happy that increasingly more companies in Slovakia are committing themselves to doing business while respecting the needs of their employees, customers, suppliers, and taking into consideration the environment and the community in which they operate,” added Kišša.