Responsible Companies Received the Prestigious Via Bona Slovakia 2023 Award

This year, 42 large, medium, and small companies competed for the Via Bona Slovakia award, with a total of 44 projects nominated. From 20 final nominations in the second round, the winners were selected by independent evaluation committees composed of experts from the business, non-profit, and public sectors. 

“In turbulent times that bring many societal challenges, it is encouraging to see that Slovak companies continue to demonstrate commitment and creativity in the field of responsible business. This year’s Via Bona Slovakia award once again showed that companies can be the driving force for positive change, supporting sustainable development, social inclusion, and technological innovation. We are proud of all those who inspire others with their example and prove that even in challenging times, it is possible to act with consideration for future generations,” said Michal Kišša, Executive Director of the Pontis Foundation. 

Award Winners

In the main category of Responsible Large Company, the winner was Slovak Telekom for their systematic approach to responsible business and the courage to actively address important topics. 

Slovak Telekom is a provider of comprehensive telecommunication services and employs almost 2 400 people. The company takes an inclusive approach, with special flat rates for hearing and visually impaired customers for an extra discounted amount. There is an online interpreter operating in stores, which is especially useful for seniors who have lost their hearing due to old age. Environmental protection is built on 2 pillars in the company’s ESG strategy: building a carbon-neutral society and striving for full circularity. In 2023, Telekom introduced “returnable packaging”, i.e. a returnable cardboard box with a lifetime of at least 50 deliveries to the customer. Following the successful pilot of flexible working arrangements, many people in Telekom, for whom the nature of their work allows it, are already working ultra-flexi hours or a 4-day working week. In the community area, the company focuses mainly on developing the digital literacy and skills of the younger generation through the ENTER programme and cooperation with organisations such as Aj Ty v IT, Informatika 2.0 or Zmudri. In February 2023, Telekom started building the Rešpekt engaged corporate communication platform, which supports the brand’s mission to connect people.   

The award in the main category of Responsible Small/Medium Company was given to the Žilina-based development company Reinoo for linking sustainable development business with extensive assistance to people from Ukraine and the local community. 

Reinoo is a real estate development company operating in the Žilina region and is primarily engaged in the construction of office buildings, residential complexes and rental properties. The main philosophy of the company – to be an example – is translated into reality through sustainable construction and through 3 main responsible activities: the Reinoo Ventures (support for start-ups), cooperation with the Milan Dubec Foundation (through which it mainly supports community projects, the restoration of public spaces and greenery in the city of Žilina) and Camp Žilina (in 2023, the project focused mainly on facilitating the adaptation of refugees from Ukraine in Slovakia and material assistance in Ukraine).  In the core business itself, the company emphasizes the use of environmentally friendly building materials and waste minimization (e.g. reusing construction waste during construction, procuring raw materials with a high proportion of recycled components), green technologies (e.g. green roofs, photovoltaic panels, planting of greenery), and does not forget to support local communities through social and environmental initiatives (Christmas markets, vernissages of local artists, environmental educational activities for children).     

In the category of Good Partner of the Community, Slovenská sporiteľňa received the award for their comprehensive support of affordable housing carried out in collaboration with strategic partners, which significantly improves the quality of life for disadvantaged groups. 

The activities of Slovenská sporiteľna are a response to the growing problem of unaffordable housing in Slovakia for commercial prices. The DOM.ov project focuses on providing comprehensive support to families of excluded communities from rural areas in planning, financing and building their own homes. The main goal is to enable them to build their houses on their own, with Project DOM.ov providing materials, coordinating the construction and teaching clients the necessary activities during the building process. Families who are part of the program are thus given the opportunity to live in their own houses, pay for running costs and repay the loan just for the construction. Another project – Affordable Homes – in contrast, seeks to provide rental housing at below market rents, thereby addressing the problem of housing affordability for disadvantaged and vulnerable groups.  

For their personal proactive approach to improving children’s school results, the company SmartBooks received the award in the category of Socially Innovative Company. 

The SmartBooks project is a digital smart textbook that effectively transforms traditional educational methods and creates conditions similar to personal tutoring. It provides primary school pupils with specifically generated exercises along with detailed explanations. These exercises not only test knowledge but also actively promote learning and memorization, thereby greatly enhancing the effectiveness of learning. The system improves critical thinking skills, reading comprehension and long-term memory. Its use is also particularly effective for pupils with specific learning needs such as ADHD, dysgraphia, dyslexia, and in special schools for children with autism spectrum disorders.   

In the category of Outstanding Employer, Tesco Stores won for their long-term and consistent approach to integrating various vulnerable groups, particularly people with disabilities. 

Since the Tesco Angel initiative was established in 2013, the company has continued its efforts to integrate socially, medically, mentally, age, gender and ethnically disadvantaged people into the workforce. It focuses on employing people with specific health limitations such as Down syndrome, autism spectrum disorders, physical handicaps, hearing limitations and cerebral palsy, as well as people who are homeless, from marginalized social groups or refugees from areas at risk of war. Tesco Stores also offers training and work experience for pupils from excluded Roma communities.   

In the category of Green Company, the award went to Corplex for developing a comprehensive circular solution in product packaging, addressing the growing issue of the e-commerce segment. 

Corplex has developed a special innovative, eco-friendly and cost-effective packaging alternative for the B2C sector. This is returnable packaging that is brought back to the manufacturer and reused once the goods (e.g. mobile phones) have been delivered, which reduces waste significantly. In addition, the packaging at the end of its lifespan itself is recycled by Corplex and used to produce further packaging. Returnable Boxes are made of plastic cardboard – a material similar to cardboard but made of polypropylene, and thus easily recyclable, without the need of water, using only electrical/thermal energy. The project not only reduces the amount of packaging material and eliminates the need for disposable cartons and bubble filler, but also offers a more economically and environmentally beneficial solution for companies and their customers.   

The winner in the category of Fair Market Player was Slovak Telekom for raising societal awareness and spreading the importance of blood donation with tangible results. 

As part of its long-term platform Rešpekt, Slovak Telekom has introduced an initiative that will focus on promoting blood donation in Slovakia. It was launched in the summer months, which is the period when the need for blood is greatest, due to the seasonal decline in the number of donors and the increased incidence of injuries and operations. Slovak Telekom did not limit itself to traditional methods of promoting blood donation. The innovation of this campaign was the use of a logo that changed during four weeks to different blood types according to the current needs of the National Transfusion Service of the Slovak Republic. The project also highlighted the positive aspects of the use of technology and its ability to bring people together for a good cause, and as a result the campaign had a significant immediate impact on increasing the number of blood donors.