On November 27th, AmCham Romania welcomed members to the Sustainable Business in Action conference. In this policy-industry dialogue, business leaders and professionals in our community, along with representatives of public authorities, explored not only why sustainability is essential but, more importantly, how we can move from theory to concrete action that strengthens economic resilience.

Setting the scene, on behalf of the AmCham Romania Board of Directors, Cornel Caramizaru, Chair of the Environment Task Force, highlighted the private sector’s essential role in advancing sustainability as a core value and contributing to an efficient and faster implementation that will increase Romania’s overall economic competitiveness.

Across the 32 economic sectors in which AmCham Romania’s 600+ member companies operate, sustainability is either a priority, a concern, or a pressure. Wherever each of us stands in the process of integrating sustainability into our companies’ goals, values, and daily operations, I am confident that we all share the same firm commitment: to make sustainability a pillar of our business, of our organizational culture, of our contribution to the economy, and of how we help spread this paradigm across society.

We welcomed a constructive approach and openness for dialogue and collaboration from both public and private sector panelists.

Thank you for the great insights during the first panel: 

• Keynote - Nicolae Ștefănuță, Vice-President, European Parliament (online)
• Mihaela Frăsineanu, State Counselor, Prime Minister’s Chancellery
• Raul Pop, State Secretary, Ministry of Environment
• Viorel Baltaretu – State Secretary, Ministry of Economy, Digitalization, Entrepreneurship, and Tourism
• Robert Uzuna, MPhil, PhD, Vice President for Corporate Affairs, Ursus Breweries
• Ramona Corbu (Vieru), CSR Manager, Lidl România
• Lucian Enaru, CEO, Schneider Electric Romania
• Moderator: Alice Nichita, Corporate Affairs & Sustainability Director, Coca-Cola HBC Romania

Building on the discussions from the first panel, speakers in the second panel reinforced the importance of a trusted, functional partnership, both among businesses and between the private sector and public stakeholders. Leaders from diverse industries- green energy, banking, urban ecology, and water hygiene- shared perspectives grounded in their companies’ core values and proven practices.

Key takeaways:

• Sustainability is no longer a nice-to-have, but an operational license.
• Applying sustainability standards across the entire value chain is essential for meaningful impact.
• Speed of implementation makes the difference, and one of the most pressing challenges remains the availability of a skilled workforce — a true competitive advantage.
• The need for long-term vision, measurable outcomes, and data-driven policy was underscored across interventions.

Thank you to our speakers for the valuable insights:

• Roxana Barbato, MBA, Sustainability & ESG Director, Raiffeisen Bank Romania
• Raluca Fiser, Executive Director, Green Revolution Association
• Christian Leonte, CEO, WALDEVAR Energy
• Agnese Danelon, VP Government Relations – Europe, Ecolab
• Moderator: Ovidiu Popescu, CFA, FCCA, Partner, Energy and Sustainability, Deloitte Romania