CSR & ESG Forum: From Responsible Business to Measurable Community Impact
ESG today is much more than a regulatory obligation – it represents an opportunity to enhance competitiveness, strengthen local economies, and empower communities, concluded the CSR & ESG Forum, held today for the 16th time in Belgrade.
The CSR & ESG Forum, the largest conference on corporate social responsibility in Serbia, brought together representatives from the private and public sectors, international organizations, as well as experts in sustainability and responsible business, to discuss current issues and trends in these fields.
At the opening of the conference, representatives from the diplomatic, business, and philanthropic sectors addressed the audience.
“Growth must never come at the expense of dignity and equality. Companies that genuinely follow ESG principles and social responsibility not only meet standards but also foster innovation and build long-term resilience,” emphasized Charlotte Sammelin, Ambassador of Sweden.
Jelena Savanović, Manager of the Sidro Foundation, highlighted the Forum’s importance: “It brings us together to jointly create an economy based on responsibility, cooperation, and a clear understanding that development must be inclusive and that additional investment in empowering local communities is necessary.”
The conference opening also featured speeches by Violeta Jovanović, Executive Director of NALED, and Neven Marinović, Director of Smart Collective and Executive Director of the Forum for Responsible Business, who underlined the importance of cross-sector collaboration to achieve better societal conditions and advance sustainable business practices.
“Our goal is to improve transparency and efficiency in the public procurement system, where even small improvements yield significant savings for the state and better quality services for citizens. We are working on the systemic inclusion of social enterprises in supply chains, as it is necessary to remove barriers and empower small suppliers whose products and services contribute to local development. Additionally, integrating ESG standards has become a prerequisite for competitiveness, promoting responsible management, gender equality, environmental protection, anti-discrimination, and investments with broad societal impact, thereby jointly building a sustainable, inclusive, and long-term stable business ecosystem in Serbia,” Jovanović stated.
During the event, two significant panel discussions were held. The first panel focused on how companies contribute to the growth of the local economy and strengthen social impact by purchasing from social and impact enterprises, while the second panel centered on ESG criteria and the regulatory framework as support and opportunity to improve business processes and social impact.
A special segment of the conference was dedicated to young participants of the Sustainability Starter program, who presented their practical solutions and responses to sustainability challenges set by their mentors.
The conference concluded with the CSR & ESG Forum Awards, recognizing companies, leaders, and initiatives with the greatest social, environmental, and inclusive impact.
The CSR & ESG Forum is organized by Smart Collective and the Forum for Responsible Business and is part of the project “Sustainable Communities: Strengthening Social Enterprises for Local Development”, implemented by Smart Collective in partnership with Evrokontakt Kruševac and Kolping Society of Serbia, with financial support from the European Union. This year, the Forum is held with the support of the Sidro Foundation and the project “Enhancing competitiveness through more effective public procurement and sustainable supply chains”, financed by the Government of Sweden and implemented by NALED. Friends of the conference include Coca-Cola HBC Serbia, Elixir Group, Lidl Serbia, and Delez Serbia through the “Buy Good” package of social enterprise products. Media partners of the event are CorD, BizLife, Održi me, Nova ekonomija, Bonitet, Diplomacy & Commerce, InStore, and Daily Green.
