Go Green initiative winners interview - Croatia

It started with a spark ignited by the Employee Experience EMEA Team and a simple question: How do you truly teach sustainability? We realized the best way was to start small, start young, and start at home. They created educational coloring books packed with fun activities for our employees' children. That was our initial 'seed' moment in Croatia, and it blossomed from there.

We then launched a 30-day Green Challenge, encouraging small, sustainable steps at home and in the office. The response was incredible! People shared their progress, inspiring each other and creating a real sense of community around the initiative. For example, we even saw a surge in bike commuting in Pula. It's a smaller city, so ditching the car for a bike ride became a popular and visible way to contribute.

One of the biggest challenges was maintaining momentum beyond the initial excitement. To combat this, we kept the initiative alive by creating a dedicated online space and formed a “Green Team” for sharing tips, celebrating successes, and suggesting new challenges. Another challenge was measuring our impact. So, we started tracking things like participation rates in the challenge, the number of employees biking to work, and even the reduction in office waste. This data helped us refine our approach and demonstrate the tangible results of our efforts.

Our 'Go Green' initiative had a widespread impact, touching both our immediate environment and the wider community. We tracked several key metrics: the amount of waste and e-waste, a month-over-month comparison of office printing data to monitor our paper consumption, the reduction in single-use plastic bottles, and even the number of plants we planted and adopted in our office spaces.

But the impact went beyond quantifiable results. Our initiative raised awareness by actively engaging employees in hands-on activities across all Transcom locations in Croatia. And, crucially, we were listening. We actively solicited new "green" ideas from our employees, creating a culture of shared ownership and innovation. This collaborative approach sparked conversations not just at the office, but also in cafes with friends and family. We even inspired friends working at other companies to launch their own initiatives! It was incredibly rewarding to see our efforts create a domino effect beyond Transcom.

The initiative also had a profound impact on individual employee behavior. People became more mindful of their personal sustainability practices. We saw employees starting their own vegetable gardens, choosing the stairs over the elevator to conserve energy, upcycling paper bags into Christmas decorations, and becoming generally more conscious consumers.Our 'Go Green' initiative became a catalyst for change, motivating others to adopt a greener lifestyle, both at work and at home.

Transcom is passionate about creating positive, lasting change for the planet, its people, and the communities where we operate.

Our initiative directly supported this commitment by actively contributing to sustainability. We're unlocking the power of local communities by fostering a sense of shared responsibility for the environment. It's about empowering our employees to become agents of change, both within Transcom and in their personal lives.

Sustainability isn't a separate initiative at Transcom; it's integrated into the overall business strategy. By reducing our environmental footprint, we're not only contributing to a healthier planet, but also enhancing our brand reputation, attracting and retaining top talent, and even realizing cost savings through resource efficiency. Our 'Go Green' initiative contributed directly to this strategy by demonstrating our commitment to responsible business practices. It showed that we're actively working to reduce and mitigate our negative environmental impact through our actions, our procurement processes, and even the way we think about our business. 

Our 'Go Green' initiative was a tangible expression of Transcom's commitment to creating a better future for all, a future where business success and environmental stewardship go hand in hand.

Reflecting on the 'Go Green' campaign, we are struck by the power of collective action. It wasn't just about the numbers we tracked or the initiatives we launched; it was about the shift in mindset, the shared sense of purpose that emerged. When people are empowered to make a difference, when they see that their contributions matter, that's when real change happens. Making eco-friendly practices easy, visible, and engaging is crucial.

This experience has fundamentally changed our own views on sustainability. We have become much more mindful of our personal environmental impact, from the choices we make at the grocery store to how we manage energy at home. It's not about being perfect; it's about being conscious and consistently striving to do better.

If we could offer advice to others looking to make a difference in their communities, it would be this: Start small, but start now. Don't be overwhelmed by the scale of the challenge. Focus on simple, sustainable actions that you can integrate into your daily life. Lead by example. Be the change you want to see. Get others involved by sharing the benefits and showing how easy it can be to make a positive impact. And finally, remember that consistency and education, especially from an early age, are key. Instilling a sense of environmental responsibility in future generations is crucial for creating a truly sustainable future.

We would love to see Transcom expand its sustainability initiatives in several key areas. One area is exploring circular economy principles, finding ways to minimize waste and maximize resource reuse. This could involve partnering with suppliers who share our commitment to sustainability and designing our operations with end-of-life considerations in mind. We would also like to see us deepen our engagement with local communities, supporting environmental initiatives and partnering with organizations that are working to address environmental challenges.

Finally, collaboration is key. We can't achieve our sustainability goals alone. We need to work with our employees, our suppliers, our customers, and our communities to create a more sustainable future for all. By embracing these principles, Transcom can not only minimize its environmental impact, but also create a positive ripple effect, inspiring others to take action and contributing to a healthier planet for generations to come.