As part of the Green Recovery component of the COVID-19 Investment Response project, which was implemented in BiH by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) on behalf of the Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development of the Federal Republic of Germany, the company Vendom d.o.o., which specializes in the production of various steel structures, has already started its journey towards the green transition.
The company first carried out an analysis of electricity consumption, identifying its largest consumers. They are currently in the phase of purchasing sensors for measuring emissions of the entire production, as well as devices for measuring electricity consumption on each electric motor. After that, they also plan to introduce continuous monitoring that will enable daily emission management.
“In the future, we plan to gradually take many other steps towards a green transition, as each of them affects the strengthening of our company’s competitive position on foreign markets, which we strive for. Given that we export to demanding European and non-European markets, we are aware that the green transition is something that we must follow, to which we must adapt. To this end, we have also decided to introduce several standards that will ensure the safe placement of our products on Western markets, i.e. 50 001, 59 004 and 14 001 standards”, said the company’s owner and director Sandra Đukanović.
As more than 99% of its production is exported to the market of Switzerland and the European Union, Vendom is working intensively to comply with the “Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism”, or CBAM. This mechanism is intended to address greenhouse gas emissions embedded in goods when imported into the customs territory of the Union.
“In order to reduce CO2 emissions into the atmosphere and adapt our production to CBAM, we have focused all our activities on cooperation with consultants in the field of green economy. In addition, we regularly visited all the workshops, organized by GIZ on behalf of the German government, which was very useful to us. Also, we consulted various consultants from the non-governmental sector,” Đukanovic added.
They have also established cooperation with the non-governmental organization CENER 21, established with the aim of contributing to sustainable development and helping BiH companies to exploit the great economic potential of green business models.
“We are aware of what the circular model of the economy brings us and that we really need to adapt to it. Lower costs, and therefore greater competitiveness in the market, are a priority for us and we will certainly adhere to that”, Đukanovic said.
As it continues its path of green transition, the management of Vendom is also considering the possibility of installing its own solar power plant, which would significantly improve its resource and energy efficiency, and strongly contribute to the preservation of the environment.
Vendom was founded in 2008 in Laktaši. At the beginning, it had only two employees. Today, sixteen successful years later, Vendom is one of the largest exporters in the metal sector in BiH, employing around 200 workers.