„We see what’s happening in the world and we want to play an active part in it”

It is still rare for a design firm to produce an ESG report, but bim.GROUP has taken the plunge and carried out the assessment. We discussed the necessity and results of this with Zsolt Ballay, managing director of bim.GROUP and Ákos Juhász, the company’s creative director. At the start of our conversation, Ákos Juhász immediately stated:

„I view sustainability efforts as a process. Whilst it is possible to identify milestones, such as our recently published ESG report – and the sooner one gets started, the further one can go – we do not believe that we can ever reach a final destination. We can only ever keep getting better. There is never an ideal time to produce a report like this, but it is never too late.”

You have to be honest

“We love being pioneers,” emphasised Zsolt Ballay, “and the preparation of our ESG report is a case in point. We wanted to reflect on our environment, where sustainability considerations are becoming increasingly prominent. In this self-reflective review, we came across several lessons that highlight our shortcomings.” Such an examination therefore requires honesty – pointed out Ákos Juhász – as it not only reflects on our current operations but also provides insight into the impact they have. And this impact is enormous: as a design firm, many of our decisions determine the environmental footprint of each project.

‘Our aim, of course,’ said Zsolt Ballay, ‘is to identify our shared values, because working with an investor or contractor who thinks along the same lines as us can result in a better and more attractive building.’.

Our work involves board games with a large number of players, so we don’t just want to gain a competitive advantage from this; we also want to share a new perspective with everyone involved in each project,” added Ákos Juhász.

Every market has different requirements

Generally speaking, when people hear the word ‘sustainability’, they tend to think of environmental protection, even though only one of the three letters in ‘ESG’ refers to environmental impact. It also encompasses a number of social and business ethics considerations.

“I’ve been working in the UK for the past 22 years,” the creative director recalled. “Perhaps the most significant lesson I’ve taken away from there is that the general mindset there demands a focus on sustainability.” The experience is that those who treat their environment with respect will also get on well with their colleagues. So, although the terms ESG cover different areas, they all stem from the same source.

I find it useful to be able to view certain patterns from a broader perspective and within a wider context, and I strive to bring to bim.GROUP the approach that has long been put into practice in the Anglo-Saxon world. This is, of course, helped by the fact that much of our work takes place in an international setting.

Of course, it is important how the companies we work with perceive us and how our operations align with theirs. Western Europe, North America and the Middle East are the three markets we can enter – and these three have very different expectations. In Europe – Zsolt Ballay continued – ESG regulations are very strict, whilst my experience with US companies has been that they show only marginal interest in such initiatives; whereas in the Middle East, rapid, leapfrog development is the prevailing business model, with which ESG expectations do not align.

Of course, everything can only be understood within its own context, because what we consider sustainable here is not the same as what is considered sustainable in, say, the United Kingdom – pointed out Ákos Juhász. It follows from this that the trend is far more important than the result, because the two are often not comparable, but the approach is.

It requires all parties to think long-term

From a business perspective, steps towards sustainability are often seen as contradictory, which makes it difficult to convince investors of certain solutions; however, they are certainly worthwhile in the long term. We felt that we needed to play an active role in this regard,” explained Zsolt Ballay, the company’s director, setting out the reason for producing the report.

He added: „With the ESG report in hand, we can offer our clients advice on sustainability solutions based on our own direct experience, which is, of course, also an economic consideration.”

Sustainability almost always presents itself as a business burden – confirmed Ákos Juhász – and we often find ourselves faced with conflicting interests, as a solution that is much more expensive for an investor only pays off in the long term. Designers bear a great deal of responsibility in this regard, as forward-looking solutions must be accompanied by business considerations rather than ethical ones.

Perhaps long-term thinking is the Western model that we should definitely adopt – after all, a building here too will shape its surroundings for 100 years. Trouble-free operation for decades will sooner or later become a basic expectation here too. It is worth taking the lead on this as an investor – and we, as designers, must provide assistance in this regard.

The aim was to demonstrate the process 

As Zsolt Ballay pointed out, Ákos, as a creative director, played a key role in weaving our worldview and our impact on the environment into the raw figures. By presenting our activities and comparing them with international standards, he made the report so accessible and vivid that even a reader with no background in the industry can grasp the key messages.

„Showing what we think of ourselves isn’t yet second nature in our sector, even though it’s very important”

– Ákos Juhász summed up the value of the report. He added: we need to see where this is leading. The problems identified in the report primarily require a shift in perspective, but if we strive more consciously to highlight what the optimal choice would be – even if it is not the cheapest – we may well end up making more responsible decisions.

Now that we have set these benchmarks down in writing, the key is not to capture a snapshot, but to illustrate a process. Our aim is to produce this report every year, so that we can clearly see the progress we have made and identify areas where we need to improve our operations.

We can proudly claim that we are aware of what is happening in the world and wish to be active participants in it, rather than passive observers. Even small differences can have a major impact in our field. As designers, we must therefore set an example.