OREANDA-NEWS. Experts state that big companies set environmental protection departments and environmental investments reach billions.

“Ukrainian business starts thinking about the environmental side of operations”, says environmental expert Vadim Dyukanov.

“The main goal of any business is an increase in profits. Environmental protection costs reduce the profit, so business is not quite enthusiastic about the issue. It is fair enough from business perspective”, commented the expert. Yet big companies, for example, SCM already set up special departments to improve production with eco-friendly purposes.

DTEK's CEO Maxim Timchenko believes that most people are ready to participate in social initiatives like cleaning or landscaping their city or town: “The complicated organisation is a problem as it is necessary to coordinate the possibility to plant trees with municipal services or to agree on garbage disposal. And business can help employees to settle this problem”.

In 2012, Rinat Akhmetov's SCM Group invested UAH 5.3bn in environmental protection and energy saving technologies.

Other big companies also cooperate with the government to develop environmental programmes. The Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources of Ukraine, Donetsk Regional State Administration, Donetsk Regional Council and Donetskstal Group signed the Agreement on Cooperation in Environment Protection?? att the International Investment Summit held on 17-18 October in Donetsk.

On 19 October 14,000 employees of SCM, Metinvest, DTEK, Vega and Portinvest planted more than 10,000 trees during the Green City volunteering initiative that took place in 50 Ukrainian cities and towns where these companies operate.