Sergei Ivanov

16.06.2022

SPIEF 2022

The Year of the Tiger: Corporate Social Responsibility and the Protection of Animals

Forest fires are the scourge of the Far East in general, a terrible scourge. There are no fires in the national park now thanks to additional investments. Everything around the national park is blazing, while here we are creating mineralized strips, investing money. Transport – we built the first ecological tunnel in Russia, which is good for animals and drivers equally

16.06.2022

SPIEF 2022

The Year of the Tiger: Corporate Social Responsibility and the Protection of Animals

The fines for environmental damage are ridiculous or really small. And they need to be raised. I will give some examples. For many years I fought in an unequal struggle with commercial interests to ban the export of round timber from the territory of the Russian Federation. Illegal loggers, forest fires. We are surprised that we have so many fires every year. One of the reasons is arson by the same loggers, who, according to the law, must clear logging waste. But who wants to do it, it’s easier to set it on fire and that’s it, it will burn down – and goodbye. Finally, it happened,

16.06.2022

SPIEF 2022

The Year of the Tiger: Corporate Social Responsibility and the Protection of Animals

When Sergei Vladilenovich [Kiriyenko] headed Rosatom, he publicly said at a forum in Vladivostok that the best audit reports come from the Tiger Conservation Fund and the Land of the Leopard. Because we report everything down to the kopeck, what the money was spent on. We do that, so that the people who donated the money could see how their money was spent. You cannot just say “to protect nature”, those are empty words

16.06.2022

SPIEF 2022

The Year of the Tiger: Corporate Social Responsibility and the Protection of Animals

The tiger or the leopard do not live by themselves. It is necessary to preserve all nature, from acorns to Siberian dwarf pines that provide a food base, that's the whole chain. Because the tiger and the leopard are the top of the pyramid. But if there is no base of the pyramid, there will be no top. Nature must be preserved in its entirety, and not just the animal itself

16.06.2022

SPIEF 2022

The Year of the Tiger: Corporate Social Responsibility and the Protection of Animals

Large companies are willing to sponsor. One of the reasons, it seems, is that more and more companies are appearing in Russia, especially large ones, that seriously think about their reputation, which was not the case before. And the reputation of any large company, no matter from which country, is formed, among other things, from charity. And especially people like it when they invest in the protection of nature and wildlife. This is true all over the world, not only in Russia. And I can only thank them for that very much

17.06.2022

SPIEF 2022

Does Ecology Serve Business, or Does Business Serve Ecology

Special carbon landfills are now being set up across the country, financed by private businesses rather than budgetary funds. That’s the way it should be. So that we can understand how much industry emits [carbon dioxide – Ed.], where it emits, how much forests absorb here. Because it isn’t just the forests that absorb CO2, by the way – tundra absorbs, and moss absorbs, and steppes absorb. [...] I think this [the creation of carbon polygons – Ed.] will yield results

17.06.2022

SPIEF 2022

Does Ecology Serve Business, or Does Business Serve Ecology

Young people have a different attitude towards the environment. I’ve been watching the change for the last 5–6 years. You’ve probably also noticed how young people get out there to clean up the spaces around us – from parks and public gardens to the Arctic, where they’ll be working for decades to clean up what the Soviets left behind. […] I’m not blaming the Soviet Union – they didn’t have the technology at the time. You could only take barrels of fuel oil up to the north and leave them there for decades. There were no floating nuclear power plants back then. And now there are, thanks to Rosatom

17.06.2022

SPIEF 2022

Does Ecology Serve Business, or Does Business Serve Ecology

Businesses are always saying that they need the best available technology. [...] Financing should, of course, be mostly private. [...] The carrot and stick, including fines for those who are unwilling or unable to meet environmental standards. The government needs to work it out

16.06.2022

SPIEF 2022

The Northern Sea Route: An International Transport Corridor

Our Ministry of Natural Resources must develop very precise and very strict, the strictest environmental standards by class of vessel that will sail especially through the eastern sector of the Arctic. They must decide: how many decks each vessel should have, and all the vessels must abide by the rules stipulated by the Ministry from the environmental perspective because, from this point of view, the Arctic is the most vulnerable place on Earth. The most dangerous place when it comes to environmental harm. And we have to control this since the main sector of the Arctic belongs to the Russian Federation

16.06.2022

SPIEF 2022

The Northern Sea Route: An International Transport Corridor

The main thing is not to reduce the plans for building ice-breakers. […] The volume of cargo is growing by the year along the Northern Sea Route and this is the priority. Floating nuclear power stations. For the Northern Sea Route, floating nuclear power stations: for development of a major power industry for the same coal and gas deposits, power is needed for everything. […] The priority for the Northern Sea Route is to go only in an easterly direction, a lot is still unclear owing to geopolitics but I believe it a fact that our export volumes to the East will grow substantially but shrink to the West. The eastern sector of the Arctic needs to be developed though this is the most difficult in terms of the ice situation, laying everything, lack of the necessary shore facilities, and security. We have one serious unresolved task along the Northern Sea Route: we must consider the theoretical possibility of accidents, God forbid catastrophes. We have to consider this because this is our shore zone, our shore and, if something happens, it will be for us to clear it up

16.06.2022

SPIEF 2022

The Northern Sea Route: An International Transport Corridor

We are not closed to international cooperation and never will be; it’s another matter that we are currently presiding over the Arctic Council and the other seven member countries have stated that they do want to have anything more to do with Russia. If they don’t want to, too bad, but this won’t change the geography. Sooner or later, they will themselves come to the conclusion that, without us, trying to deal with the Arctic is pointless. […] All countries of the world are equally interested […] in taking the Northern Sea Route; nor do we have any interest in stopping them from doing so because that would deprive us of enormous profits. […] We do not need import substitution to provide for the Northern Sea Route since we already have everything: the most advanced technologies of the companies that create the ice-breaker fleet

25.05.2018

SPIEF 2018

Circular Economy: The Russian Model and Foreign Experience

Industrial enterprises will switch to the following technology: once they take water from an external source, they will not take it anymore. It will circulate inside, they will do the treatment and consume it right there

25.05.2018

SPIEF 2018

Circular Economy: The Russian Model and Foreign Experience

All large industrial enterprises consume a lot of water. The question is what they discard

25.05.2018

SPIEF 2018

Circular Economy: The Russian Model and Foreign Experience

Separate waste collection is a complex process, it can not be carried out within one or two years. Scandinavian countries took over ten years to train their population and create a processing system

25.05.2018

SPIEF 2018

Circular Economy: The Russian Model and Foreign Experience

This year, 300 largest Russian enterprises (oil, gas and metallurgy) are switching to the Best Available Technologies (BAT). And by 2021, all Russian enterprises will have to make this transit

03.09.2021

EEF 2021

Logistics is the ‘New Oil’ of the Russian Economy: International Transport Corridors as the Main Driver of Growth

The main task is to modernize the Transsib, the eastern part of the Baikal–Amur Mainline, because that is where we see major problems. The route is needed, but what will be transported through it 30 years from now? My long-term forecast for coal is pessimistic because Europe has already abandoned coal, and China has announced plans to drastically reduce its thermal coal consumption

03.09.2021

EEF 2021

Logistics is the ‘New Oil’ of the Russian Economy: International Transport Corridors as the Main Driver of Growth

When talking about the Northern Sea Route, we inevitably have to consider the environment. The transport industry is generally one of those that are inextricably and inevitably linked with the environment. The contribution of cars to the overall carbon dioxide emissions is rather high. For example, in Moscow, transport accounts for 90% of all toxic emissions into the atmosphere

03.09.2021

EEF 2021

Logistics is the ‘New Oil’ of the Russian Economy: International Transport Corridors as the Main Driver of Growth

The ice is melting, and a chance for an ice-class ship to successfully pass the Northern Sea Route, even without icebreaker escort, are growing constantly. Earlier this year, a previously unthinkable thing happened, when in January a special Arctic ice-class gas carrier sailed east along the Northern Sea Route, and safely passed through its most difficult eastern section, thus proving that sailing was possible even in January

02.09.2021

EEF 2021

The Development of Specially Protected National Areas and the Role of CSR in Ensuring Sustainable Development and Preserving the Unique Nature of the Far East

Solar energy changes everything radically, there is no need to pull any power lines there, nothing

02.09.2021

EEF 2021

The Development of Specially Protected National Areas and the Role of CSR in Ensuring Sustainable Development and Preserving the Unique Nature of the Far East

[Eco-tourism] is a great untapped help for commercial activities in the country. But, of course, this activity must be properly organized and very strictly controlled. Of course, we must not build concrete boxes, accommodation, or hotels on the national park territory in any case. ... Ecological tourism, if properly organized, especially in Russia, can bring in rather large commercial income. I have been to countries where tourism, for example in East Africa or South Africa, brings up to 50-60% of the national budget

02.09.2021

EEF 2021

The Development of Specially Protected National Areas and the Role of CSR in Ensuring Sustainable Development and Preserving the Unique Nature of the Far East

There are a huge number of challenges facing the state in general. But if we are talking about ecology alone and the problems associated with the obvious threats of climate change ..., the first steps in this direction have already been taken. Clean Air and Clean Water programmes have been set up as part of the national project Ecology. Separate sub-programmes have been created for the Volga, Baikal and several other areas. One of them is Biodiversity Conservation, which includes natural reserves. Russia is one of the best in the world in this regard

03.06.2021

SPIEF 2021

Russia–Finland

Nuclear energy is important for two reasons. We have been talking about Finnish investment and technologies, as well as transferring them to Russia. However, there is a reverse case – Hanhikivi Nuclear Power Plant. This is Russia’s largest investment in Finland. It is a huge investment. I would like this power plant to be completed as soon as possible, now that the other day the European Union acknowledged nuclear energy as clean energy. It means it falls under all other concepts, including renewable energy sources – hydrogen, wind, solar, and tidal. Nuclear energy is now among them

03.06.2021

SPIEF 2021

Russia–Finland

Environment Social Governance. This is an important topic, which is now appearing in Russia too – I can assure you. More and more Russian companies and banks join it. I chair the Supervisory Council of the Russian Direct Investment Fund. It recently became known thanks to vaccines and their export to international markets. But actually, we mainly attract direct investment to Russia, and we already pay attention to the ESG of the companies that come to us

03.06.2021

SPIEF 2021

Russia–Finland

For people, environmental problems in their neighbourhoods, or their country houses, or anywhere else rank very high. Over 60% believe that environmental protection is among top priorities. Russia now uses quality of life as a term, which has never existed here before. It is Finland that has always cared about quality of life, while Russia never has. Now it does. We are pretty much starting our work with solid waste from scratch, because we need to do many things at the same time. Take separate waste collection. Recycling would be absolutely impossible without it. <...> Yet, we understand that as much as we want to keep up with Western Europe in terms of recycling, there is still the issue of non-recyclables. <...> Thus, here [come, – Ed.] waste incineration plants

04.06.2021

SPIEF 2021

New Challenges for the Green Economy: Could the Crisis Delay the Inevitable?

At present, a presidential decree has set up a scientific and technical platform that will be tasked with determining the exact figures for carbon dioxide emissions by individual industries and individual enterprises. The most important thing is to determine the overall Russian absorption capacity [...] The platform that I mentioned, its task is to determine exactly how much we throw away and how much we absorb, and, of course, in this regard, the opinion of science and scientists is of utmost importance

04.06.2021

SPIEF 2021

New Challenges for the Green Economy: Could the Crisis Delay the Inevitable?

We have a lot of problems with forest conservation, recycling, and especially with reforestation. This is because Russia has virtually no industry today for the industrial preparation of seedlings to be planted and restore the felled forest

04.06.2021

SPIEF 2021

New Challenges for the Green Economy: Could the Crisis Delay the Inevitable?

The government’s general approach is to make a worthy contribution so that, in the end, Russia is and remains the ecological donor of the planet

03.06.2021

SPIEF 2021

An Economy of Unlimited Resources

I assure you that we will pass a law on packaging very quickly. […] Many years ago there was almost no packaging, but now everything is in packages. It’s necessary, it’s convenient, but it causes clear damage to nature, especially plastic. Whoever harms nature must pay. Industry should pay more, especially packaging manufacturers

03.06.2021

SPIEF 2021

An Economy of Unlimited Resources

Ecology has become one of the top themes in the economy, politics, agriculture, and transport. In recent years, people in Russia have begun paying great attention to this issue. This isn’t because the authorities came up with idea, but because of demand among the public. Around ten years ago, the problem of ecology was not a major priority and did not worry people. But over the last five years, an information explosion took place and people have taken a keen interest in environmental issues. This has prompted us to take quick steps. In 2016, I said that it was time to clean up Russia. Who should clean up? We then found out that there was no one to do the cleaning up. The industry did not exist and there was a huge number of landfills. […] Who is more to blame? Industry is more to blame. Today, the population pays RUB 160 billion for the removal of solid municipal waste. […] The entire Russian industry pays an environmental fee of RUB 3 billion

23.10.2019

Russia- Africa Economic Forum 2019

Russian–African Collaboration in the Diamond Industry

Unfortunately, the industry is currently facing new challenges <...> The first is the diamond glut <...> By last year we could already see that retailers were unable to handle the volume of diamonds in the system. Of course, we are also seeing consumer preferences and consumer behaviour change, primarily in the US and China. Unfortunately, global trade wars, especially the difficulties faced by the US and China in reaching trade agreements, <...> problems tied to the financing of major diamond cutters and polishers in India, the exit of a number of financial institutions from the diamond industry, all of this has combined to create a ‘perfect storm’ of sorts

23.10.2019

Russia- Africa Economic Forum 2019

Russian–African Collaboration in the Diamond Industry

We see Africa as a strategic partner, a friend in our efforts to facilitate the sustainable development of the entire industry. We have a long history of friendly, tried-and-true business relations with the Republic of Angola <...> we have mining enterprises, geological exploration, we are discussing a number of technologies for the sorting and categorization of diamonds. I am certain that everything will be implemented in a way that will benefit our countries

05.09.2019

EEF 2019

The Digital Future of Transport Corridors Running through the Far East: International Experience and Russian Realities

There will be no development without a new legal framework based on digital technology. It is important for us not to keep up to date, because it’s a global trend, and we must follow it

05.09.2019

EEF 2019

The Digital Future of Transport Corridors Running through the Far East: International Experience and Russian Realities

The current condition of the Far Eastern transport corridors can be briefly described with one phrase – unused potential. Despite significant progress it is still not fully used. This can be said both about providing Northeast China with the outlet to the sea through our lands, and about increased volume of shipments in large Trans-Eurasian scale

05.09.2019

EEF 2019

The Environment in the Far East: Current Objectives and Long-Term Prospects

The most neglected part of all is the municipal solid waste — it is the most neglected environmental part of the huge Ecology project worth 4 trillion roubles. Why? It is clear why: because we have never addressed it. We are so much behind the civilized world, I can acknowledge that

05.09.2019

EEF 2019

The Environment in the Far East: Current Objectives and Long-Term Prospects

As for the Far East, I would like to draw your attention to forest fires. <...> Forest fires happen every year. I keep mentioning my favourite quote from Ilya Ilf and Evgeny Petrov. Do you remember this invaluable piece: „Everybody knew about the fire in Voronya Slobodka a day before it happened“? Just like here: the eastern part of Russia is always on fire — annual forest fires either in spring or in summer

05.09.2019

EEF 2019

The Environment in the Far East: Current Objectives and Long-Term Prospects

I am pro small and medium business. But look at what small and medium businesses do on Lake Baikal? They build endless campings and recreational places. These businesses strive to earn as much as possible. Did at least one of those tiny hotels — I do not mind them in general — have waste water treatment facilities? No, because business does not care

06.06.2019

SPIEF 2019

Russia–Finland

The real waste reform will start when we build 200 sorting and recycling plants

06.06.2019

SPIEF 2019

Russia–Finland

Indeed, only 7% of all solid communal waste is processed in Russia today. It is a problem. We are far behind the civilized world here, we have never really addressed this issue

06.06.2019

SPIEF 2019

Russia–Finland

It is obvious that a closed-cycle economy is the object of our mutual interest

06.06.2019

SPIEF 2019

Russia–Finland

It is delightful to see Russian-Finnish relations grow stronger, despite the hard times we live in and continued anti-Russian rhetoric of some EU countries. Traditionally active political dialogue on the highest level is the foundation of the mutual course. <…> It is particularly valuable that you [the citizens of Finland, – Ed.] show adamant strength in promoting bilateral cooperation in big projects despite notorious political limitations

07.06.2019

SPIEF 2019

Investing in Russia’s Future: How Can National Projects Become Attractive to Investors?

Foreign investors willingly invest in our infrastructure because they see the opportunities it offers and the potential for profit

10.04.2019

International Arctic Forum 2019

Talking Barents: Prospects and Formats for Cooperation

As part of Russia’s chairmanship in BEAC, we put forward transportation as one of the priorities. This is a draft of a joint plan of the Barents Region that implies synergy of transport and tourism sectors, cooperation on intelligent transportation systems and professional training

10.04.2019

International Arctic Forum 2019

Talking Barents: Prospects and Formats for Cooperation

If we talk about visa-free space for the whole BEAC territory, I would call this idea really ambitious. Such matters are now decided neither in Oslo, nor in Stockholm, nor in Helsinki, but in Brussels, and sometimes it is really difficult to negotiate with Brussels

10.04.2019

International Arctic Forum 2019

Talking Barents: Prospects and Formats for Cooperation

Development of transit capacities of our country, given its geography, is one of our priorities. Today the volume of cargo going through the Northern Sea Route is three-times more than in the Soviet times, but our aim is to achieve 80 million tonnes per year. Last year for the first time, although still as an experiment, container cargos went through the Northern Sea Route from the east to the west; it is a good sign, and I hope it is going to become a regular practice

10.04.2019

International Arctic Forum 2019

Talking Barents: Prospects and Formats for Cooperation

Barents Region is the most densely populated and economically developed Arctic region that has rich resources and a comprehensive scientific and innovation base. Cross-border cooperation in the region is unparalleled, and our key priority should always be sustainable cross-border development and creation of comfortable living conditions for people. Since its establishment in 1993, BEAC [Barents Euro-Arctic Council – Ed.] has well-deservedly become a reputable interstate institution that plays an essential role in maintaining the north of Europe as a territory of stability and neighbourliness

24.05.2018

SPIEF 2018

Making Environmental Preservation an Economic Asset

We are determined to build four incineration plants in Moscow region and one in Tatarstan using the most hi-end technologies. <...> Protests began. <...>We should give credit to the media, at least the federal outlets. They shot a few nice stories about the same type of plants that are located in the centre of Vienna or Tokyo. These zero-emission plants even have restaurants. <...> But no, there’s no way we will let build these plants. I have a simple question. What’s your suggestion then? To keep burying garbage in the ground?

24.05.2018

SPIEF 2018

Making Environmental Preservation an Economic Asset

There is a clear trend that social and economic development, along with the growth social welfare, correlates with improving the quality of life. The quality of life is a broader concept that includes, of course environmental issues, at least local ones. <...> We are perfectly aware that it is impossible to solve all environmental problems at once, not only in Russia, but in any other country in the world. As a rule, progress in environmental protection, takes years, and the results don’t become apparent at a glance

12.09.2018

EEF 2018

National Ecology Project: State Priorities, Business Opportunities

How many federal laws on environment have we adopted for the past 6 months? Plenty: on waste handling, on harm, on environmental fees <...> Recently, a law on forests has been adopted. It’s very easy – you plant as many trees as you have cut

12.09.2018

EEF 2018

National Ecology Project: State Priorities, Business Opportunities

“I’d go as far as saying that if it hadn’t been for the Year of Ecology in Russia, the national project wouldn’t have been started. Why? Because we believed that the major goal of the Year of Ecology <...> was to draw public attention to the fact that Russia owed a lot to itself and hadn’t dealt with this issue for decades

12.09.2018

EEF 2018

Digital Transport: The Future of Greater Eurasia

Major Russian transportation companies now have their own digitalization roadmaps <...> Rosavtodor announced the project Karavan for the use of self-driving cars <...> Aeroflot created a special committee, Russian Railways prepared a strategy for railway digitalization

12.09.2018

EEF 2018

Digital Transport: The Future of Greater Eurasia

According to the experts of the Centre for Strategic Research, <...> only as a result of the transformation of the transportation system that is possible over the course of the next five years, we can expect at least one additional GDP point

25.05.2018

SPIEF 2018

Investment Breakthrough: Infrastructure and Technology of the Future

More leads to lower quality. <...> If we see any shortcomings or risks that we cannot hedge against <...> then we will stay away. We are a fairly conservative fund.

25.05.2018

SPIEF 2018

Investment Breakthrough: Infrastructure and Technology of the Future

One of the RDIF’s biggest achievements over the past six years <...> is its excellent reputation, both in Russia, and <...> abroad. <...> Foreign investors are showing enthusiasm, and are satisfied with the returns.

24.05.2018

SPIEF 2018

Russia–Finland

Environment should be attractive from the entrepreneurial viewpoint, otherwise neither the richest country nor all countries together will have enough resources to achieve significant results by means of budget funding and regulatory norms alone

24.05.2018

SPIEF 2018

Russia–Finland

Economy and ecology are regarded as a single interconnected complex and such notions as green economy, bioeconomy, circular economy reflect our common desire to use natural resources carefully and reduce anthropogenic impact as much as possible

24.05.2018

SPIEF 2018

Russia–Finland

Last year the scope of our bilateral trade grew by one third or 37% reaching $12.3 billion

24.05.2018

SPIEF 2018

Russia–Finland

Dialogue between Russia and Finland has always been distinguished by pragmatism and aspiration to consider each other’s interested in search for a reasonable and mutually acceptable compromise