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Mirjana Matešić
Episode · #461

DRUŠTVENA STRANA POSLOVANJA Mirjana Matešić 2

Guest Mirjana MatešićHosted by Boris ŽivkovićMay 3, 2026
About this episode
What you'll hear in this conversation

Corporate sustainability has moved far beyond voluntary initiatives and aspirational goals. It is now a matter of strict, complex regulation, fundamentally reshaping how companies report their environmental, social, and governance impact. This shift has created significant uncertainty in the business world, challenging leaders to adapt quickly to a new era of transparency and accountability. Mirjana Matešić, director of the Croatian Business Council for Sustainable Development (HR PSOR), has spent 25 years preparing Croatian companies for this exact moment. Her organization, founded in the wake of the 1992 Rio Earth Summit, focuses not on lobbying, but on building the internal capacity of businesses to meet evolving global expectations. Matešić discusses how HR PSOR's annual conference directly addresses these new EU reporting standards, bringing the very architects of those regulations to explain their intricacies. You will walk away understanding why the 'social side of business' is no longer optional, and how organizations like HR PSOR are essential navigators in this complex, regulated landscape.

Insights from the conversation
What to take from this episode
01
The new EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and its EFRAG draft guidelines represent a 'completely new level of reporting' that has sparked 'a lot of worry and uncertainty in the corporate world'. Regulatory shifts can redefine an entire corporate function overnight, moving from voluntary best practice to mandatory, detailed compliance.
02
HR PSOR's conference brings in Dr. Marija Mora and Dr. Sigurd Whitalls, both members of the EFRAG working group that developed the new EU reporting standards. When a new regulatory framework causes widespread confusion, the most direct path to clarity is to bring the architects of that framework directly to the businesses that must comply. Don't rely on interpretations; go to the source.
03
The Croatian Sustainability Index (HRIO) award methodology, developed by 15 Croatian experts over two years, was revised two years ago and now shows 'a lot of connections and overlaps' with the new EU reporting standards. Investing in deep, expert-led frameworks for self-assessment can provide a surprising head start when new compliance obligations arrive.
04
HR PSOR was founded in 1997, just five years after the 1992 Rio Earth Summit, as part of the global World Business Council for Sustainable Development network. The pressure on businesses to address environmental and social impact began with global summits decades ago, demonstrating that the 'social side of business' has been a deliberate, structured concern for a quarter-century, not a sudden trend.
05
HR PSOR is 'not a classic interest group that represents the economic interests of its members,' but rather focuses on 'developing the capacities of its members to better recognize their opportunities and obligations regarding sustainable development'. Not all business associations are built for lobbying; some exist to build internal capability and foresight for their members, acting as a crucial bridge between evolving global expectations and practical corporate action.
06
The interest of businesses in sustainability topics is 'proportional to regulation' and 'pressure from the public' from suppliers, customers, consumers, and the local community. While internal values matter, the primary drivers for corporate engagement with sustainability are often external: regulatory mandates and direct pressure from stakeholders. Businesses respond to tangible consequences, whether legal or reputational.
07
The HRIO award methodology employs a 'very thorough, very detailed questionnaire of almost 150 questions,' combining automatic ranking with a qualitative assessment by an expert commission for open-ended responses. True assessment of complex corporate responsibility requires a hybrid approach: quantitative data provides a baseline, but qualitative review of narrative responses is essential for understanding genuine commitment and nuanced implementation beyond mere numbers.
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