Environmentalist Jonathan Porritt honoured for Lifetime Achievement in glittering ceremony in London that also saw Coop, WWF, Myer, C&A, Heineken and IKEA pick up awards

On Monday 16th October, over 200 of the leading figures in global responsible business gathered at Ethical Corporation’s Eighth Annual Responsible Business Awards ceremony held at The Waldorf Hilton, London. Senior business executives from all corners of the globe, including; USA, Australia, India, Thailand, Mexico and Japan attended the Ceremony making this a truly international ceremony recognising leading strategies from across the globe.

The judges were looking for organisations who have been agenda-leading in corporate responsibility in 2017, with applications backed up by verifiable evidence from third parties.

This year, two new categories were added. The first new category was Sustainability Team of the Year – recognising that it’s a team effort to make real sustainable gains. The second was for the New Entrant of the Year which looked to shine the spotlight on new innovative projects and companies that have entered the Awards for the first time. 

The twenty accolades were awarded for being stand-out projects that demonstrate true leadership through impact, scalability and innovation. The judges were particularly looking for a focus on metrics that can showcase a truly innovative and leading approach to mainstreaming responsible business.

The awards were distributed as follows:

Business to NGO Partnership of the Year

Shortlist:

·         NatWest and The Prince’s Trust

·         YES BANK and Indian Railways

·         R Twining and Company and UNICEF

·         Coop and WWF

·         United Airlines and Clean the World

·         Marks & Spencer and Emerging Leaders

·         ING and UNICEF

HIGHLY COMMENDED: Marks and Spencer and Emerging Leaders

“A strong partnership with measurable impact on worker conditions, workplace behaviours and providing real value to the company and the NGO. The company has demonstrated commitment and strengthened the NGO who can now increase its reach and impact.”

WINNER: Coop and WWF

“The judges felt it was a clear winner. The partnership has been working over a long period of time and has had to challenge different models and practices to achieve its objectives. The initiatives that emerged through this collaboration have been high profile and with international impact.”

 

Domestic Community Investment

Shortlist:

·         Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau

·         Turkcell

·         YES BANK

·         The Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels

·         Lloyds Banking Group

·         WIND Hellas

·         Hetero Group of Companies

HIGHLY COMMENDED: Hetero Group of Companies - Hetero Sustainable Community Development

“The scope is extensive and it was about helping their communities to create their own solutions.”

WINNER: Lloyds Banking Group – Lloyds Bank and the Bank of Scotland Social Entrepreneurs Programme

“The judges were impressed with this entry and felt it exemplified the essence of this award. The impact of the project, its engagement on communities is an excellent example of a grassroots approach to enterprise.“

 

New Entrant of the Year

Shortlist:

·         Sustainable Trust

·         Febraban

·         Numi Organic Tea

·         YOOX NET-A-PORTER GROUP

·         Ronin8 Technologies

·         SIG

HIGHLY COMMENDED: YOOX NET-A-PORTER GROUP – Empowering People

“This company is leading the fashion industry towards sustainability as mainstream, not in only in their business, but also by transforming communities around them.”

WINNER: Febraban – Meu Bolso em Dia Program: Strengthening the quality of financial inclusion in Brazil

“Although the winner is not a single company, it does present a very complete program targeting financial awareness among 15+ population that is transforming society.  It has clear metrics tackling a major societal issue in Brazil that could be scalable across Latin America, and any other regions around the world. Inspirational.”

 

Solution Provider of the Year

Shortlist:

·         UL EHS Sustainability

·         ADEC Innovations

·         SIM Supply Chain

·         HH Global

 

WINNER: UL EHS Sustainability – UL’s PURE Platform Streamlines Sustainability Reporting

“A stand out winner. A software solution that is providing oversight across EHS, sustainability and supply chains. Through accreditation and supporting evidence, it's showcasing impacts and oversight required. Judges were really impressed with progress so far since early 2017.”

 

Employee Engagement of the Year

Shortlist:

·         Sealand

·         Takeda Pharmaceutical Company

·         Flex

·         IBM

·         Fedex Ground

·         HanesBrands

·         Nestlé Waters North America

·         Hypertherm

There was no clear stand out winner in this category.  As such, there were several highly commendable candidates.

THE HIGHLY COMMENDED:

·         Sealand - Engaging Employees with Community Leads to Business and Social Transformation

·         HanesBrands - HanesBrands’ Energy Treasure Hunts Engage Global Supply Chain Workforce

·         IBM - IBM Corporate Corps Program

 “All three entrants are very impressive employee-led programs with good initial results. The judges would have loved to see more on the impact of activities.”

 

Best Engagement Campaign of the Year

Shortlist:

·         ING Bank

·         Myer

·         Smart Communications

·         City Football Group

·         Royal Bank of Canada

·         Gildan Activewear

·         NatWest

·         Bentall Kennedy

·         StarHub

HIGHLY COMMENDED: Royal Bank of Canada - #Make150Count

“What a great idea to celebrate Canada150 and to put social innovation in the hands of communities to define their own causes.”

WINNER: Myer - Give Registry

“What an inspiring and touching idea that is so straight forward with positive, tangible impact on society and a powerful vector for the brand.  Very courageous, bold and highly scalable in retail outlets worldwide. Bravo!”

 

Social Enterprise of the Year *sponsored by Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau

Shortlist:

·         Ashley Community Housing

·         ClimateCare

·         CBS EcoMedia

WINNER: Ashley Community Housing – Tackling the refugee crisis

“A stand out winner - Very impactful! Addressing the refugee issue on all fronts, from housing to education targeted not just to provide rudimentary English, but to help prepare clients for jobs. Tackling the issue at its source as well in Africa, this shows true innovation. Amazingly brave for a housing association.”

 

Diversity and Inclusion

Shortlist:

·         The Rezidor Hotel Group

·         BLC Bank

·         Royal Bank of Canada

·         Santander Brasil

·         GSK

·         Turkcell

·         Teck

HIGHLY COMMENDED: BLC Bank - We Initiative

“BLC Bank has created a local and global program with clear impact and visibility.  Ambitious metrics, KPIs, and a forward looking plan that ties local and drives global. Very inspiring.”

WINNER: Turkcell - Turkcell’s “Hello Hope” Mobile App for Integration of Syrian Refugees

“Refugees are the unsung heros of today's society. This company has tackled an important customer base by empowering them to be active citizens in a very difficult transition period.  Very inspiring and innovative program which if scaled worldwide, could help relieve many challenges for today's Syrian refugee crisis.”

 

Supplier Engagement of the Year

Shortlist:

·         Enterprise Holdings

·         Flex

·         Coop

·         United Airlines

·         Marks & Spencer

·         Ketchum

·         Weleda AG

 

HIGHLY COMMENDED: Coop - Fairtrade Rice

“A highly scalable program with readily available results for other types of crop and/or similar sectors. Well done."

WINNER: Weleda AG – Ethical and Sustainable Sourcing at Weleda AG

“The Judges felt that the structure of the program and clarity of purpose were defining factors in making Waleda a winner for this category.”

 

Sustainability Report of the Year

Shortlist:

·         GSK

·         METRO

·         AHA

·         Enel Spa

·         Thai Union Group

·         The Co-op

·         Teck

HIGHLY COMMENDED: Thai Union Group - Thai Union Group’s Sustainability Report 2016

“Overall this company has have been innovative in their use of @seachange and thoroughly explained how they report.”

WINNER: Teck - Teck 2016 Sustainability Report

“All in all a very honest, transparent and well thought through presentation that is focusing on the current and future material issues.”

 

Integrated Report of the Year

Shortlist:

·         HEINEKEN International

·         Marks & Spencer

·         BASF

·         ING

·         The Crown Estate

·         Vancity

·         Sanofi

·         UniCredit

·         Lloyds Banking Group

HIGHLY COMMENDED: Marks & Spencer - Marks & Spencer Annual Report 2017

“A very good report. The narrative represents integrated thinking, and a good effort on reporting numbers, including dimensions where targets were not met.”

WINNER: BASF - BASF Report 2016

“A truly integrated report with an impressive set of measures and presented in an accessible manner. This is a seasoned integrated report.”

 

International Community Investment of the Year

Shortlist:

·         R Twining and Company - Creating a protective environment for adolescent girls on tea estates in Assam

·         Digicel Group - Rebuilding Haiti

·         Numi Organic Tea - Together for H2OPE

·         Teck - Zinc and Health

·         Primark - Primark’s Sustainable Cotton Programme

·         Nespresso - Nespresso Agroforestry Programme

HIGHLY COMMENDED: Teck - Zinc and Health

“Very impressive and ambitious program working on a broad front to address health and environmental issues and with numerous NGOs. Shows real commitment.”

WINNER: Digicel Group - Rebuilding Haiti

 “A very big investment with huge impact on citizens, students, teachers and communities. Well done.”

 

Business to Business Partnership of the Year

Shortlist:

·         ING Bank and Philips

·         Maersk Line and Philips Lighting

·         Timberland and Thread

·         Hypertherm

·         United Airlines and AltAir

·         Ford Motor Company Fund

HIGHLY COMMENDED: ING Bank and Philips arranges first sustainability linked syndicated RCF

“The first of its kind partnership where ESG data is so explicitly accounted for in business and investing.  A real inspiration and as stated “mind shift” for the finance industry.”

WINNER: Maersk Line and Philips Lighting Carbon Pact

“A clear winner, these two companies tackled a highly visible issue -- cutting Co2 emissions – for their respective businesses. They are creating a momentum for the ocean transportation industry and for other companies to examine common touch points.”

 

Sustainable Innovation of the Year

Shortlist:

·         Merck KGaA (MilliporeSigma in the U.S. and Canada)

·         SM Prime Holdings

·         Natura

·         Olam International

·         Bloomberg

·         PPG

·         C&A

·         United Airlines

HIGHLY COMMENDED: Olam International – Olam Farmer Information System

“A much-needed innovative initiative in a field that has seen a lot of attention and projects.”

WINNER: C&A – Holistic and Sustainable Fashion is Possible at Scale

“The combined achievement of 100% in organic cotton, renewable energy, non-toxicity, recycled water, and especially biodegradable/ compostable is compelling - essentially in a net positive fashion line. The ambition and targets are clearly set and the potential impact could be significant.”

 

Sustainable Communications of the Year

Shortlist:

·         HEINEKEN International

·         Timberland

·         B&Q

·         World Business Council for Sustainable Development

·         AHA

·         Barry Callebaut

·         DP World

HIGHLY COMMENDED: Timberland - From Bottle to Boot: Sharing Timberland and Thread’s Journey

“The campaign delivered impact around an important and closely aligned issue to Timberland. A great success in driving high visibility on the partnership.”

WINNER: HEINEKEN International - Tiger Air Ink

“This company has shown innovation and imagination with a cost-effective solution that captures exhaust fumes and transforms them into ink!  They then launched a very visible, all integrated campaign which was inspiring, fun, engaged millennials and is clearly scalable around the world.  Judges unanimously agreed it was a clear standout winner, and set the bar as an inspiration in this category.”

 

Responsible Business of the Year

Shortlist:

·         DS Smith

·         YES BANK

·         Novartis Hellas

·         Ericsson

·         IKEA

·         PepsiCo

·         Royal DSM

HIGHLY COMMENDED: Royal DSM – Bringing brighter lives to people today and generations to come

“They have shown huge climate leadership through collaborations with many companies on various issues such as circular economy, renewable energy and green chemistry.  Royal DSM has also driven this at leadership level with clear KPIs and accountability throughout the business.”

WINNER: IKEA – People and Planet Positive Strategy

“A holistic approach that leverages the company’s large market penetration. Customers have become an integral part of, and benefit from, the company’s own sustainability strategy. This strategy is effective not only for their own operations, in which it is pioneering, but also in terms of truly scaling up the impact by changing lives at home.”

 

Sustainability Team of the Year

Shortlist:

·         DS Smith

·         Lockheed Martin Corporation

·         Ayala Corporation

·         Colart International Holdings

·         The Royal Bank of Scotland

HIGHLY COMMENDED: DS Smith - Sustainability Team all boxed up

“Great achievements being made by the team in just a short period. With limited size they have demonstrated significant impacts in their operations, supply chain and internal engagement.”

WINNER: The Royal Bank of Scotland - The RBS Sustainable Banking Team

“The RBS team met the criteria in a clear manner. There is evidence that the company is providing much needed support to local communities, and metrics demonstrating tangible impacts that the business is making to society. A clear demonstration of leadership in this field.”

 

Sustainability Leader of the Year

Shortlist:

·         Darian McBain - Thai Union Group

·         Namita Vikas - YES BANK

·         Nadim Kassar - BLC Bank

·         Michael Faircloth - HanesBrands

HIGHLY COMMENDED: Darian McBain - Thai Union Group

 “An impressive range of initiatives, that suggest a broader, more holistic and integrated understanding of sustainability as encompassing both social as well as environmental issues. A leader who is unafraid to seize relationships when values are being compromised.”

WINNER: Namita Vikas - YES BANK

 “Namita has integrated sustainability in multiple, diverse, but also effective ways within the company. She’s also demonstrated innovative ways in engaging the bank's stakeholder relationships. Doing so is particularly important, and challenging, in the context of banking and more so, in the context of India. She has been able to drive systemic change, as recognised by critical external endorsements such as the inclusion of the bank in the DJSI.”

 

CEO of the Year

Shortlist:

·         Ernest Cu - Globe Telecom

·         Rose Marcario - Patagonia

·         Rana Kapoor - YES BANK

·         Gilbert Ghostine - Firmenich

·         Nadine Hack - beCause Global Consulting

·         Pierre Nanterme - Accenture

·         Emmanuel Faber – Danone

The winner is: Rose Marcario - Patagonia

“Rose Marcario is a strong personality taking a public stance in difficult times; it’s great to see the development from private equity to such a leadership. She’s helping raise awareness among customers on the issues of disposable fashion. She’s a real inspiration that’s demonstrating social and environmental focus can support business success. “

 

Lifetime Achievement Award

This award is to honour the individual that the judging panel, editors, contributors and Advisory Board feel has dedicated their career to corporate responsibility and sustainability, and has a track record of success, and has been a catalyst for real, proven change.

WINNER: Jonathon Porritt - Founding Director, Forum for the Future

“On behalf of Ethical Corporation and this year’s judging team, we’d like to thank Jonathon Porritt for his decades of work and tireless effort pushing for more responsible and sustainable business. He was one of the first recognise the need for change and has assisted businesses large and small to understand the changes they need to make. A real standout figure that has driven change across many industries. Congratulations John!”

 

 

 

 

 

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