14 Nov Most Sustainable Companies In The World Honored At 2017 SEAL Sustainability Awards
November 15, 2017 – Eleven companies have been awarded the first annual 2017 SEAL Business Sustainability Award, celebrating their leadership and commitment to sustainable business practices.
Winners of this year’s sustainability award represent market-leading companies from four continents. Global brands such as Bridgestone, Herman Miller, and Office Depot, Inc. were among the organizations whose impact and initiatives recognized with a SEAL Award.
“Companies have a unique opportunity and responsibility to drive environmental progress where politics cannot. Our corporate sustainability awards celebrate organizations that embrace the responsibility to effect positive change,” commented Matt Harney, founder of the SEAL Awards.
“We believe recognition is a form of accountability. If we hold corporations accountable for bad environmental behavior, it is imperative that we also honor their positive actions. Most business sustainability initiatives are unglamorous and invisible to the general public despite having significant positive impacts – we hope our awards bring some much-needed recognition to both the activities and the leaders behind them.”
2027 SEAL BUSINESS SUSTAINABILITY AWARDS
For companies interested in entering our 2027 SEAL Business Sustainability Awards, RSVP below:
The event featured two distinct award categories:
SEAL Organizational Impact Award:
This award recognizes overall corporate sustainability performance. Key criteria for selection included: Corporate Governance, Corporate Sustainability Strategy, Supply Chain Initiatives, Disclosure and Accountability, Sustainability Performance Metrics, and Corporate Citizenship and Engagement.
The Organizational Impact winners were:
- Arm
- Bridgestone
- CIMIC
- Edinburgh International Conference Centre – EICC
- Herman Miller
- RELX Group
- Thai Union
SEAL Environmental Initiative Award:
This award honors specific environmental and sustainability initiatives. Key criteria for selection included: Impact Metrics, Innovation, Sharing of Insights, and Investment Levels.
The Environmental Initiative winners were:
- Bridgestone – Tires4ward tire recycling program
- Harvard Maintenance – Daytime facility cleaning program
- Kerry Group – Water recovery through raw material transformation
- Office Depot, Inc. – GreenerOfficeTM program
- Piramal Pharma Solutions – Replacing coal with biomass
“We’re thrilled to be recognized by the SEAL Business Sustainability Awards for two separate category awards this year,” said Jim DeMouy, vice president Environment, Health, Safety and Sustainability (EHSS) for Bridgestone Americas. “At Bridgestone, we’re committed to improving the sustainability of our operations and our products. These awards highlight the importance of our businesses’ collective commitment to the environment and to serve current and future generations by assisting to create a sustainable society. We’re honored to be in such great company.”
Entries were reviewed by a judging panel composed of nine sustainability executives from leading companies, like Illumina, Micron, Nielsen, and Sealed Air. The judging assessment process was complemented by an analytical review of the environmental performance metrics of each entrant.
One hundred percent of the award entry fees raised will be contributed to the 2018 SEAL Environmental Research Grant initiative. In 2017 the SEAL organization funded environmental research grants at seven leading institutions, including Harvard, MIT and UCLA.
The SEAL Business Sustainability Awards are the capstone of three annual award programs that honor environmental progress and leadership. The Environmental Research Grant recipients were announced in July. The winners of the Environmental Journalism Awards were announced in September.
ABOUT THE SEAL AWARDS
SEAL (Sustainability, Environmental Achievement & Leadership) Awards is an environmental advocacy organization that honors leadership through our business sustainability awards & environmental journalism awards while funding research and pursuing our own environmental impact campaigns.
The SEAL Awards core pillars are:
- Business Sustainability Awards – honors the most sustainable companies in the world, like Adidas, AMD, Cisco, and Tide
- Environmental Journalism Awards – representative past winners include journalists from Guardian, New York Times, and Grist
- Impact Campaigns – representative campaigns include “#UpTheCup” and “Eco Rewards”
- Environmental Research Grants – provided funding for researchers at leading institutions like Duke, Marine Conservation Institute, MIT, and UCLA. We funded a researcher in Ethiopia for 2022.
MEDIA RESOURCES
Previous Winners Press Releases: Lookbook
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For companies interested in entering our 2027 SEAL Business Sustainability Awards, RSVP below:
READ OUR WINNERS’ OWN ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Thai Union Sustainability Awards Announcement