The winners of Greening the Future 2003 Awards are projects or initiatives that make a difference — both within the companies or organisations submitting the entries and to the lives of people they have a relationship with outside the company.
The judges also looked for leadership; how companies or organisations outline their goals and measure their performance against them; and how they set targets and incorporate environmental impact as part of their overall risk assessment and governance.
In the category for corporations, they struggled to find an outright winner based on the information received in the entries. None of the corporations fully met the judges’ expectations, so they decided to award two special commendations in this category — recognising that these companies are ‘not quite there”, but are making the right efforts.
Congratulations to the following winners of the Greening the Future 2003 Awards. More details about the winners are featured inside:
Winner — Companies/Organisations with the Most Improved Environmental Practices: Berg River Textiles.
The challenge of cleaning up the environment and increasing profits at the same time is often seen as nothing more than an impossible dream within the textile sector. Berg River Textiles has achieved remarkable success in delivering a cleaner production process, and also saving itself millions of rands.
The judges praised Berg River Textiles: ‘The company has gone out of its way to clean up. It has taken a leadership position and shown that this actually improved its business.”
Berg River Textiles is setting an example for others in the textile industry to follow as this industry is often regarded as a dirty industry, responsible for high pollution. An important part of its success lies in its ability to interest its employees in sustainability through awareness programmes.
Winner — Best Sustainability Report: Hillside Aluminium
The challenge of successfully balancing competing interests in its quest to achieve a sustainable enterprise has seen Hillside Aluminium introduce and try to adhere to very high standards of sustainability.
The judges singled out Hillside’s sustainability report from a field of very strong entries: ‘Hillside assisted in the establishment of environmental standards years ago. These are the high standards by which they are now measuring themselves. Their report provides a detailed, honest evaluation of compliance with these standards.”
Winner — Independent Foundations: Oasis Association
The Oasis Association’s ability to go boldly where others hesitate, in the process empowering intellectually disabled people to become environmental ambassadors, has earned the association an exceptional reputation.
The judges were moved by this project. ‘It has explored the question of recycling and re-use of resources very efficiently, even venturing into areas where no one else has bothered to go.”
This community foundation has come up with a highly innovative, sustainable approach towards recycling, and in the process creates work for people with intellectual disabilities. Recycling and waste management have provided the Oasis Association with the means to integrate both environmental and social concerns.
Special Commendation — Corporations: Sasol Safety, Health and Environmental Centre
The value of past mistakes lies in their ability to provide a wake-up call for the future. Sasol received a special commendation from the judges because its Safety, Health and Environmental Centre is concentrating on turning Sasol into a green corporation.
The judges noted that ‘Sasol is taking steps to address the environmental impact of its business and is making a concerted effort to change the negative image of its past”.
The Safety, Health and Environmental Centre has committed itself to steering Sasol along a path of environmental best practice, and its work has received backing from chief executive Pieter Cox, who has committed the company to ‘conduct our business with respect and care for people and the environment”.
Special Commendation — Corporations: Arabella Country Estate
Arabella Country Estate has gone beyond the call of duty to ensure that its development meets the most strident environmental criteria. It was singled out by the judges because of its dedication to leaving the existing biodiversity intact and for its continued management and care of the fragile environment in which the estate is located.
Arabella was developed in a highly sensitive environment, but it offers a model of sustainability in the way it has managed to integrate environmental, social and economic matters.
The following companies and organisations deserve a mention for making the effort to enter the Greening the Future 2003 Awards. The Mail & Guardian encourages them to enter again next year: ABB South Africa, AngloCoal, Collect-a-Can, Enchantrix Organic Products, Food Gardens Foundation, Gregory Knitting Mills, HeartLight, InterWaste, Richards Bay Minerals, SA Cotton Trust, SouthSouthNorth Trust, Table Mountain Aerial Cableway Company, Tlholego Development Project, Umgeni Water, Unilever, Vodacom and The Working for Water Nurseries Partnership Programme.