CSR champions
ABN Amrois a global leader in the financial services sector. Geberit is Europe's market leader in sanitary technology. Two very different businesses, with one thing in common: each shows outstanding commitment to corporate social responsibility.
Roland Berger Strategy Consultants honored ABN Amro for its corporate social responsibility activities at the Best of European Business Finale in Brussels last week, awarding it with the top CSR prize. The Swiss sanitary technology company Geberit came in a close second.
"As a strategy consultancy with European roots and a global reach, we believe that there is a strong correlation between corporate performance and outstanding responsibility," said António Bernardo, Deputy CEO of Roland Berger Strategy Consultants, at the BEB awards ceremony in Brussels. Roland Berger believes that doing good by the environment and society can and should bring financial return. "That's why we created a prize on CSR. Commitment to transparency, good risk management and creative ways of generating new business is a hallmark of a 'good' European company," Bernardo added.
Roland Berger Strategy Consultants honored ABN Amro for its corporate social responsibility activities at the Best of European Business Finale in Brussels last week, awarding it with the top CSR prize. The Swiss sanitary technology company Geberit came in a close second.
"As a strategy consultancy with European roots and a global reach, we believe that there is a strong correlation between corporate performance and outstanding responsibility," said António Bernardo, Deputy CEO of Roland Berger Strategy Consultants, at the BEB awards ceremony in Brussels. Roland Berger believes that doing good by the environment and society can and should bring financial return. "That's why we created a prize on CSR. Commitment to transparency, good risk management and creative ways of generating new business is a hallmark of a 'good' European company," Bernardo added.
Mrs. Petra van Hoeken, ABN Amro
The BEB awards ceremony represents the capstone of a national awards series across eight EU member states and Switzerland in 2006/2007. In addition to the CSR prize, awards were given to recognize excellent performance among European companies in the categories Growth, Europeanness, and Mergers & Acquisitions. Companies for the inaugural CSR award were selected for their ability to incorporate the "CSR argument" into their business, meaning that they grow their business profitably while bettering society and the environment. Jury members screened companies along three categories: managing risk, enhancing business, and generating business.
Some 23 European companies were short-listed for the CSR award. A special Roland Berger Strategy Consultants team statistically analyzed questionnaires and qualitatively evaluated the results before presenting the top five contenders to the jury. The independent jury comprised Dr. Michael Endres, President Hertie Foundation, Prof. Manfred Kirchgeorg from the Leipzig Graduate School of Management, Mark Makepeace, CEO FTSE, Maria Joao Rodrigues, Special Advisor on the EU Lisbon Agenda, Frank Trümper, CEO Commonpurpose, and Roland Berger's in-house expert Prof. Björn Bloching, Partner Roland Berger Strategy Consultants.
The jury chose ABN Amro for the inaugural award because it excels at integrating CSR strategies into its core business. The company has successfully embedded CSR in both its corporate strategy and daily operations. In the company's "Accelerating and Integrating the Sustainable Business Agenda" top management has committed itself to accelerate, extend and deepen the integration of sustainability into the business, from risk reduction to creating mainstream business opportunities.
Some 23 European companies were short-listed for the CSR award. A special Roland Berger Strategy Consultants team statistically analyzed questionnaires and qualitatively evaluated the results before presenting the top five contenders to the jury. The independent jury comprised Dr. Michael Endres, President Hertie Foundation, Prof. Manfred Kirchgeorg from the Leipzig Graduate School of Management, Mark Makepeace, CEO FTSE, Maria Joao Rodrigues, Special Advisor on the EU Lisbon Agenda, Frank Trümper, CEO Commonpurpose, and Roland Berger's in-house expert Prof. Björn Bloching, Partner Roland Berger Strategy Consultants.
The jury chose ABN Amro for the inaugural award because it excels at integrating CSR strategies into its core business. The company has successfully embedded CSR in both its corporate strategy and daily operations. In the company's "Accelerating and Integrating the Sustainable Business Agenda" top management has committed itself to accelerate, extend and deepen the integration of sustainability into the business, from risk reduction to creating mainstream business opportunities.
The banking institution's CSR activities span from responsible financial services including a microfinance program in Brazil to supporting local communities and minimizing the impact on the environment. ABN Amro trades climate derivatives and carbon credits on European exchanges and has introduced a global energy program that aims to reduce group wide energy consumption by 10 percent by 2008. The jury was impressed by the company's ability to achieve above-average industry performance while pursuing an impressive CSR program. Petra Van Hoeken, the global responsible for sustainable development at ABN Amro, proudly accepted the award.
Geberit – a close second
Choosing between ABN Amro and Geberit was a tough task for the jury. Although the Dutch bank walked away with the award, Geberit deserves credit for its impressive performance. The Swiss company excels at integrating economic progress, social development and environment concerns.
The jury especially praised the company's commitment to environmental issues. Geberit has introduced a number of initiatives to reduce electricity and water consumption and to increase its own waste and internal recycling. On a community level, the company works with municipal institutions and consumer protection organizations to help inform the public on responsible drinking water use. Additionally, the company not only designs and creates environmentally sensitive products and processes, but it provides environment and sustainability training for employees.
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Geberit – a close second
Choosing between ABN Amro and Geberit was a tough task for the jury. Although the Dutch bank walked away with the award, Geberit deserves credit for its impressive performance. The Swiss company excels at integrating economic progress, social development and environment concerns.
The jury especially praised the company's commitment to environmental issues. Geberit has introduced a number of initiatives to reduce electricity and water consumption and to increase its own waste and internal recycling. On a community level, the company works with municipal institutions and consumer protection organizations to help inform the public on responsible drinking water use. Additionally, the company not only designs and creates environmentally sensitive products and processes, but it provides environment and sustainability training for employees.
If you have any further questions about this, or any other story, please do not hesitate to contact us:
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