2012 Gold Medal Award - Application Open

Who Is Eligible?

• Multinational manufacturing, processing and/or services companies with operations outside the headquarters’ country.
• Parent companies or subsidiaries.
• Candidates should show improvement in sustainable development over consecutive years.
• Past applicants may re-apply with the same application within three years of original submission.

The winner of the 2012 Gold Medal for International Corporate Achievement in Sustainable Development will be honored at WEC's black tie gala in Washington, DC on May 3, 2012.

2012 Application Process

Each applicant is invited to submit the Full Application only after its Nomination has been accepted. Eligible applicants are evaluated on the basis of a clearly articulated set of values, a history of proven accomplishment, a global outlook and a commitment to sustainable development. The narrative and signature contribution as described below will be used to establish the outstanding and unique nature of the submission.

The Full Application consists of three sections: Executive Summary, Narrative and Signature Contribution:

1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY (2 pages)

Briefly discuss and summarize your submission.

2. NARRATIVE

The Narrative should focus on the following three principles below, and demonstrate that all three are indeed part of the Nominee’s routine business practices.

a. Sustainability policy & commitment

b. Implementation and application

c. International sustainability leadership

The narrative should also discuss the Nominee’s economic growth, environmental stewardship and corporate social responsibility goals and objectives, and their relationships. Candidates must show exemplary benchmarked performance in all three areas of the basic principles and performed beyond legal and statutory compliance.

a. SUSTAINABILITY POLICY & COMMITMENT (3 pages)

Establishment of an exemplary, comprehensive, published corporate policy committing the company to the following undertakings:

• Explicit commitment to a sustainable development mission that incorporates stewardship of the economic, environmental, and social components in a sustainable and responsible manner;
• Integration of the sustainable development components at all levels and locations of the company;
• Commitment to generating innovative science, technology and management practices to achieve environmental quality and sustainable economic development in a socially responsible manner;
• Involving appropriate levels of government agencies, suppliers, customers, non-governmental organizations and private citizens groups in the integration of the new industrial development into the social and economic fabric of the community;
• Contributing to the establishment of consistent and equivalent worldwide environment, health, safety and social standards; and
• Publishing those goals and reporting on performance and progress to employees and the public on a regular basis using customary business reporting documents and utilizing consistent parameters.

b. IMPLEMENTATION & APPLICATION (3 pages)

Demonstrated, uniform global application of the corporate sustainable development policy and social responsibility beyond mandatory compliance, as illustrated by including metrics in the explanation to have:

• Implemented cutting-edge management practices, technologies, products and/or services that enhance quality of life and promote sustainability.
• Company’s rating in indexes such as DOW JONES SUSTAINABILITY INDEX, FTSE4GOOD, GLOBAL 100, ETHIBEL, ASPI, INNOVEST and DOMANI);
• Worked closely with the public, governments, environmental and development agencies and suppliers at the planning, constructing and operating stages of industrial activities;
• New facilities that are state-of-the-art in terms of sustainable development, such as in energy-efficiency, emissions control and consistency with capacity building;
• Dealt quickly, effectively and openly with environmental incidents and issues having an impact on children, indigenous people, freedom of association/human rights, regardless of size, location or severity, using comprehensive prevention, communication, and contingency planning involving the local community;
• Set specific, measurable goals and benchmarked performance against recognized leaders in the sector (provide examples of benchmarking with industry that has changed or reinforced the existing system);
• Conducted dynamic and comprehensive sustainability education and awareness programs for employees, the local community, customers, suppliers and the general public in all countries of operation (discuss how communications and efforts effected these relationships); and
• Recognized and rewarded employees for superior performance in sustainable development initiatives (describe recognition specifics for facilities and/or employees that have demonstrated superior performance).

c. INTERNATIONAL SUSTAINABILITY LEADERSHIP (2 pages)

Demonstrated international leadership in the economic, environmental and social responsibility arena as evidenced by:

• Contributions to the solution of global sustainability problems;
• Participation in and contribution to sustainable development worldwide;
• Contributions to local economic development initiatives with emphasis on their durability and in the spirit of partnership with the developing world;
• Innovative activities that share technology and management practices, that lead to sustainable development with suppliers, clients and industry in general, evenhandedly in all nations;
• Outreach to legislators, regulators, community leaders and others seeking non-regulatory and other innovative solutions to sustainable development challenges facing not only industry but all sectors of society.

3. SIGNATURE CONTRIBUTION (4 pages)

The Signature Contribution should describe the corporation’s distinctive achievement in sustainability performance and its contribution to sustainable development that clearly and unambiguously sets a new international benchmark or practice.

The Signature Contribution may entail an initiative, a program, or a project that is coherently linked to the corporation’s environmental and social responsibility. It should clearly demonstrate the corporation’s leadership through creative, cutting-edge approaches.

The Signature Contribution should serve as evidence of an achievement that makes a significant impact in its sector and is broadly applicable. This could be enhanced by providing an explanation of how all three components of sustainable development ­– economic, environmental and social – are integrated seamlessly without any one functioning at the expense of the others.