IBEC Environment Awards 2005

Society today expects high environmental performance from all sectors of Irish business. Irish industry continues to meet the challenge of continuous environmental improvement in the face of increasing competition in all industrial sectors - e.g. engineering and electronics; food and drink; pharmaceutical and chemical and textiles.

Some of the technical issues that face individual Irish companies include developing and implementing -

The award categories are designed to respond to these issues and encourage all sectors of Irish industry to participate.

AWARD CATEGORIES

1 Managing for Sustainable Development Award
Sustainable development may be broadly defined as - ‘development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs’ - i.e. economic/social development and environmental protection are interdependent.

This award is aimed at organisations with an exceptional corporate vision and an innovative environmental management system - primarily with a commitment to ISO 14001 or EMAS certification. This category focuses on a clear integration of environmental issues into company policies and a clear measurable improvement in performance due to this policy.

Entrants need to show that they lead the field and are providing a benchmark that others will follow and demonstrate innovation in the following areas -

• Policy Commitment: A commitment to environmental management as a high corporate policy priority; integration of environmental policy/programmes into the business; a continual improvement process for existing environmental policy/programmes - as well as clear objectives/targets/indicators to ensure improvement beyond regulatory requirements.
• Continuous Improvement in Performance: Evaluated against the organisation’s stated environmental and business objectives through regular monitoring and reporting - e.g.
  1. Evaluation and management of the life cycle impacts of company’s products or services (e.g. raw material extraction, manufacturing site management, end of life disposal).
  2. Reduction of environmental impacts of business and resource intensity of the company’s products and services and evidence showing how further improvement is likely to be achieved.
• Dialogue: Evidence of systematic and regular dialogue with stakeholders (e.g. employees, suppliers and customers) with the integration of any results into management decision-making. Evidence of high level employee involvement in environmental management.
• Replication Potential: Demonstrates how the entry could be more widely applied to other businesses.

2 Eco-Design Award
This award is for an original design that has significantly reduced the environmental impact of a product, service or system - from any sector of Irish industry.

The product could have been designed - to use less natural resources in its production or use, to be recycled, reused or disposed of safely - e.g. packaging. The product/system may be designed to be more energy efficient in its life-time or the design might make an existing system/service more eco-efficient through waste minimisation.

Judging criteria includes -

• Innovation: The product/service should demonstrate some innovation that shows improved environmental performance over comparable alternatives.
• Environmental Benefit: Clear evidence that the design of the product/system/ service may reduce its impact on the environment - e.g. use less natural resources in its production; may be energy efficient; may reduce waste production/ emissions; may be recycled, reused or disposed of safely.
• Social Benefit: Does the product meet the needs of the consumer and improve the quality of life generally?
• Economic Benefit: Is the product/service/system viable - e.g. this can be shown through sales performance or credible sales projections.
• Commitment: A commitment by senior management to the development and marketing of the product/service and an indication of its importance to the organisation’s overall strategy.
• Replication Potential: Demonstrates how the entry could be more widely applied.

3 Cleaner Technologies Award
Promotes companies which have developed and applied new technologies which allow production processes to be undertaken with a significantly reduced environmental impact - e.g. increased energy/resource efficiency and reducing emissions and waste. This may involve an entirely new process or technique or the innovative application of an existing technology. The approach must be a central part of the production process, including waste minimisation.

Judging criteria includes -

• Innovation: The innovative aspects of the technology that promote eco-friendly production - e.g. increased energy/resource efficiency, prevention and reduction of emissions and waste.
• Environmental benefits: Clear, quantified assessment of the environmental benefits of the project.
• Social benefits: The social impacts of this new technology - e.g. a positive effect on local communities.
• Costs: Is the new technology economically viable (e.g. with reference to capital and operating costs)?
• Corporate Commitment: A clear commitment by senior management to the new technology and an indication of its significance in the context of the organisation’s overall operations.
• Replication Potential: There should be scope for the technology to be applied more widely.

4 International Partnerships for Sustainable Development Award
Encourages companies involved in trans-national partnerships for the promotion of sustainable development - i.e. environmental protection and economic/social development.

This partnership must involve at least two organisations from different sectors (e.g. private, public, NGOs) - one in an EU country and the other(s) in a developing country or a country with an economy in transition (including EU accession countries).

Judging criteria includes -

• Planning: The partnership should adhere to clear objectives, explaining how it expects to contribute to the environmental and economic/social aspects of sustainable development. The partnership should be effectively planned and adequately resourced to achieve its stated objectives.
• Sustainable benefit: The partnership should provide quantifiable and lasting benefits that are consistent with sustainable development (e.g. reduced resource consumption, social benefits for the local community). This could be achieved by a transfer of knowledge/technology between the partners - improving a product/service or community development programmes.
• Equity: Are there mutual and tangible benefits for each partner?
• Synergy: Were the objectives of the partnership reached more efficiently through partnership - i.e. did the partnership avoid duplication of cost and effort?
• Replication potential: Is there potential for the adoption of similar partnerships in the future?

5 The IBEC Excellence Award
This year’s award is aimed particularly at companies who have developed innovative waste recovery projects.

The entry may be the company’s action to recover and re-use waste from its own waste stream - or the collection and preparation for re-use of waste from other sources.

Judging criteria includes -

• Nature of the waste: What types of waste streams are involved?
• Quantity of the waste recovered: How much waste has been diverted from disposal by landfill or other means?
• Technology: What particular technical or infrastructural techniques are used to recover waste? Is it innovative?
• Costs/Benefits: Detail the costs and benefits of the waste recovery project.
• Market potential: If the waste recovery process has resulted in a saleable/re-usable raw material, is there any market potential for the material - e.g. fertiliser, recycled paper?
• Residue Minimisation: If residues are a result of waste recovery process, how are they prevented or minimised so as not to pose environmental problems during final disposal?
• Replication Potential: Is there potential for the adoption of similar waste recovery strategies elsewhere?

Who Should Apply?