30 October 2007

AMCHAM SHANGHAI SALUTES THE POWER OF PARTNERSHIPS
AT THE 3RD ANNUAL CSR CONFERENCE AND AWARDS

The American Chamber of Commerce Shanghai (AmCham Shanghai) announced the 2007 Award winners today at its 3rd Annual Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Conference.  Along with CSR awards honoring corporations, small businesses and Chinese companies, AmCham Shanghai recognized collaborative CSR programs created through partnerships between companies and non-profit organizations. 

The 2007 winners were selected from a strong field of 31 projects and 34 companies, both large and small. The award winners this year were judged according to rigorous criteria developed with assistance from RepuTex, an Australia-based Social Responsibility Index rating company. The Chamber used indicators and factors from the RepuTex Benchmark to assess applicants' achievements in corporate governance, environmental impact, social impact and workplace practices. The evaluation process recognized effective arrangements created to manage CSR programs, as well as effective partnerships.

This year's competition showed a dramatic improvement in the understanding and implementation of CSR in China. Compared with previous years, more companies have developed mature programs, with comprehensive strategies to integrate corporate governance, community outreach, environmental stewardship, and employee health and safety into their core businesses. 

AmCham Shanghai 2007 CSR Award Winners are:

CSR Excellence in China, First Prize Winner:
General Electric (China)

CSR Excellence in China, Finalists:
Coca-Cola (China) Beverages Ltd.
Corning China (Shanghai), Regional Headquarters
Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Certified Public Accountants, Ltd.
Goodyear Tire Management Co. (Shanghai) Ltd.
Intel China Ltd.
Mary Kay (China) Cosmetics Co., Ltd.
PricewaterhouseCoopers Zhong Tian CPAs Limited Company

CSR Excellence in China for a Non-Foreign Invested Business (tie):
Guangdong Galanz Enterprise Group and Shanghai Pudong Development Bank

CSR Excellence in China for a Small and Medium Enterprise, First Prize Winner:
Ignition Marketing

CSR Innovation Award for mobilizing core business areas for CSR: Nu Skin (China)

CSR Partnership Award for collaboration between a company and a non-profit organization: Cargill Investments (China) and Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) China

Exceptional Partner Award for facilitating CSR programs with many companies:
Junior Achievement (China)

Environmental Collaboration Award for facilitating sustainable development initiatives with many companies: WWF-World Wide Fund for Nature, China

The AmCham Shanghai CSR Committee Chair, Murray King, congratulated the award winners and noted, "By recognizing these outstanding programs, AmCham Shanghai and its CSR Committee aim to acknowledge their efforts and provide models for other organizations as they plan their own CSR programs. We hope these award-winning programs honored today will inspire other companies and increase awareness of the power of CSR partnerships in the community."

The CSR Awards were announced at the annual CSR Conference that is designed to maximize the awareness of CSR, highlight existing initiatives as well as opportunities and challenges faced by companies and organizations in becoming more actively engaged in CSR. 

King contends that there are many reasons for companies to incorporate CSR strategies into their China business operations, "Broadly speaking, strong CSR programs build corporate reputation. While sometimes hard to measure, a strong corporate reputation can improve employee recruitment and retention, ensure better relations with key stakeholders in government, local communities, clients and suppliers, and among civil society leaders in China and abroad, ensuring better business performance, and dialogue before confrontation."  He described the AmCham Shanghai CSR Awards as a "showcase promoting the best examples of companies - both American and Chinese - acting as excellent corporate citizens."

CSR Excellence in China, First Prize Winner:

 General Electric China

GE China's comprehensive CSR program impressed the AmCham Shanghai CSR Awards Jury for its broad scope and integration into day-to-day operations.  By making volunteerism a key element of its corporate culture and insisting on high standards for employee health and safety, the diversified technology, media and financial services company won First Prize for CSR Excellence in China. 

GE's volunteer programs, which enable all employees to propose projects, are considered career enhancers in annual performance reviews. Nearly 3,000 GE employees, retirees, and family members in China participated in 74 community projects, contributing over 20,000 volunteer hours, servicing communities in 18 different cities across China in 2006 alone. That same year, the GE Foundation invested US$1.5 million in China through strategic grants, with an emphasis on "School Readiness" and "School Excellence" initiatives. GE Foundation's primary partners in China include UNICEF - Early Childhood Development, China Youth Development Foundation (CYDF) - Project Hope Rural Teacher Training, and Thinktank: Handsbrain Education Jiangsu - Learning by Doing. 

In the area of employee health and safety (EHS), GE has upheld high standards and reached out to improve conditions throughout Chinese society. GE's EHS standards are consistent worldwide. The team of more than 70 EHS specialists in China worked closely with line managers to ensure compliance in all of GE's businesses in China, which include infrastructure, healthcare, and industrial manufacturing facilities. The group met periodically to review regulatory developments, conduct training, and share best practices. GE China shared its best practices with Shanghai Health Bureau and other Shanghai-area companies. As of 2006, the GE Foundation had also committed over US$360,000 in grants to the China Center for Disease Control to facilitate the development of occupational health training for Chinese industry.

CSR Excellence in China, Finalists: 

These seven companies all developed comprehensive CSR programs, with well-organized structures to integrate corporate governance, community outreach, environmental stewardship, and employee health and safety programs into their core business strategies. The AmCham Shanghai CSR Awards Jury applauded the achievements of all of these companies, and emphasized the difficulty of selecting a winner from this elite group. 

Finalist: Coca-Cola (China) Beverages, Ltd.
Coca-Cola's commitment to CSR was most strongly demonstrated in its efforts to improve environmental protection and prevent the spread of AIDS. All Coca-Cola plants developed their own wastewater treatment systems to ensure that all discharges met regulatory standards and were able to support fish life. Coca-Cola's national AIDS awareness and prevention campaign reached 20 million people through exhibitions in 10 cities and the creation and distribution of educational materials in 100 cities.

Finalist: Corning China (Shanghai) Regional Headquarter
Corning, the world leader in specialty glass and ceramics has committed to microfinance. In late 2005, Corning initiated a four-year partnership with the China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation (CFPA) to finance projects in Fujian province. Throughout the program, Corning has donated US$48,000 to the foundation to provide microfinance loans to 400 households in rural Xiapu County, to enable the families to build small businesses and lift themselves out of poverty.

Finalist: Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Certified Public Accountants, Ltd. 
Deloitte China, an audit, tax, consulting and financial advisory services firm, developed innovative approaches to meet its social and environmental goals. To help philanthropic organizations achieve optimal efficiency and gain trust among donors, the company initiated a program to provide professional guidance and financial support. With the goal of becoming carbon neutral, Deloitte China created an Environmental Management Task Force active throughout the company. 

Finalist: Goodyear Tire Management Co. (Shanghai) Ltd.
Goodyear's CSR initiatives emphasized empowering women through both human resources and community outreach initiatives. Through partnership with Hands On Shanghai, the company adopted a school for children of migrant workers, providing English lessons, library improvements and computer equipment. The company also generously sponsored Mother and Infant Care and Typhoon Relief efforts.

Finalist: Intel China Ltd.
Intel's commitment to CSR was most strongly demonstrated in its education and environmental stewardship programs. Intel trained more than 1 million primary and secondary school teachers in 31 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities and provided after-school activities to 200,000 youth. The IT company also recycled more than 66.5% of solid waste and 35% of water in its assembly and testing factories.

Finalist: Mary Kay (China) Cosmetics Co., Ltd.
Mary Kay stood out for its efforts to empower women and support Junior Achievement China. The cosmetics company created a hotline to provide support to Chinese women facing domestic violence and other family problems, and created a Women's Entrepreneurship Fund providing interest-free loans to 20,000 women in 20 provinces.  Mary Kay also supported Junior Achievement China with free office space and numerous volunteers, which has improved the capacity for hands-on CSR activities for many other companies. 

Finalist: PricewaterhouseCoopers Zhong Tian CPAs Limited Company
PricewaterhouseCoopers impressed the Awards Jury with its commitment to skill-based volunteering. The professional services firm provided pro bono accounting for Special Olympics World Summer Games and carbon footprint verification for Live Earth concert.  A Chinese employee worked in South Africa for two months to create management systems to improve AIDS patient care.  

CSR Excellence in China for a Non-Foreign Invested Enterprise (tie):

Guangdong Galanz Enterprise Group

Guangdong Galanz Enterprise Group Co., Ltd. is a leading maker of microwave ovens, air conditioners and other small appliances. In 2006, Galanz donated RMB5,730,000 to a wide variety of causes including a middle school for the disabled, typhoon relief efforts, and the Guangdong Environmental Protection Fund. Galanz created an "Anti-Corruption Responsibility Notice" to hasten the development of legal norms for business contracts. To prevent illegal activities, Galanz trained all employees in business ethics and maintained a high environmental standard in its factories. Galanz's comprehensive CSR strategy set an excellent example for other companies in China. 

Shanghai Pudong Development Bank

Shanghai Pudong Development Bank (SPDB), the first company to win an AmCham Shanghai CSR Award two consecutive years, has made CSR key to its business strategy and corporate culture. SPDB focused on five areas of CSR - Social obligation, environmental protection, charity activities, people-oriented measures and efforts to elevate the bank's value - and reported them in its annual CSR Report. For example, SPDB financed 14 renewable energy loans in 2006 with a total value of RMB2.975 billion. To prevent AIDS and care for AIDS-affected orphans, SPDB collected RMB420,000 from employees for the Chinese Federation for Prevention of STD and AIDS, created a portal on its website for customer donations, and hung AIDS-awareness posters in all branches. 

CSR Excellence in China for a Small or Medium Enterprise, First Prize Winner:



Ignition Marketing (Shanghai) Ltd.

Ignition Marketing manages the execution of targeted marketing campaigns and activities in China, with a focus on the outdoor, entertainment, travel and tourism, health, and gourmet products and lifestyle industries. Despite having just nine employees, this company has integrated CSR into all areas of its business. 

Ignition Marketing held all employees, clients and suppliers to a very stringent Code of Conduct, to ensure a higher level of transparency than the industry standard. Each year the company donated a certain percentage of manpower to events such as the Monkey King fundraiser for the Loving Heart Association and the Live Earth concert to raise awareness about global warming. Aside from these pro bono endeavors, Ignition Marketing integrated philanthropy into its campaigns whenever possible and with approval by the client.  An example of this was when they specifically sought out, trained and paid promotional staff that would most benefit from the skill and team building experience, rather than hiring a more experienced group. 


CSR Innovation Award:

Nu Skin (China)

Nu Skin Enterprises' Nourish the Children initiative mobilized the company's manufacturing, marketing, and sales capabilities to feed hungry children worldwide. Through partnerships with China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation and China Children and Teenagers Fund, Nu Skin donated 5.5 million meals to AIDS orphans, flood victims, and other poor children in China between January 2006 and June 2007. Nu Skin developed VitaMeal, a product specifically designed to meet the needs of malnourished children. A special plant in Heilongjiang Province produced VitaMeal to distribute throughout Asia. Nu Skin Enterprises began operations in China in 2003 and currently operates more than 100 retail outlets throughout China. The company markets premium quality personal care products under the Nu Skin brand, and science-based nutritional supplements under the Pharmanex brand.

CSR Partnership Award:



Cargill Investments (China) Ltd. and Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) China

Cargill and SIFE impressed the judges for their multi-level cooperation, which included mentoring, judging, funding and strategic guidance. Cargill is an international provider of food, agricultural and risk management products and services. SIFE is a non-profit organization active in more than 40 countries, supports more than 70 university teams in China. SIFE projects challenged students to develop community outreach projects that promote sustainable development in struggling communities, while building social consciousness and practical experience among China's next generation of leaders. Cargill sponsored the Northeast China competition specifically because the company has many operations in this region and SIFE provides excellent exposure among potential future employees. 

Exceptional Partner Award:



Junior Achievement China

Junior Achievement (JA) China built capacity for hands-on CSR activities for many companies through its partnerships with local educational institutions, experts, teachers and volunteers. In 2006-07, professionals from more than 37 companies and more than 140,000 students participated in JA China's programs. JA China developed and organized programs for primary, secondary, and university students.  JA is a non-profit organization whose purpose is to educate and inspire young people to value free enterprise, business, and economics to improve the quality of their lives.


Environmental Collaboration Award:

WWF-World Wide Fund for Nature, China

WWF China cooperated with companies to create environmental programs that are solution-oriented, practical, and ambitious. This included helping companies operate in a more sustainable fashion, investing corporate resources into raising awareness about environmental degradation and conserving threatened areas. One such program created alternative livelihoods for local families and improved damaged ecosystems in central Yangtze region.  WWF has been active in China since 1980, and currently has operations in more than 100 countries.