Alcan Inc. (NYSE, TSX: AL) and the International Business Leaders Forum (IBLF) announced the recipient of the first US$1 million Alcan Prize for Sustainability is the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC.
"This prize underscores Alcan's commitment to sustainability in its operations and the deep belief that the international goal of sustainable development is best served when all sectors – businesses, NGOs, and governments – work together," said Travis Engen, President and CEO Alcan Inc. "We congratulate the FSC for its accomplishments in promoting responsible management of the world's forests, and have a sincere hope that adding the first Alcan Prize for Sustainability to its funding will enable even greater achievements in the future."
Robert Davies, Chief Executive Officer of the IBLF, added, "In our view, the FSC exemplifies an environmental and social NGO at the centre of an exceptional and innovative partnership among business, the public sector, and civil society to raise business standards and have a practical impact on the pressing challenge of economic, environmental and social sustainability in forestry."
The FSC, with an International Centre based in Bonn, Germany, national initiatives in 34 countries and members in 73 countries, has as its core program the development of standards for responsible forest management through inclusive, consultative processes.
These standards are based on global principles and criteria promoting environmentally appropriate, socially responsible and economically viable management of the world's forests. FSC standards are implemented through a rigorous and credible forest certification system and recognized in the market through a distinctive trademark and labelling system.
FSC standards, its certification program and trademark system, are endorsed and supported by leading environmental organizations, community and social groups, unions and indigenous peoples' organizations as well as retailers, forest product companies and forest management companies. Its support base includes large and small organizations and companies in the global economic "south" and "north".
Alcan created the Alcan Prize for Sustainability in January 2004 to recognize outstanding contributions to the goal of economic, environmental, and social sustainability by not-for-profit, non-governmental, and civil society organizations.
Alcan partnered with the IBLF, which manages the application and selection process, to ensure the credibility and objectivity of the Prize. Alcan does not have a voice on the assessment or adjudication panels. In reviewing the 488 submissions received from 79 countries in 2004, the IBLF co-ordinated assessment panels in the U.K., Poland, the Philippines, and Canada. A short list of 12 candidates, announced at the Confrence de Montral in June, was then reviewed in depth by a panel of internationally renowned experts in sustainability issues.
In selecting this year's winner, the Adjudication Panel said, "The FSC has pioneered an innovative, market-based approach to responsible forest management by linking forest management to the market through certification and product labelling. In doing so, it has created partnerships through a value chain that includes producers, retailers, and consumers. This ambitious sustainability model works through strong partnerships with a range of stakeholders around the world."
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