The meeting of the Jury of the 2006 Environmental Business Awards concluded yesterday in Vienna (Austria), which was attended, on behalf of Spain, by the Director General of Quality and Environmental Assessment of the Ministry of the Environment, Jaime Alejandre.
Four categories have been established: sustainable management, sustainable procedure, sustainable product and international cooperation. In turn, there are national sections that carry out the pre-selection in the competitions of each country and that grant the right to aspire to the European award. The Spanish section has been coordinated by the Fundación Entorno, which awarded the distinctions last January.
Spain is the only country that has three finalists for each of the most important categories in terms of environmental quality and two of them, in this edition, have been especially considered:
– In the environmental management category, the company ACERÍA Compacta de Vizcaya, for its steel products that show substantial improvements in their behaviour and environmental management. It is a company that has EMAS and ISO 14.001 eco-certifications, aspects highly valued by the Jury.
– For its part, in the environmental production category, the SME DTS OABE has made a very good impression with its insecticidal lacquer, which is innovative because it does not use organic compounds as solvents, but water. This reduces cross-contamination and allows it to be used in sensitive environments such as schools, hospitals or food pantries.
The winners will be announced on June 1, coinciding with the Community Green Week. Despite not having a financial endowment, the social and environmental profitability generated by the mere participation in these awards seems to be increasing the relevance of this award, a fact that is underlined by the European dimension of the Award. At the same time, it represents the opportunity to access new markets with environmental and sustainability values, which consumers are increasingly demanding. In this context, Spanish companies appreciate these values, as well as consumers, sustainability in the market offer. Awards such as the one deliberated this week in Vienna contribute to highlighting these realities of our time.
