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RHT Bus Services Ltd and LEAL & Co Ltd recognised as the winners of the first edition of the AfrAsia Bank Sustainability Awards

The second edition of the “AfrAsia Bank Sustainability Summit 2019” was launched today at the Caudan Arts Centre, in partnership with IBL Together and with the support of the United Nations (UN). This two-day summit, scheduled on 14 & 15 October, welcomed over 200 participants from around the world with the aim at creating discussion opportunities with a broad group of stakeholders, about how businesses impact on the economies, societies and environments in which they operate and establish the urgency for action.

The highlight of the 2019 edition, the “AfrAsia Bank Sustainability Awards”, a first in Mauritius, looked at rewarding local companies for driving sustainability efforts. RHT Bus Services Ltd bagged the “Best Sustainability Project” while LEAL & Co Ltd was recognised as the “Best Sustainable Business”.

The awards welcomed entries from businesses of all sizes and from all sectors to recognise and support the innovators who are accelerating progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The awards were judged by an independent jury panel, made up of high-level professionals from diverse fields of expertise and reputed institutional bodies, including the UN, Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and Indian Ocean Commission (IOC).

H.E. Christine N. Umutoni, UN Resident Coordinator for Mauritius and Seychelles from the jury panel highlighted that “All participants demonstrated the strategic importance of sustainability to their business or organisational activities. It was extremely inspiring. I would like to thank my fellow co-judges André Pouillès-Duplaixm, Director of AFD, and Raj Mohabeer from the IOC for their hard work in reviewing the submissions!”

The category “Best Sustainability Project” looked at rewarding companies that implemented a project related to one or several SDGs. Super U, RHT Bus Services Ltd and Sun Resorts featured among the shortlisted nominees and ultimately RHT Bus Services Ltd won the best project for its initiatives undertaken in environment preservation. On the other hand, Beachcomber , Archemics  and Leal & Co Ltd were shortlisted for the Best Sustainable Business and Leal & Co Ltd successfully demonstrated an overall commitment for adopting sustainability principles in their approach today to achieve a sustainable future.

Commenting on the award win, Ashwin Ramchurn from RHT Bus Services Ltd, said that “We are extremely honoured to be receiving such a prestigious award recognising our green efforts in energy saving, water management and CO2 emission control initiatives. Winning this award reinforces our commitment towards our sustainability journey.”

Christian Ferrière from Leal & Co Ltd , added that , “ At Leal & Co Ltd we realized that we produced a lot of waste and we needed to do something about it and we had to find ways of having it recycled to make Mauritius a better place to live.”

Leaders come together for the 2nd AfrAsia Bank Sustainability Summit to mobilise accelerated action for sustainable development

Building up on the successful inaugural launch of the AfrAsia Bank Sustainability Summit last year, AfrAsia Bank, in partnership with IBL Together and supported by the United Nations (UN) aims at raising the bar of discussion with a wider group of stakeholders under the theme “Driving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to the next level”.  This two-day event, scheduled on 14 & 15 October at Caudan Arts Centre, will create discussion opportunities with a broad group of stakeholders, about how businesses impact on the economies, societies and environments in which they operate and establish the urgency for action.

This year’s summit will feature the world renowned scientist and innovator Gunter Pauli, and bring together a wide array of actors including businesses, local authorities, international organisations and scientific community to help find solutions that would build a better world for people. Blue Economy, Green cities, Responsible tourism, and Environmental, Social and Corporate governance (ESG) investment will be among the topics of discussion while highlighting the value of dialogue in stepping up existing efforts on the sustainable development agenda.

Commenting on the launch, Sanjiv Bhasin, Chief Executive Officer of AfrAsia Bank Limited, states “At this stage of the global economic development, the governments, corporate sector, and all of us as a collective body of humanity, have no choice but to demonstrate that we are accepting sustainable methods of conducting our daily activities. We have no choice but to ensure that we leave environment in a better shape than that we inherited it. We owe this to the generations that follow us.”

Mr. Arnaud Lagesse, Group CEO of IBL Together further adds that “This partnership marks the personal engagement of our Group to increase the global understanding of sustainability and the SDGs in Mauritius. We work actively to create a brighter future for everyone, and sustainability actionable changes form part and parcel of how we do business – by transforming existing systems and practices and by adopting new ones across the Group, wherever and whenever we do business.”

“SDGs provide all businesses with a new lens through which to translate the world’s needs and ambitions into business solutions. These solutions will enable companies to better manage their risks, anticipate consumer demand, build positions in growth markets, secure access to needed resources, and strengthen their supply chains, while moving the world towards a sustainable and inclusive development path” says H.E. Christine N. Umutoni, UN Resident Coordinator for Mauritius and Seychelles.

The 2019 edition will host the first AfrAsia Bank Sustainability Awards. This year, the summit has expanded its remit to recognise and support the innovators who are accelerating progress towards the SDGs. The award categories are the Best Sustainability Project and the Best Sustainable Business. The winners will be announced at the Summit on 14 October 2019.

True to its commitment to sustainability and the environment, AfrAsia Bank will announce, during the summit, the launch of its new Green Car Loan for the continuous development of the electric and hybrid vehicle market. Driven by its “Bank Different” philosophy, the print communications for this campaign will be released on flower seed paper to reinforce AfrAsia Bank’s ecological initiatives towards a greener environment.

After a successful inaugural launch of the AfrAsia Bank Sustainability Summit last year in Mauritius, AfrAsia Bank has announced a second summit in partnership with IBL Together and with the support of the United Nations (UN), making this event a key feature on their sustainability summit series. This summit marks the commitment of AfrAsia Bank to increase the global understanding of sustainability and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) while establishing the opportunities, challenges and practical steps that will help shape a sustainable future. Incorporating topics relating to the environment, social issues and the economy, the summit aims to communicate with a broad group of stakeholders, about how we impact on the economies, societies and environments in which we operate and establish the urgency for action. The 2019 edition, scheduled on 14-15 October at Caudan Arts Centre, will lay emphasis on “Driving the SDGs to the next level”.

Drawing from the United Nations’ SDGs, the summit seeks to incorporate responsible business actions among the local and international organisations by bringing them together to present sustainable solutions. AfrAsia Bank believes that, through the sharing of knowledge, analysis of innovative approaches towards critical issues and spearheading lasting relationships among corporations and other key stakeholders, a virtuous circle is created that benefits to all. SDGs’ Goal 17 “Partnership for the goals”, which attempts to strengthen the means of implementation and revitalising the global partnership for sustainable development, remains the red tape for “AfrAsia Bank Sustainability Summit 2019”.

This edition is looking forward to welcome a high-level panel of sustainability experts discussing over topics, which directly and indirectly influence the corporate environment. World citizen Gunter Pauli is this year’s keynote speaker; an entrepreneur and a prolific author whose approach towards sustainability is refreshingly modern and visionary.

Sanjiv Bhasin, Chief Executive Officer of AfrAsia Bank Limited, stated that, “We are privileged to reiterate our association with IBL Together and United Nations to gather in Mauritius the collective wisdom and experience to debate and explore how sustainable processes are introduced in the corporate environment. We are obliged to leave the world a better place for the following generations. This required new thinking and approach. AfrAsia wishes to create a platform via this summit to learn and engage and imbibe this new way of business. The highlight of the second edition is the pioneering launch of the AfrAsia Bank Sustainability Awards. Through this initiative, we seek to validate and celebrate the companies which are leading the way in sustainable business as well as to encourage more companies in Mauritius to advance their sustainability commitment, take an environmental lead and give back to the communities in which they operate.”

Mr. Arnaud Lagesse, Group CEO of IBL Together further added, “We are proud that AfrAsia Bank in partnership with UN and IBL proactively took the initiative of holding a Sustainability Summit last year, intending to embed sustainability as a set commitment to address the global concern of the new generation. IBL is delighted that Mr. Gunter Pauli, often referred to as the “Steve Jobs” of the Blue Economy, has accepted to be a keynote speaker for the upcoming Sustainability Summit. Our objective is to share knowledge and create awareness on our practices and the way we do business via the Blue Economy principles, going beyond the Globalized and the Green Economy. At IBL, we are embarked on a mindshift journey by introducing innovations that will generate multiple benefits beyond only profits. We intend to add long-term value to our country, our region and by extension to the planet and to all our stakeholders.”

“The UN advises that business sustainability occurs when actions in your businesses have a positive impact on the people and planet. Through their considerations on the social, environmental and governance impacts on the communities and in leading new thinking and innovations on how business can achieve both financial and societal benefits, the private sector can be and is a powerful ally to achieve the SDGs” said H.E. Christine N. Umutoni, UN Resident Coordinator for Mauritius and Seychelles.

This 2019 edition will bring together industry leaders from Africa, Asia and Europe, UN representatives and members from other key organizations as well as researchers from around the world. Some 200 participants are expected to interact during this two-day Summit, widening their knowledge of various topics through six plenary sessions. Workshops and case studies, highlighting new processes and examining prototype creative solutions, will add to the breadth and depth of the discussion.