CCC Chairman Govindasamy highlights importance of corporates pursuing sustainable solutions 

More corporates in Sri Lanka are embracing sustainability as an integral cog of their operations in recent times, says Ceylon Chamber of Commerce Chairman, Vish Govindasamy.

Addressing the Best Corporate Citizen Sustainability Awards 2022, organized by the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce in Colombo, on Tuesday (10), Govindsamy said: Each business has the power to create solutions and drive sustainable change. Every year we see increasing evidence of this commitment.

He said that CCC this year received 66 applications for the corporate sustainability awards. “It is the highest number of applications that we have received for the past 19 years. In keeping with the theme of holistic sustainability, the application submission and evaluation process will be conducted entirely on a digital platform, thereby eliminating paper wastage and leveraging technology to minimize the environmental impact,” he said.

Corporate citizenship is today a vital part of any organization, impacting every stakeholder from employees, investors and customers to society at large. Focusing on generating economic growth in a way that does not cause negative cultural, social and environmental aspects, it also highlights the need for generational accountability, to create a better world for future generations. These tenets have been ratified by the Paris Agreement and the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals, designed as a ‘shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future’.

The Best Corporate Citizen Sustainability Awards, organized by the CCC is now in its 19th consecutive year. When the Ceylon Chamber first launched the BCCS Awards, in 2003, the concept of corporate citizenship was still in its nascent stages in Sri Lanka. “The aim of the Awards was to promote corporate citizenship, with an emphasis on holistic sustainability relating to the three pillars of people, planet and profit. This mandate has been achieved, with the Awards attracting an increasing number of interests and applicants over the years, as more corporates embrace sustainability as an integral cog of their operations,” Govindsamy said.