On July 1, 2021, during the ceremony in the Kastel Fortress in Banja Luka, the sustainable development business leaders in Bosnia and Herzegovina for 2021 were announced.
The annual Sustainable Business Leaders Competition aims to promote the efforts and engagement of the private sector in the field of sustainable development in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The 2021 award offers a clearer focus on companies that create and maintain quality jobs and actively work to decarbonise their business, but also introduces the SDG (Sustainable Development Goals) category of the award for local communities, which recognizes the support that local communities provide the private sector with sustainable development. With the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals Framework, as well as the establishment of the Sustainable Development Council, Bosnia and Herzegovina this year further recognized the importance of SDGs and Agenda 2030, which provide opportunities to significantly improve social, economic and environmental aspects of life and strengthen regional cooperation.
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, a record number of applicants was received this year, i.e., 75 companies submitted 106 applications, comparing to previous years when 44 companies participated in 2019 and submitted 55 applications, and in 2020, when 71 companies submitted 106 applications.
“Today, in this beautiful environment of Kastel, we pay tribute to business leaders and local communities who, through their work and activities, promote and implement activities aimed at meeting the Sustainable Development Goals. Business leaders from across the country have recognized the importance and level of influence of the private sector by committing to make an active contribution to creating quality jobs and protecting the environment. For Sweden, environmental protection, sustainable and smart development, and activities to mitigate and combat the effects of climate change, with the involvement of each individual, are central when it comes to Sweden’s support for Bosnia and Herzegovina,” said Torgny Svenungsson, Deputy Head of Mission at the Swedish Embassy in BiH.
The awards for 2021 were awarded in the categories “People” and “Resources and Environment”, and, as in previous years, the overall winner for Bosnia and Herzegovina was announced and selected from among the companies that applied in both categories.
In the “People” category, awards are given to companies that inspire others to create new jobs, and this year’s winners are Dekonta BH, in the category of micro companies, Smrčak d.o.o. in the category of small enterprises, Ministry of Programming in the category of medium enterprises and Lanaco in the category of large enterprises. In the category of micro and small enterprises, in the field of “Resources and Environment” the winners are Šumska tajna and Smrčak d.o.o. In the same area, but in the categories of medium and large companies, the winners were ESOF d.o.o. Donji Vakuf and Coca-Cola HBC B-H.
The business leader of sustainable development for 2021, i.e., the overall winner of this year’s competition and the company that won the most points for meeting the GRI standards (Global Reporting Initiative) and the realization of SDGs, is Smrčak d.o.o.
“First of all, I would like to thank the organizers for recognizing our work, because we strive to work according to the principles of sustainable development in each of these thematic areas. I believe that we all need to work in this regard and on that principle, I believe that we are all winners here today, because we operate according to the principles of sustainable development. We must all raise awareness that all people in this world should work and live according to the principles of sustainable development in order to leave this planet as a more beautiful place to live for generations to come,” said Marko MijatoviĆ, a representative of Smrčak.
The competition for 2021 was enriched by the awarding of prizes for local communities, i.e., for those local self-government units that, by adopting relevant measures, supported the private sector during the COVID-19 pandemic in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
SDG awards for local communities were given to Bosanska Krupa, Cazin, Doboj, Novo Sarajevo and Teslić.
The Award for Business Leaders of Sustainable Development recognizes and emphasizes the efforts of private sector companies related to achieving SDGs in BiH and motivates new participants in this sector to include SDGs in their business models. As of this year, the official partner in the award is the Foreign Trade Chamber of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which has localized the effects of the Award. The goal of the partnership is to improve cooperation in the interest of strengthening and developing awareness of the importance of sustainable business, circular economy, digitalization and decarbonisation in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The Award Ceremony is organized within the project “Support to Preparation for the Implementation of Sustainable Development Goals and Private Sector Involvement” implemented by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in BiH and funded by Sweden.
“The private sector is a very important partner in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, so we count on the support of all parties involved in this process. This program, which encourages business leaders to participate and showcase their best practices, has been going on for three years and is constantly changing. What characterizes this process is that every year we have a growing interest. This year in particular, despite the difficult working conditions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, we received more than 100 applications for awards. In addition, this year we have a novelty in the program. We have published a call for representatives of local government bodies who have the opportunity to express their activities in this field. We are extremely glad to be able to reward those who have achieved the best results in this field,” said Steliana Neder, UNDP Resident Representative in BiH, at the closing ceremony.
The focus of this year’s Award for Business Leaders of Sustainable Development in BiH is on companies that create and maintain quality jobs and actively work on the decarbonisation of their business, and 22 companies entered the final selection. GRI standards were the basis for the development of the methodology used to evaluate the 106 applications received, and the evaluation process was led by Almir Bajraktarević, as a representative of last year’s overall winner, Kakanj Cement Factory, prof. dr. Vjekoslav Domljan, Rector of the Sarajevo School of Science and Technology and Mr. Marko Kakuća from the Development Agency of Republika Srpska.
More information on this year’s Award Ceremony, finalists and selected local communities, as well as the signed Framework for the Realization of Sustainable Development Goals can be found at: http://zamisli2030.ba/
