India’s leading lifestyle and fashion conglomerate, Arvind Limited, clinched Asia’s Best First Time Sustainability Report award at the recently concluded 2016 Asia Sustainability Reporting Awards (ASRA) in Singapore.
Arvind was also declared joint winner in the Asia’s Best Materiality Reporting category where it shared the award with Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation.
Commenting on the award, the chairman of Arvind Limited, Sanjay Lalbhai said, “It gives us great pride to win Asia’s Best First Time Sustainability Report, 2016 at the Asia Sustainability Reporting Awards (ASRA), 2016 and it reiterates our commitment towards sustainability. Sustainable practices have been a key-focus area for Arvind for quite some time now and we continue to ensure that sustainability remains a top priority.”
An impressive 68 companies from 14 countries made it to the final round of the 2016 Asia Sustainability Reporting Awards. The finalists were shortlisted by the members of an independent judging panel. The event was hosted by the British High Commissioner in Singapore H.E. Mr. Scott Wightman while the Swedish Ambassador in Singapore H.E. Mr. Håkan Jevrell was present as the Special Guest.
Rajesh Chhabara, managing director at CSRWorks International and the creator of the Awards, said: “Sustainability reporting has become a key indicator to assess a company’s long term success. Arvind’s win at ASRA 2016 reflects the company’s leadership in sustainability reporting and a commitment to long term value creation for all stakeholders.”
Hosted in Singapore, the Asia Sustainability Reporting Awards (ASRA) are the highest recognition for sustainability reporting in the region. To encourage more Asian companies to embrace sustainability reporting, CSRWorks International, a Singapore-based sustainability firm, has created the Asia Sustainability Reporting Awards. The awards are CSRWorks International’s not-for-profit initiative, and is part of its own corporate responsibility programme.
A spokesperson from the ASRA Secretariat said: “ASRA winners are decided by an independent judging panel following stringent criteria. The judging process involves multiple rounds of screening and evaluations to identify the very best in each category. Finally, a comprehensive due diligence is carried out to assess finalists’ reputation among stakeholders and the findings are considered to determine the winners.”
“Sustainability reporting is crucial to attract Socially Responsible Investment (SRI) funds which invest only in responsibly-run businesses,” said Mr. Chhabara. He added that the assets under management by global SRI funds have grown to more than $21 trillion but less than 0.6 per cent of this is invested in Asia. “A key reason for low SRI investment in the region may be attributed to the fact that very few Asian companies have adopted sustainability reporting.”
It may be noted that several stock exchanges in the region have legislated sustainability reporting for listed companies recently, mainly to meet investors’ expectations for non-financial disclosure.
In this context, ASRA winners are setting the leadership example which hopefully will inspire more companies to embrace sustainability reporting.
The event was attended by the finalists of ASRA 2016, and dignitaries from diverse fields including business, non-profit, embassies, trade associations, advocacy organisations and academics.
The winners received a specially designed plaque framed with recycled wood. The winner of the top honours, Asia’s Sustainability Report of the Year, received an exclusive golden plaque. All finalists received a merit certificate printed on FSC certified paper sourced from sustainable forests. In addition, the winners and the finalists will be authorised to use the privileged Asia Sustainability Reporting Awards Icons for branding purpose.
Printed edition of Sustainability Reporting: Learn from Asia’s Best, a special publication featuring the 2015 ASRA winners, was released at the event.
Note to editors:
More comprehensive information on the Asia Sustainability Reporting Awards can be viewed at: www.csrmatters.com
For more information contact:
Douglas Harding, Project Director,
Email: douglas.harding@csrworks.com
About the Awards
The Asia Sustainability Reporting Awards (ASRA) recognise and honour sustainability reporting leaders in Asia. The Awards celebrate best practices in sustainability reporting and communications. The vision for ASRA to become the most inspiring recognition of sustainability reporting excellence in Asia. The Awards are open to all types and sizes of private, public and non-profit organisations in all sectors who produce a sustainability report in Asia. An independent panel of judges with distinguished backgrounds judge the entries to decide the winners. www.csrmatters.com
About the Organisers
The Asia Sustainability Reporting Awards are organised by csrmatters, a unit of CSRWorks International, Singapore’s leading boutique sustainability advisory, research and training firm with a successful track record more than 10 years. CSRWorks closely collaborates with businesses and other stakeholders to promote excellence in sustainability reporting across the region. Rajesh Chhabara, Managing Director of CSRWorks, has launched ASRA as a not-for-profit initiative to give organisations, large and small, the opportunity to showcase their sustainability efforts, thereby building trust among their stakeholders, adding value to their businesses and attracting socially responsible investors. www.csrworks.com
Supporting Organisations
The Awards are supported by diverse organisations representing governments, NGOs, academia, media and professional sectors keen on encouraging responsible business practices and sustainability disclosure in Asia, including the British High Commission Singapore, Embassy of Sweden in Singapore, the High Commission of Canada, the British Chamber of Commerce, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Vietnam Business Council for Sustainable Development (VBCSD), Sasin Centre for Sustainability Management and Systainability Asia among others.
About Arvind Limited
Arvind Limited is one of India’s largest integrated textile and apparel companies with a strong retail presence. Arvind is also the pioneer of denim in India with a turnover of around US$1.3 billion in FY2015-16. Arvind has an unmatched portfolio of owned, licensed brands and retail formats. The company’s own product brands include Megamart (recently rebranded as Unlimited), Flying Machine, Colt, Ruggers, Excalibur among others while its licensed product brands have big global names like GAP, Arrow, Gant, Izod, Elle, Cherokee, US Polo Assn, The Children’s Place and Sephora, to name a few. It has a joint venture in India with global majors Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein.
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