EUROCHAMTT in partnership with the UN Trinidad and Tobago and PAHO/ WHO successfully celebrated the second Sustainability Champion Awards. The 2024 awards took place on Friday 15th March 2024 at the Brix Autograph Collection hotel from 11 – 2.30 p.m.

Purpose of Ceremony

The purpose is to recognise and celebrate those businesses that have put in place the policies, structures and systems to identify, measure, assess and disclose impact in terms of ESG and Sustainability.

We also aim to:

  • Increase private sector engagement in reporting;
  • Inspire others to identify, measure, assess and disclose impacts;
  • Provide evidence to contribute to policy and resource allocation to propel investment in sustainability;
  • Facilitate networking and partnerships and improve the country’s systems of reporting;
  • Promote good work and initiatives towards SDGs.

We selected the BRIX and Marriott to host this year’s event as they too have made progress towards Environmental, Social and Governance reporting. See highlights of their 2023 report here.

SUSTAINABILITY TROPHY Designed by Clive Prevatt

The overall design intent was to provide a trophy that incorporates the main theme of sustainability and includes some essence of the Japanese aesthetic of wabi-sabi, wherein beauty is found in the imperfect, impermanent and incomplete. It is a piece that goes beyond the traditional static nature of a trophy and is instead a functional piece of art – in this case a desk lamp. Sustainability requires the harmonisation of the industrial with the natural. The materials used reflect this and include industrial pipe, an upcycled bottle, a base of unfinished reclaimed wood and a bamboo plaque.

Congratulations to our Winners 2024

EUROCHAMTT is very pleased to announce the selection of the following awardees for the first Sustainability Champion Awards 2024. We also take the opportunity to congratulate all participants as they have shown commitment to go beyond just financial profits by integrating environmental, social and governance strategies towards sustainable development.

The awards for 2024 go to:

  • ANSA McAL Group of Companies – EUROCHAMTT/ UN Sustainability Champion 2024 – Large Business
  • RESSCOTT Ltd.- EUROCHAMTT/ UN Sustainability Champion 2024 – Small and Medium-sized Enterprise Business

Here are just a few of the highlights of why they have won this year’s award as the overall Sustainability Champion 2024-

ANSA McAL Group of Companies:

EUROCHAMTT/ UN Sustainability Champion 2024 – Large Business

The ANSA McAL Group of Companies has been in operation for more than 140 years with approximately 5000 employees in 7 territories in the Caribbean and USA. The companies operate across 10 sectors: including: Automotive, Beverage, Construction, Distribution, Financial Services, Manufacturing, Media, Real Estate, Retail and Services.

The company has begun the process of measuring ESG performance:

  • In 2023, in partnership with Ernst & Young (EY)’s Trinidad and Tobago Sustainability Team, an ESG Data discovery exercise for the Group was started. The exercise focused on the four most influential sectors with the most significant financial, environmental, and social impact: Beverage, Construction, Financial Services, and Manufacturing.
  • Sustainability Accounting and Standards Board (SASB) Standards which are part of the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) supplemented by Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) were selected as the standards for metrics that would be applied across the four sectors. Approximately 52 metrics have been selected. Customised data collection templates and guidelines were developed for the companies across the four sectors and the data collection process started in Q1 2024.

Environmental Impacts

  • Under a separate initiative, Carib Glassworks of ANSA Packaging has successfully received its first badge for the completion of Scope 1- & 2-foot printing as part of their participation in the Supplier Leadership on Climate Transition (SLoCT). This program is a collaboration of global brands committed to carbon emissions reductions. Reference: https://supplierloct.com/.
  • ANSA Merchant and ANSA Bank, together with The Cropper Foundation launched the Caribbean Natural Capital Hub and are working towards integrating sustainability into the Banking operations.
  • The Group has invested in solar and wind energy in the Caribbean region. In 2023 the Group’s investments generated 121,000 MWh of renewable energy. The Group has expressed its firm commitment to investing further in the region through the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Kenesjay Green Limited at COP 28 in Dubai to accelerate private sector initiatives in green energy projects across the Caribbean.
  • In the Beverage Sector, yeast is a key ingredient in the fermentation process, one of the biproducts of which is carbon dioxide (CO2). In the CARIB Breweries in St. Kitts and Nevis and Trinidad and Tobago, CO2 is recovered, purified, and reused within the brewery operations.

Societal Impact

  • Every year, ANSA McAL engages its entire workforce in a ‘Pulse Survey’ to assess general levels of engagement and career satisfaction. This forms part of their reporting and informs their strategy for improving employee satisfaction. In 2023, the Group commenced a comprehensive culture transformation. The Group is working to enhance their work environment and enriching their culture and work-life experiences for all.
  • ANSA McAL has a well-established HSE Management system across the Group companies, some of which are STOW certified, and some hold ISO 14001 and 45001 certifications.
  • ANSA McAL has a clear policy on inclusivity: Explicitly stated in the Group’s HR Policies “The Group does not discriminate on the grounds of race, colour, origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, marital status or disability.”

Governance Impact

  • The Charter for the Parent Board for the Group of companies clearly outlines the responsibilities of the Board including “5. Ensuring processes are in place for maintaining the sustainability and integrity of the Company, its financial statements and compliance with all laws and ethical standards of business”.
  • Additionally, the Governance, Nomination and Remuneration Committee (GNRC) of the Board has the responsibility to oversee the effectiveness of the Group’s Sustainability Framework and to report to the full Board.
  • Two of the members of the Board of Directors, who are also members of the GNRC have experience in ESG which enhances the Group’s knowledge and integration of Sustainability at the Executive Level of management.
  • In 2023, the ANSA McAL Group worked on integrating sustainability into the Enterprise Risk Management framework.

ANSA McAL is truly delivering on its purpose of “Inspiring better choices for a better world” through its commitment to these Sustainable Business Practices.

RESSCOTT Ltd.

EUROCHAMTT/ UN Sustainability Champion 2024 – Small and Medium-sized Enterprise Business

RESSCOTT LTD is a group of professional engineers that has been operating in Trinidad and Tobago and the Caribbean for over the last 8 years, providing Engineering Services; Renewable Energy installations and Consulting services. They have received a positive evaluation across the E.S.G. factors.

Environmental Impacts:

  • RESSCOTT has implemented conclusive solutions and consulting services for clients, towards net zero through energy efficiency as the initial premise, energy offset as the second phase, predictive maintenance and continuous improvement thereafter.
  • They have completed an estimated over 100MW of solar energy installations and have been engaged in several phases of solar PV project development through their financing strategies.
  • Projects currently underway and implemented have displaced close to 80 million kg of CO2 emissions and are gradually increasing.
  • RESSCOTT is in the unique position of providing services to help clients measure and disclose GHG emissions; Subsequently, strongly positioning them to help achieve Carbon Reduction targets and aspirations in the country.
  • They measure in accordance with The Climate Registry (TCR), United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program (GHGRP) and other industry best practice methodologies.
  • They track scope I/II/III emissions after installations, by gathering the data to test systems power outputs, calculate and confirm reductions.

Societal Impact:

  • RESSCOTT Limited stands by quality, has good training, HSE, remuneration, gender, inclusivity policies in place for their workforce and are engaged in community outreach programmes supporting for example, youth education including funding and resources to support initiatives that promote science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education.
  • They are proud sponsors of the country’s first solar powered steel pan orchestra (Power Stars), the Trinidad and Tobago Association of Energy Engineers (TTAEE) and other Farmer Groups and charitable foundations to help drive the deployment of renewable energy technology.

Governance Impacts:

  • Directors within the Board have the competency to address sustainability issues and are provided the opportunities to attend conferences and workshops globally, as well as participate in sustainability-focused initiatives and partnerships.
  • Competency in sustainability also allows them to consider environmental data, market data, social data, and stakeholder feedback in their operations and risk assessment and management.
  • Their code of ethics and conduct sets clear standards for ethical behaviour and decision-making for all employees.
  • Their decision-making skills are within the industry standards as they utilize feedback in accordance with the country’s regulations towards client satisfaction.

We also wish to recognise the other 11 companies who have diligently participated in the self-assessments and workshops. They have all shown commitment to Sustainability and to identifying, measuring, disclosing and increasing positive impact.

  1. Aspete Contracting Limited – Invested in and implementing sustainable farming.
  2. Bananaquit Ltd – A Green Key certified, sustainable hospitality facility.
  3. Carnicycle Ltd. – Supporting circular economy principals especially in Carnival.
  4. Flying Tree Environmental Management –sequester/recycle/up-cycle plastic waste.
  5. HADCO Group – growing conglomerate with investments in recycling, sustainable tourism and sustainable fisheries.
  6. MILAGROS SOLUTIONS LIMITED – Plastic Recycling / upcycling activity with the capacity to produce 3,188kg/day of recycled material per day.
  7. Republic Financial Holding Limited (RFHL)– Overall Sustainability Champion – Large Business 2023; committed to the Principles of Responsible Banking (PRB) under the United Nations Environmental Programme Financial Initiative (UNEPFI), and continue to be a proud founding signatory member of the UNEPFI’s Net Zero Banking Alliance (NZBA).
  8. Shamrock HSE – in the testing stages of a specialized GHG Inventory Web Application called ‘GHG Pro’ and conducting ad-hoc demonstrations with companies with heavy industry and other SMEs in various market sectors.
  9. The Mud Soap Ltd –produces an all-natural Volcanic Mud Soap product. The pumice in the soap is an exfoliating agent and thus reduces the need for microbeads and micro plastics considered harmful for the environment.
  10. The National Gas Company of Trinidad and Tobago Limited – NGC is measuring and using the GRI framework to begin its reporting; they have set specific targets to reduce methane emissions by 2025.
  11. Tropi-Mulch Ltd – 21st Century Alchemist, Green/ Social Enterprise involved in BIO- Waste Recycling.

Read the Speaking points of Ambassador Peter Cavendish, EU DEL to T&T here.