‘Pledge for a Sustainable Community’ among best CSR projects in the world

The Burnaby Board of Trade’s Pledge for a Sustainable Community program placed among the top four in the category of “Best Corporate Social Responsibility Project” at the 2015 World Chambers Competition, finishing behind the winning Women Leaders Programme put forward by the Finland Chamber of Commerce.

The Pledge program, which is a comprehensive online resource and planning tool with the goal of helping businesses large and small reduce their carbon footprint, was presented to a panel of judges at the 9th World Chamber Congress in Turin, Italy on Thursday by Burnaby Board of Trade President & CEO Paul Holden. The program had been selected as a finalist out of a record number of submissions from across 39 countries.

“Finishing among the top with such stiff competition, and being recognized by our peers at the international level is an extraordinary achievement and a great honour for the Burnaby Board of Trade and our local business community,” remarked Holden. “I would like to congratulate our co-finalists from the Santa Cruz Chamber of Commerce in Bolivia, the Asharqia Chamber from Saudi Arabia, and of course the Finland Chamber for their excellent winning submission.”

Each award finalists made a presentation to demonstrate how their project linked both business and social responsibility actions to community, philanthropic, environment, workplace and marketplace activities. Projects needed to advocate sustainable growth, underline the business advantages for CSR and ethical business practices as well as reinforce the chamber’s mission of promoting best practices among companies and institutions.

Importantly, the projects needed to be replicable in other business communities, which is a major strength of the Pledge for a Sustainable Community – a program specifically built to be transferable to boards of trade and chambers of commerce in other communities. The Burnaby Board of Trade recently finalized plans to license the Pledge program to the Chamber of Commerce in Tempe, Arizona.

“We’re very excited to use this recognition, and the many contacts we have made here in Turin to begin working with other boards and chambers across the globe to bring the Pledge into their communities, and build a world-wide network of like-minded businesses all working to reduce their environmental impact and promote the business case for sustainability,” said Holden. “I would like to thank the International Chamber of Commerce for holding the World Chambers Competition and providing us with such a grand stage to share our work. And of course none of this could have been possible without our dedicated Burnaby Board of Trade staff, our Board of Directors, our Environmental Sustainability Committee, and our whole membership – including our ever-growing community of Pledge Members who have proven that this program works.”

Learn more about the Pledge for a Sustainable Community at bbotpledge.ca.

About the Pledge for a Sustainable Community

Now in its third year, the Pledge for a Sustainable Community is a comprehensive online resource with the goal of helping businesses large and small reduce their environmental footprint while at the same time promoting their company and saving money. Members share news and success stories, learn about workshop and networking opportunities, and serve as role models for the community. For more information, visit bbotpledge.ca.

About the World Chambers Competition

The World Chambers Competition is the only global awards program to recognize the most innovative projects undertaken by chambers of commerce and industry from around the world.

The Competition provides a unique opportunity for chambers to showcase originality and ingenuity, demonstrate determination to strengthen SMEs, and improve services provided to members. Since its inception in 2003, the Competition has generated an array of case studies demonstrating entrepreneurial diversity and inspiring other chambers. Entries come not only from developed countries, but also from developing and least developed countries. Visit www.iccwbo.org for details.