Innovator of the year: 20 sustainable projects already in the pipeline

In spite of Covid-19 and the summer break we have - in close cooperation with our suppliers and customers - already concretised 20 sustainable projects in less than a month. And the trend is rising, because some additional projects still need only to be checked and finalised. We can therefore now look forward to exciting, innovative, unique and above all sustainable products.

This month has shown once again how important communication and constant interaction with one another are - all the more so in the current climate. A number of completely different sustainable projects have been created so far by means of shared brainstorming, thinking out of the box, new approaches and finding solutions for supposed difficulties.

After all, for the first time sustainability and the PSI Sustainability Awards will be the focal point of PSI 2021. Starting in 2021 the category "Innovator of the Year" will be established as a special category within the existing PSI Sustainability Awards. This category focuses on sustainable products and their story, submitted by sustainably positioned companies and their suppliers.

Consumers should be able to learn about the history of the product, its components and the composition of the materials. They should also have access to information about the production facilities and the people who make the articles. And, of course, about the product's ecological footprint and the journey it takes to reach its destination. The focus will be on the motives behind sustainability, as well as the ecological and social responsibility that the partner companies assume for their products and manufacturing facilities with all their employees. What is important is the overall contribution that manufacturers make to ecological, social and economic operations in terms of a sustainability strategy. Awareness and focus will be increasingly placed on the production of sustainable products and the (development) history behind them. Consequently the new special "Innovator of the Year" award category not only honours the sustainable product, but also in a comprehensive way the ecologically friendly context in which it is embedded.

Climate change, scarcity of resources, the need for waste avoidance as well as social change processes are placing obligations and responsibility on the entire economy. Transparent corporate social responsibility (CSR) and overarching sustainability need to be among the basic values of a company. Not only supply chains but also consumers and stakeholders expect comprehensible and effective corporate commitment at the levels of economy, ecology and ethics. In addition to certificates, the public is increasingly focusing on eco-social and ethical initiatives. This is one more reason why all companies, from suppliers via retailers to customers, need to work together and pull together, because only then can true sustainability be guaranteed.

Companies can now apply separately for the category "Innovator of the Year" by sending an email to awards@psi-network.de by 1 October.  If you have a project idea and are still looking for a suitable industrial customer or would like further information, please feel free to contact us!