EM-ONE is announced as one of the winners of the 2020 Canadian SDG Accelerator Awards
February 9, 2021 — Toronto, Canada.
EM-ONE Energy Solutions was awarded the 2020 Canadian SDG Accelerators Awards in the SME Category. The award recognizes EM-ONE’s outstanding achievements in driving progress towards SDG 7 — ensuring access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all -and championing sustainable business practices in its operations.
Organized by Global Compact Network Canada (GCNC), the 2020 Canadian SDG Accelerators Awards is an opportunity for Canadian businesses and non-profits to showcase and be recognized for their efforts towards the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
GCNC has held the Awards for five years to highlight organizations that promote and champion the SDGs through their work and accelerates their entire industry towards more sustainable practices. Award winners were determined through an external judging panel and a public voting process which garnered over 2,000 votes.
The Awards’ external judging panel consisted of Canadian leaders from UNICEF Canada, Employment and Social Development Canada, UN Women, Global Affairs Canada, and Ryerson University’s Ted Rogers School of Management. Based on the evaluative criteria and weighting system provided by the GCNC, the judges then provided GCNC with their assessments of the finalists.
EM-ONE’s CEO, Mir Islam, accepted the award and delivered a winning speech at the virtual awards event on February 9, 2021. Mir expressed gratitude and elaborated on the opportunities presented by using the SDGs as a north star for businesses, noting that “private businesses can play an instrumental role in driving progress of the SDGs. Particularly for SDG 7, the sustainable energy transition is so exciting — in part because it will require the adoption and deployment of new technologies, systems, and processes. It will leverage digitalization — and has the potential of millions of new jobs, professions and skills.”
The awards were presented to SDG leaders across different industries — from mining, to agriculture, and water. Despite varying industry backgrounds, the award recipients emphasized the SDGs are a valuable shared language that aligns diverse industry players towards a common goal: sustainable development.
The event’s keynote speakers were Mark Agnew, Vice President, Policy & International at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce and Olivier Bullion, Director (SDG Unit) at Employment and Social Development Canada. Both keynote speakers expressed how the past year has tested our resilience and highlighted the key role the SDGs play in recovering and building back better from the pandemic. The other Winners announced at the event were BASF, Nutrien and Teranga Gold in the Large Business category; Umalia and EM-ONE in the SMEs category; and Accélérer 2030 in the Non-Business category. Public choice winners included WaterAid Canada, Women on the Move (Artemis Project), and TELUS.
