Palsgaard Receives Danish Award for Sustainability Reporting

09 Sep 2015 --- The Danish business world has given a gold-standard award to food ingredients manufacturer Palsgaard for sustainability reporting that “demonstrates dedication to CSR as an integrated part of the business.”

Denmark’s 21nd CSR conference, hosted by FSR Danish Auditors in conjunction with the Confederation of Danish Industry and The Danish Business Authority, has recognised international food ingredients manufacturer Palsgaard A/S’s 2014 CSR report as Denmark’s best in the Under 2000 Employee category.

The award was presented to the company’s CEO, Jakob Thoisen, by Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Mary (pictured), in a ceremony that concluded the conference at the historic surroundings of the old Copenhagen stock exchange.

The CSR Award 2015 is bestowed on companies that produce remarkable CSR reports and which act to inspire others. Nominated CSR reports are assessed based on three broad criteria: Relevance, clarity and credibility. The integrated reporting category is evaluated in terms of the internationally recognised IIRC framework.

Her Royal Highness the Crown Princess explained the basis for Palsgaard’s award: “Palsgaard has produced a complete, clear report, giving its reader a good understanding of the company’s CSR activities and Palsgaard’s determination to create ‘shared value’ based on the opportunities and risks it identifies in the value chain. As a producer of food ingredients, Palsgaard is focused on palm oil sustainability issues, where it has set ambitious goals to ensure it remains an industry front-runner.”

“The reader is guided along with good overviews and illustrations, and for each focus area, Palsgaard highlights its challenges, risks and future scenarios, which creates balance and provides insight into the company’s environment. The company describes its corporate governance well, demonstrating dedication to CSR as an integrated part of the business. Palsgaard’s report aligns with GRI G4, and comprises the company’s Communication on Progress for the UN Global Compact.”

For Jakob Thoisen, the accolade is yet another indication that the company is aligned with the needs of business and society: “Our 2014 CSR Report makes a clear statement that Palsgaard is committed to sustainability, answering an increasingly important requirement in the food manufacturing supply chain. We emphasise a high standard of reporting both as a way to enable better business with our stakeholders around the world, and as a tool that us helps to document and improve our overall performance.”

Joining Palsgaard on the podium as winners in their respective categories were Maersk Drilling, Carlsberg and Novo Nordisk. The prize has been awarded annually for no fewer than 21 years, and this is the second year in a row that it has been presented by H.R.H. the Crown Princess, herself an active proponent of sustainable development.

This isn’t the first time Palsgaard has been recognised by the annual conference for its CSR reporting practices, however. The company’s 2010 CSR report, in fact, won the national award as the best first-time CSR report.