Deadline: 15-Jul-21
Nominations are now open for the WeMed Mediterranean Sustainability Award 2021 to promote an inclusive transition to sustainability in the Mediterranean.
Objectives
The aim of the award is to:
- recognise the outstanding achievements of green and circular economy businesses and the organisations that support them,
- inspire other entrepreneurs to adopt environmental and social innovations in their business models, thereby scaling up these approaches in the region;
- highlight the need to promote an entrepreneurial ecosystem that allows the growth of green and circular economy companies and recognise successful actions of the actors in this ecosystem.
Award Categories
- Sustainable Business Models: Individuals or legal entities that have integrated environmental and social values into a viable business model may apply to this category. The entity must be legally constituted in a Southern Mediterranean country, and have a defined business plan with potential or actual environmental and social benefits, according to their subcategory.
- Public Authorities: This category will recognize national, subnational or municipal government entities from Southern Mediterranean countries that have implemented policies, plans or legislation within the last 5 years, hat have positively and measurably influenced the business environment of green, blue and circular economy.
Award Details
- Sustainable Business Models:
- Early Stage: 10,000 € combined with coaching services
- Growth Stage: 15,000 € combined with coaching services
- Public Authorities:
- HONORARY AWARD and a stipend for up to 3 government representatives to participate in a twinning event to facilitate peer to peer knowledge exchange
Evaluation Criteria
- Criteria for the category A. Sustainable Business Models:
- Basic criteria:
- Be an entity that is legally constituted in one of these countries: Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine and Tunisia.
- Be a corporate or cooperative entity, or a self-employed natural person, with a maximum of 250 employees or members. The joint participation of self-employed workers will also be accepted.
- For category A.1 (Business at Early stage): Be operational and have started the business a maximum of 3 years ago. Its business model can show potential environmental and social benefits. It doesn’t have to be financially profitable at this stage.
- For category A.2 (Business at Growth stage): Be fully operational and have started the business a minimum of 3 years ago and a maximum of 10 (start date after January 1, 2018 and before January 1, 2011). In the event of a change of business model to a sustainable one, those with more than 10 years of existence will also be accepted. Its business model can show quantifiable environmental and social benefits.
- Having marketed a manufactured product or a service, in exchange for financial compensation.
- Have a profitable business model, in accordance with its economic results and its own viability.
- The business model addresses ecological challenges and reduces environmental impacts. It is a good example of resource efficiency, energy efficiency and productivity. Eco-innovation, product or service life cycle assessment and eco-design, among others, it contributes to pollution prevention, resource saving an. a sustainable lifestyle for consumers.
- The sustainable business model addresses social needs, empowers communities and works in a network.
- Desirable criteria (not essential):
- The business model has an equitable and gender inclusive working system and governance, offers decent working conditions or applies a fair cooperative business model or freelance services. The business model has faced socio-economic contextual difficulties through successful coping strategies.
- The business model has a potential for replicability and scaling-up.
- Basic criteria:
- Criteria for the category B. Public Authorities
- Be a state, sub-state or municipal public administration body with competences to design and / or implement policies, plans or regulations.
- Be an entity that is legally constituted in one of these countries: Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine and Tunisia.
- Having started the implementation of the policy, plan or rule submitted to the award no more than five years ago (start date after 1 January 2016).
For more information, visit https://www.wemedaward.org/