Company Zira is this year’s overall winner of the SDG Business Pioneer Award in BiH

August 19, 2024

a group of people standing in front of a store

At a ceremony held at Villa Braun in Sarajevo, sixth generation of SDG Business Pioneers in BiH was promoted. SDG Business Pioneers Award continues to grow every year, with record 360 companies expressing their interest this year.

Funded by Sweden and implemented by UNDP in partnership with the Foreign Trade Chamber of BiH, the SDG Business Pioneers Award is held on an annual basis with the aim to promote the efforts and engagement of the private sector in the field of sustainable development in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The 2024 Award was focused on the companies that create and retain decent jobs and actively reduce their impact of the environment. The application process for the Award lasted from 1 January of this year until mid-March 2024. Last evening marked the celebration of the business successes that companies have achieved during the year 2023.

a person standing in front of a computer screen — Helena Lagerlöf

“The SDG Business Pioneer Award acknowledges the efforts and success of BIH private sector. I hope it will inspire others to follow suit. I am positive that our collaboration with UNDP, mobilizing the private sector to integrate SDGs, is showing results - a testament to our shared commitment. Implementing overall sustainability is not merely a choice; it is an imperative for a prosperous future for generations to come. Private sector support plays an indispensable role in driving economic growth and job creation, which is essential for the country’s prosperity and crucial for the successful implementation of SDGs”.

Ambassador of Sweden to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Helena Lagerlöf

SDG Business Pioneers Awards are awarded for the themes “People” and “Resources and Environment”, and the overall winner for Bosnia and Herzegovina is selected among the companies that applied in both themes.

a man wearing a suit and tie talking on a cell phone — Victor Munteanu

“The engagement of private sector, regardless of the size of the company, plays a fundamental role in meeting the SDGs. That is why the SDG Business Pioneers Award recognises and emphasises the efforts made by private sector companies in terms of realisation of SDGs in BiH and motivation to new participants in the private sector to include SDGs in their business models”.

Resident representative a.i. of UNDP in BiH, Victor Munteanu

In the theme “People”, the awards are granted to those companies that are inspirational to others in terms of creation of decent jobs and talent retention, and this year’s winners are San Tech Medik d.o.o., in the category of micro-size businesses, Smrčak d.o.o., in the category of small-size businesses, Zira d.o.o. in the category of medium-size businesses and TT Kabeli d.o.o. in the category of large businesses. In the theme “Resources and Environment”, the winners for micro and small-size businesses are Greens d.o.o. and T&E d.o.o. In this theme, the winners for medium and large-size companies are also Walter Code d.o.o. and Bosnalijek d.d.

SDG Business Pioneer in BiH for 2024, or the overall winner of this year’s competition, is the company which also scored the highest number of points for its abiding by GRI standards (Global Reporting Initiative) and realisation of SDGs, namely, Zira d.o.o.

a group of people standing in front of a screen — Vjekoslav Vuković

“Adhering to and implementing ESG principles is a necessity; this is what our clients in the EU require from us. Bosnia and Herzegovina has companies, resources, and personnel capable of facing challenges and succeeding, despite the difficulties they encounter, as evidenced by the number of companies applying for this award".

President of the Foreign Trade Chamber of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Vjekoslav Vuković

SDG Business Pioneers Award recognises and emphasises the efforts made by private sector companies in terms of realisation of SDGs in BiH and motivation to new participants in the private sector to include SDGs in their business models. The official partner for this award is Foreign Trade Chamber of Bosnia and Herzegovina. This partnership aims at improving the cooperation and raising awareness of the importance of sustainable businesses, circular economy, digitalisation and decarbonisation in Bosnia and Herzegovina. This Award is granted as part of the programme “Translating the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Framework in Bosnia and Herzegovina into sustainable and inclusive growth” (SDG2BIH), a joint initiative funded by Sweden and implemented by UNDP in partnership with UNICEF and UN Women under the overall United Nations’ support to the authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina to implement the SDG Framework in BiH.

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