ECO: resonance, repetition of an emitted sound, spread of an idea  Português

Launched by Amcham (Câmara Americana de Comércio) in 1982, Prêmio ECO – ECO Award – pioneered the recognition of businesses that adopt socially responsible practices and generated a rich reflection regarding sustainable business development in Brazil.

ECO is the result of the combination of two Portuguese-language words – empresa (business) and comunidade (community) –, and translates the interest of its conceivers in turning it into an instrument for corporate commitment to social development.

It is one of Amcham’s main initiatives in the area of sustainability. So far it has involved 1,912 companies, Brazilian and multinational, which have submitted 2,373 projects, 201 of which have won the award.

Along the years, the ECO Award has anticipated trends and has had a positive influence on the commitment of businesses with sustainability.

Its format and content have kept pace with the evolution of Corporate Social Responsibility in Brazil and in the world both as an issue and as practice.

In 2008 the ECO Award became a joint initiative of Amcham and business newspaper Valor Econômico. They joined forces with the aim of multiplying the concept of corporate management for sustainability, and thus increase their contribution to Brazil’s development.

The award was extended to all kinds of businesses in operation in Brazil – including public companies – and segmented by size, which encouraged the participation of small and mid-sized enterprises. With the implementation of an official site, registration and submission of data about the projects must be necessarily made online. In addition to speeding processes up, this has eliminated the need for paper, as well as standardized the format in which judges see each project.

Since 2009 the ECO Award has as its focus the theme “Sustainable Innovation in Business Administration” and strives to boost this aspect in the various spheres of business operation.

ECO Award ceremonies have been attended by personalities connected with the theme: Fernando Henrique Cardoso, Brazil’s president at the time; Gro Harlem Brundtland, ex-prime-minister of Norway and conceiver of the concept of Sustainable Development; Hazel Henderson, futurist; and Al Gore, vice-president of the United States in the Bill Clinton administration and winner of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize.