EcoPlanet Bamboo receive US government Award for Corporate Excellence

Bamboo plantation specialist EcoPlanet Bamboo has won a US government Award for Corporate Excellence. The company has been recognised for its environmental and social commitment.

EcoPlanet Bamboo works to makes bamboo a viable and environmentally attractive fibre for timber manufacturing industries. The company explains that bamboo can be grown on degraded land, providing positive restoration properties while at the same time reducing deforestation and degradation through providing a sustainable source of fibre.

World Banks investment arm, the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), reports that EcoPlanet Bamboo was presented with the Award for Corporate Excellence by Catherine Novelli, US under secretary of state for economic growth, energy and the environment. The annual award recognises US-owned businesses that play a vital role in supporting sustainable development.

MIGA notes that EcoPlanet Bamboo, which dedicates 20% of its plantations to natural habitat, has had a “tremendous impact” on the local economy In Nicaragua, through creating jobs, contributing to the local economy and supporting education in the region.

Speaking at the awards ceremony, founder of EcoPlanet Bamboo, Troy Wiseman said, “Our mission is to show that not only could we be profitable but we could eradicate poverty through long-term job creation, whilst reversing and restoring the devastation caused by deforestation.”

The underlying portfolio assets managed by EcoPlanet Bamboo are included in fund mangers The Premier Group’s recently launched The Socially Responsible Investment Fund.

Jamie Sutton, director at Premier, said, “Through recommendations by their financial advisers and as part of a multi asset portfolio, investors can make a highly beneficial contribution to society whilst generating attractive returns on their investment. It is an ideal win-win and the long-term beneficiaries will be the generations that follow.”

Sutton added, “We feel really privileged and proud to work alongside EcoPlanet Bamboo in order to enable a wide range of investors across the spectrum, to access this unique and dynamic sector. EcoPlanet Bamboo are proving that commercial organisations can work with the local community to improve lives, whilst at the same time positively impacting the environment.”

Photo: odonata98 via Flickr

Further reading:

Meet EcoPlanet Bamboo: the Apple computer of timber

EcoPlanet Bamboo signs three veteran Weyerhaeuser chief executives

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