The annual Governor's Awards for Social Responsibility are presented. This year's 7th edition of the Governor's Prize, which was announced in the spring of 2023 by the Ústí Region in cooperation with the Economic and Social Council of the Ústí Region, z.s. and the Quality Council of the Czech Republic, participated in 40 entities. Representatives of the business sphere and the public sector applied for victory in a total of seven categories. All participants took over from the hands of the Governor of the Ústí Region, Ing. Jan Schiller award for their voluntary activity, which they perform beyond the scope of their legal obligations for the benefit of the region, its inhabitants and the environment.
Socially responsible organizations prioritize compliance with the obligations imposed by legal regulations and, beyond that, apply responsible and ethical behavior towards their surroundings. The mission of the Prize for Social Responsibility (hereafter referred to as CSR) is not only to thank the participants of the competition for their contribution to society, but also to highlight their positive attitude towards their employees and their surroundings.
"I am honored that the Ústí Region supports the ethical behavior of organizations that contribute for the seventh year
to economic growth, while at the same time advocating for the improvement of the quality of life of their employees, their families, local communities and society as a whole. It is necessary to appreciate the work of everyone who dedicates efforts to their surroundings, especially in this difficult time when society is dealing with post-covid problems, solving the energy crisis and at the same time standing on the threshold of the transformation of the region," said Jan Schiller, Governor of the Ústí Region.This year, the highest award for responsible social behavior goes to organizations that not only change the social climate, contribute to the development of the region or protect the environment, but whose activities have a common secondary effect, which is to improve the image of the Ústí Region.
HIT OFFICE - winner of the category up to 250 employees
The highest number of points in the category "ENTREPRENEURIAL ENTITIES - UP TO 250 EMPLOYEES" was awarded to the company HIT OFFICE s.r.o., which has long-term improved responsible behavior not only for its regular employees, but also for the employees of the sheltered workshop it runs. It is necessary to appreciate activities aimed at supporting public activities and supporting the creativity of children and pupils, to whom paper material from technological waste originating from production is supplied to schools and kindergartens.
The award for the company HIT OFFICE was received by the company manager Ing. Jiří Šťastný (in the photo, 6th from the right) and marketing manager Marek Šnajdr (in the photo, 3rd from the right).
The following business entities applied for this category: AIR PRODUCTS spol. s.r.o.; Holcim (Czech Republic), a.s.; CHEMINVEST s.r.o.; Materialise s.r.o.; Oiles Czech Manufacturing, s.r.o.; Panattoni Czech Republic Development s.r.o.
ORLEN - winner of the over 250 employees category
In the category "BUSINESS ENTITIES - over 250 employees", ORLEN Unipetrol RPA s.r.o. dominated, which received the most points in the evaluation, and which includes thanks not only for the quality care of its employees within the framework of an elaborate system of non-financial benefits, but also for supporting the environment and activities leading to the support of the surrounding community.
Other awarded organizations in this category were: Adient Czech Republic, s.r.o., spin-off plant Roudnice nad Labem; AGC Automotive Czech a.s.; Transport company of the city of Ústí nad Labem a.s.; Indorama Ventures Mobility Bohemia s.r.o.; Chart Ferox, a.s.; MALFINI, a.s.; Mondi Štětí a.s.; SPOLCHEMIE – Association for chemical and metallurgical production, joint-stock company; TRCZ s.r.o.
AIR PRODUCTS - Special Award of the Evaluation Council
This year, the "Special Award of the Evaluation Council" was awarded to AIR PRODUCTS spol. s. r. o., for the enormous emphasis on health and environmental protection for Air Products, spol. s.r.o. This company has achieved 9,000 days without an accident (despite the fact that it implements very demanding operations). The plants in Litvínov and Děčín annually defend the EIGA Awards of the European Industrial Gas Association for safety, and for more than 200,000 hours without an injury, they are the holders of the Gold Two Stars Award.
"We are happy that in the region we have a number of organizations that behave responsibly and thereby set an example of good practice for other entities in their vicinity. The Ústí Region has long had one of the highest participation rates in the competition within the entire Czech Republic, and the region's representatives are traditionally successful also in national competitions. We thank and express our appreciation to the organizations that actively contribute to the development of the region and can be a role model and inspiration for others," commented Gabriela Nekolová, chairwoman of the Economic and Social Council of the Ústí Region, z.s.