MCI Australia awarded for sustainability and CSR

Event management company MCI Australia has been presented with Meetings & Events Australia’s (MEA) Corporate Social Responsibility Award for taking responsibility for the impact of its activities on clients, suppliers, employees, shareholders, communities and other stakeholders, as well as the environment.

The award was accepted by MCI’s association relations director, Lynn Fairbrass, who said the company takes CSR very seriously for both its clients and itself, having been the first event company to sign the UN Global Compact back in 2007.

“Our vision is to use our skills, voice and relationships to make a positive impact on our clients and our industry,” said Fairbrass.

“Internally, we are committed to integrating the principles of sustainability into the processes and daily work of our global team. Externally, we use our sustainability expertise to help our clients increase efficiency, drive innovation, build brand reputation and drive sustainable growth.

“We recognise that best-run businesses do not simply implement a sustainability strategy. Instead, they make their corporate strategy sustainable. This distinction is profound and resulted in a review of our approach, more dialogue with our stakeholders and a commitment to improving our triple bottom line measurement and reporting.”

Underlying MCI’s approach to CSR is its obligation to grow its business sustainably and responsibly in a way that supports communities and safeguards the physical and social environment, according to Fairbrass. She said, “If we find the right balance, our business will continue to prosper and bring value not only to our current stakeholders, but also to future generations.”

MCI Australia works on five sustainability-focused conferences and events (Sustainable Brands, The Banksia Awards, Sustainable Day 2015, Intelligent Transport Systems and the Australian Climate Leadership Summit) and sponsors components of three of these. The company’s event operations include use of its sustainability and risk management tool, mandating preferred suppliers as signatories of its Supplier Code of Conduct and integration of sustainability into all event management operating systems.

The company works pro bono on two national charities, the Nelune Foundation and the Van Wright Foundation, supporting those with cancer and genetic research, respectively. The company also supports other causes such as Jeans for Genes Day, Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea, Mental Health Day and the Australian Alzheimer’s Association. Staff are provided with up to eight hours per year to volunteer for community projects and receive paid leave if they wish to participate in MCI’s annual school building project in Nepal.

Other highlights of MCI’s CSR approach during the award qualifying period include: a CSR ‘champion’ supported by a team of staff from MCI Australia; a quarterly newsletter sent to all staff educating them about CSR at MCI; an annual week-long program, ‘Wellbeing Week’, focusing on talent wellbeing; and office operations, including the use of non-toxic cleaning products, recycled paper, double-sided printing, recycling two or more waste streams and internal awareness programs.