The Award is endorsed by the German Federal Government, the National Council for Sustainable Development, numerous scientific organizations and associations, among others UNESCO and UNICEF.

It was established in 2008 to encourage the acceptance of social and ecological responsibility and to identify role models in this area. Honorees include companies, cities and individuals instrumental in promoting the idea of a sustainable society.

The Honorary Award recognizes outstanding individuals who have made an exceptional contribution to the cause of sustainability at a national or international level.

The awards are presented each year by prominent members of the German government. At the 2012 ceremony German Foreign Minister Dr. Guido Westerwelle and German Finance Minister Dr. Wolfgang Schäuble were our guests.

> the award at a glance

The Awards Ceremony is designed as a gala night including film clips, tribute speeches, appearances by prominent musicians and guests of honour.

This year's Awards Ceremony will take place on Friday, November 22^nd, 2013.

We expect approximately 1,200 invited guests to attend, among them the chief executives of national

and international companies, well-known sports, TV and movie personalities, representatives of local and national governments as well as individuals renowned for their efforts in promoting the idea of sustainable development through their commitment to NGOs, foundations and trusts.

Roughly 120 members of the national and international media are expected to cover the event.

In accordance with the broad definition of the United Nations, we understand sustainability as the balance and interplay of three factors:

> protection of the environment and natural resources (ecological dimension),
> improvement of living conditions for as many people as possible (social and humanitarian dimension)
> consolidation of the economic foundation for acting ecologically and with social conscience (economic dimension).

The German Sustainability Award is a "green event" - from the competition and further organisational issues throughout the whole year to the very concrete production of the German Sustainability Day.

Accordingly, congress and award ceremony are climate neutral events; unavoidable carbon emissions (including journeys of guests and participants) are accounted and offset. Every year the German Sustainability Award supports ecological and social projects by means of donations.