MEPCO wins Responsible Competitiveness Award

Middle East Paper Co. (MEPCO), a leading vertically-integrated paper manufacturer in the MENA region, was recently given the King Khaled Award for Responsible Competitiveness (RC) Award.

The award recognizes companies that have built competitive advantage through a commitment to sustainability and corporate social responsibility, MEPCO said in a statement on Thursday.

“Five core areas of good performance are measured for the RC Award, each selected with a clear rationale, strong business case and tailored specifically for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” the statement said.

Launched in 2008, the award is a multi-year initiative to assess, reward, and improve responsible business practices in Saudi companies, it added.

The underlying concept of the initiative is the notion that organizations can gain a range of competitive advantages from responsible business practices, which also aligns with the Kingdom’s broader development goals and Saudi Vision 2030.

The RC Award goes beyond philanthropy initiatives and focuses on aligning CSR practices with business imperatives, such as promoting growth, improving profitability, enhancing brand and reputation, and deepening engagement with key stakeholders, the statement said.

The King Khalid Foundation established the Responsible Competitiveness Branch with the introduction of the Saudi Responsible Competitiveness Index (RCI) in collaboration with the Foundation and global consulting firm Accountability. 

The framework builds on extensive research and consultation with some of the world’s largest companies, management scholars and investors, the statement added.