SEKEM Group 3, Belbeis Desert Road 11777 Cairo Egypt PO Box 2834 El Horreya, Heliopolis Tel: +20 (2) 6564124 Fax:+20 (2) 6564123 regina.hanel@sekem.com www.sekem.com Managing Director: Helmy Abouleish
SEKEM Group, 3, Belbeis Desert Road, 11777 Cairo
Cairo, 20 April 2015
SEKEM Publishes Report on Sustainable Development 2014: More Impact with Fewer Resources For the eighth time, the SEKEM Initiative and its companies have published a comprehensive annual report on current achievements in four areas of sustain- able development. The “Report on Sustainable Development 2014” reflects the desire of the initia- tive to advocate for an integrative care for human and natural development. Instead of continuing to do business as usual and invest in environmental pro- tection and social advancement in parallel, the "Flower of Sustainability", its sustainable business guideline, rests on a holistic understanding of the interac- tion between man and nature in the first place. The major achievements this year include: -‐ Against Climate Change: Less Fossil Fuels, More Recycling. In 2014 SEKEM was able to reduce fossil fuel consumption by 23%. 70% of all products already have a certified CO2 footprint, 22% more than in 2013. Almost half of all packaging material used by SEKEM companies was recycled, a ratio that is steadily rising. The emission of hazardous CO2 could be reduced from 21 to 13 kilograms per 1.000EGP sales. -‐ Agriculture: Cultivate More with Fewer Resources. SEKEM is com- mitted to the recovery of desert soil for agricultural use through biody- namic methods. A surface area equivalent to about twice the size of New York's Central Park was managed in this way in 2014. SEKEM could also reduce agricultural water consumption by a further 25%. -‐ Waste: Recycle as Much as Possible. Around one third of non- organic waste is recycled in SEKEM. The recycling rates for organic waste already reach 100%. While the total amount of all waste pro- duced rose slightly in 2014, SEKEM's companies attained this level while increasing their sales by 27%. Thus, the productivity ratio of re- sources utilisation by SEKEM's companies is steadily improving. -‐ Social Advancement: Developing Human Security in Many Places. In 2014 SEKEM’s social initiatives could significantly expand their reach. The SEKEM Medical Centre annually cares for 41,000 patients. Already a third of all SEKEM employees have an additional health in- surance offered by SEKEM on top of the regular one offered by the
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state. 194 micro-loans were issued in 2014 and used, for example, for launching a number of micro-enterprises. Overall, the economic performance of SEKEM’s companies following the turbu- lent years after the 2011 revolution has been very positive in the course of the past year. The “Report on Sustainable Development 2014” (English) is available from the European press office and can be downloaded from the Internet at: http://issuu.com/sekem/docs/rsd2014en. Background:
SEKEM – A Community for Sustainable Development The SEKEM-Group of companies is a part of the SEKEM Initiative founded in 1977 by Dr. Ibrahim Abouleish to strengthen sustainable development in Egypt by producing, processing, and marketing organic and bio-dynamic foodstuffs, textiles, and phyto-pharmaceuticals in Egypt, the Arab World, and on international markets. SEKEM has been widely praised as an “Egyptian organic pioneer” and has received the 2003 Right Livelihood Award (“Alternative Nobel Prize”) as a „Business Model for the 21thCentury” and an “economy of love”. With part of their profits the SEKEM companies co-finance the social and cultural activities of the SEKEM Development Foundation that runs, among others, several schools, a medical centre, an academy of applied sciences, and other institutions in Egypt. To receive SEKEM’s monthly newsletter via email, please visit http://news.sekem.net Reprint free of charge, copy requested. Please contact us anytime for any inquiries and further information: SEKEM Group Mr. Bijan Kafi Press and Public Relations – Europe Office Gotzkowskystr. 15 10555 Berlin bijan.kafi@sekem.com +49 (151) 15773101 www.sekem.com
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