Seventh Generation Honored With Award from US Chamber of Commerce

Seventh Generation received the Corporate Stewardship Award for Small Business from the United States Chamber of Commerce Center for Corporate Citizenship. The selection committee was Chaired by Michael Porter of the Harvard Business School.

Award recipients are selected after a rigorous evaluation, based on a demonstration of ethical leadership and corporate stewardship, making a difference in their communities, and contributions to the advancement of important economic and social goals.

"Picture this," said Seventh Generation President Jeffrey Hollender. "I'm two blocks from the White House, at International Headquarters of the US Chamber of Commerce, on my right is the outgoing Secretary of Commerce Donald Evans. On my left Raymond Gilmartin, President & CEO of the Merck & Co., scattered around the table are Robert Nardelli, President of Home Depot, the CFO of Office Depot and the CEO of the Chamber of Commerce. I think to my self - what am I doing here?"

Hollender continued, "We live in a world of increasingly widespread social and environmental disruption. Business must play the leadership role in confronting problems that our government in unwilling and unable to solve. In order for business to meet this challenge and become a force of positive change - accountability, transparency, and values based leadership must be embraced. Our only true peril we face is losing sight of our own potential to make a difference."

During 2004, Seventh Generation published its first corporate responsibility (CR) report, (www.seventhgeneration.com) reiterating the steadfast belief that companies' social and environmental responsibility matters to stakeholders as much as financial results. The company was singled out for a number of other awards in 2004, including the 5x5x5 award as one of Vermont's fastest growing businesses, the Fast Company Fast 50 and the Sustainability Award from the Minnesota Alliance for Sustainability.