The British Chamber of Commerce in Taipei (BCCTaipei) hosted its fifth Better Business Awards ceremony on 29th September 2021 at The Regent Hotel in Taipei. This year’s awards were presented in seven categories: Business Leader of the Year, Climate Champion, Corporate Social Responsibility, Diversity, Innovation for Wellbeing, Green Energy and Social Enterprise.

As a celebration of responsible business in Taiwan, the Better Business Awards underscores one of the integral pillars of the BCCTaipei’s mission and is a chance to honour some of the most outstanding contributions from Taiwan’s wide array of responsible businesses. 

Although, for some, doing business revolves around making profit, the Better Business Awards serves as a reminder that responsible business practices and good corporate citizenship are equally important.

The BCCTaipei’s Better Business Awards was first launched in 2017 as an event to support the Chamber’s own Charity and Corporate Social Responsibility commitments, and initially started with just three awards. It has since more than doubled in size, and with each year, the ceremonies have become bigger in scale. As it continues to progress and expand, it has not only become one of their most important annual events but is also a distinguishing feature of the BCCTaipei.

The Better Business Awards is driven by a collective motivation to shape a better future. Businesses possess an astonishing potential to create change and, according to a global survey on Consumer Trust, carried out by Edelman, businesses have been ranked higher than both governments and NGOs in levels of trust that people hold in such institutions.

For this reason, the BCCTaipei’s Better Business Awards also sends the message that businesses must be given a seat at the table in the international search for solutions to global issues. At this very moment, the world has been presented with its own set of challenges, from tackling the alarming reality of climate change to dealing with an ongoing global pandemic.

The shift in consensus, from previous reliance on NGOs and governments, to businesses in the present day, reveals the significant change in the role of business in our daily lives and demonstrates that holistic solutions to global issues must include businesses.

This year’s Better Business Awards coincided with the build-up to the commencement of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow. The ‘Climate Champion Award’ specifically aims to shine a light on the businesses that have taken significant steps to reduce their own carbon footprint, and, in addition to the underlying theme of promoting responsible business at the Better Business Awards, there are also hopes to utilise the event to inspire others in the business community to participate in the global fight against climate change. 

Figure 2 - Climate Champion Award Finalists 2021. (Source: Richard Stokes-Green)

In encouraging responsible business, all of the applications to the Better Business Awards are placed before a panel of judges, which then undertake a rigorous – and wholly independent selection process. To be shortlisted as a finalist confirms that nominees are fully dedicated to the uptake of responsible business practices, from making positive impacts to the society in which they operate, to actively participating in the promotion of a cleaner environment. Ultimately, they are indeed better businesses and with their power to create change, they can also be part of the wider effort to build a better future.

We congratulate all the winners and finalists of this year’s Better Business Awards. Taiwan has truly become a global player in the promotion of responsible business and we hope that the Better Business Awards motivates the next generation of businesses and business leaders to dedicate themselves to the implementation of responsible business practices.

 (This piece reflects the author's opinion, and does not represent the opinion of CommonWealth Magazine.)

About the author：

Richard Stokes-Green is Chief Executive Officer at the British Chamber of Commerce in Taipei (BCCT). He began his career in marketing & advertising before transitioning into Information Technology. During his career he’s lived and worked in Europe, Africa, The Middle East, and Australasia. Through his role at the BCCT, he’s actively supporting the development of the renewable energy industry in Taiwan, as well as promoting more established business sectors such as financial services, retail, and food & beverage supply and distribution. 

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