CBI Sustainable Business Award

07 October 2025 Netherlands Cocoa and Cocoa Products, Coffee, Fish and Seafood, Fresh Fruit and Vegetables, Grains, Pulses and Oilseeds, Honey, Natural Food Additives, Natural Ingredients for Cosmetics, Natural Ingredients for Health Products, Processed Fruit and Vegetables and Edible Nuts, Spices and Herbs, Apparel, Home Decoration and Home Textiles, Outsourcing (ITO/BPO), Tourism

CBI is proud to launch the CBI Sustainable Business Award. Join us at the award show where we will showcase inspiring SME success stories that can help you connect, learn and grow in sustainable trade.

About the award

We celebrate small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in our partner countries which excel in social and/or environmental sustainability. At CBI, sustainability is important for long-term success. Many SMEs in our projects are leading the way in sustainable business practices, but their achievements often go unseen. The CBI Sustainable Business Award 2025 recognises and rewards SMEs which have integrated sustainability into their business operations.

We are organising this online award ceremony to:

Highlight impactful CSR practices;
Inspire exporters worldwide;
Create new opportunities for visibility and international connections, especially with European importers.

The winning SME will receive a tailor-made study trip to the Netherlands, where CBI offers valuable networking opportunities and potential business connections. All finalists will benefit from international recognition and a stronger professional network.

Save the date: 7 October 2025 | 12.00 – 13.30 (CEST)

Join our online award ceremony, where we will announce the winner and bring together outstanding SMEs, CBI partners, alumni, and importers. Expect inspirational cases from around the world and the chance to connect with frontrunners in sustainable trade.

Who is invited to the online award ceremony?

The online award ceremony is open to:

CBI project participants;
Partners;
Importers;
Alumni;
Anyone connected to sustainable production and trade who wants to make a difference.

Programme highlights

The event will start with a welcome from Judith Arends, CBI's managing director. Then, the top 3 finalists will present their unique sustainability journeys. Following that, there will be a panel discussion with global leaders discussing the impact of responsible business in supply chains.

The panel of judges, which includes experts from CSR Netherlands and the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, will then deliver their verdict. Marchel Gerrmann, Director of Sustainable Economic Development at the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, will announce the winner of the award.