Closing Date: 30 June 2026
Applications are now open for the 2026 UNIDO One World Sustainability Awards
The UNIDO ONE World Sustainability Awards will celebrate your transformative solutions and help scale them up! If you’re redefining industry through innovation, sustainability, and global impact – this is your moment.
Join the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) in recognizing game-changing innovation and business practices on a global scale. This is more than just another award. It’s your opportunity to become part of a global impact community dedicated to pioneering entrepreneurs and purpose-driven companies.
ONE World Sustainability Awards Categories include:
- Sustainable Supply Chains
- Innovative Start-Ups
- Women in Industry
Sustainable Supply Chains
Who can apply: Any company driving sustainable supply chains at regional or global level – including manufacturers, cooperatives, ethical sourcing/certification programs, or multi-stakeholder initiatives.
An application in the category Sustainable Supply Chains can be strengthened if it demonstrates one or more of the following:
- Multi-tiered operations: Operates or manages supply chains with multiple organizational or geographic tiers (e.g., suppliers, manufacturers, logistics partners, distributors).
- Sustainability in all dimensions: Demonstrates measurable progress across environmental, social, and economic standardsdimensions throughout the supply chain. All three dimensions should be addressed within the application.
- Structural measures: Implements systemic improvements, such as supplier capacity-building, responsible purchasing practices, or investments in local communities.
- Scalability potential: Applications shows evidence that sustainable practices can be replicated or scaled across other regions, sectors, or supplier networks.
- Concrete initiatives: The category is intended for concrete supply chain initiatives, not for general multi-national activities without a defined sustainability or supply chain transformation approach.
- Company context: Application are strengthened by information on the overall company’s adherence to sustainability standards.
- External verification: Applications are strengthened by verifying efforts through third-party audits, recognized certificates, or other credible documentation.
- Circular Consideration: Application are strengthened by strategically implementing circular economy approaches.
Innovative Start-Ups
Who can apply: Start-Ups that develop or deploy new technologies, business models, or digital/green solutions with clear potential to transform a sector or market (e.g. clean-tech developers, digital platforms, circular-economy innovators, robotics/AI solutions for industry, sustainable materials start-ups).
An application in the category of Innovative Start-ups should meet the following criteria:
- Age: typically 5 or less years old (as per OECD definition) or up to 7 years from official registration.
- Size: typicallyfewer than 50 employees, in justified cases also above this threshold.
- Market readiness: The start-up must be fully operational and already active in the market. Pure business concepts, early seed-investment stage are not eligible.
An application in the category of Innovative Start-up can be strengthened if it demonstrates one or more of the following:
- Sustainability Focus: Sustainability is embedded in the business model. The start-up demonstrates measurable contributions to environmental, social, and responsible industrial development.
- Growth potential: The business model is scalable, showing potential for expansion across regions, sectors, or customer groups.
- Entrepreneurial structure: Ownership and leadership reflect a founder-driven or innovation-driven model, often early stage or growth stage.
Women in Industry
Who can apply: Companies, manufacturers, or cooperatives driving gender-transformative business models within their operations.
An application in the category of Women in Industry should meet the following criteria:
- Company-wide relevance: Initiatives benefit women throughout the company, and possibly beyond company borders, and are not limited to individual founders, or executives.
An application in the category Women in Industry can be strengthened if it demonstrates one or more of the following:
- Gender at the core: Gender equality and women’s empowerment are at the center of corporate strategy, operations, and organizational culture.
- Structural measures: The company actively addresses gender gaps, biases, and structural barriers, including through inclusive workforce planning, flexible working arrangements
- Leadership inclusion: Women are represented in management and decision-making positions, including senior roles.
- Concrete initiatives: The company implements programs promoting women’s participation, leadership, skills development (especially in STEM/technical roles), safe working conditions, and equitable access to opportunities.
- Measurable progress: The application provides evidence of women’s representation in the workforce, career advancement, equal pay or more within the company. Broader community impact can strengthen the application but cannot stand alone.
- Long-term commitment: Efforts are sustained and demonstrate potential for replication or scaling across departments, sectors or regions
Click Here To Apply
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