The St Louis Green Business Challenge is a programme organized by the St Louis RCGA to help St Louis area companies take the first steps toward sustainable business practices.

Ellen Dierenfeld, Novus's Executive Manager for Africa and Corporate Sustainability who accepted the award on the company's behalf, said: "It's an honour for Novus, and our commitment to sustainable actions and culture, to be recognised with this award. The RCGA, by highlighting such activities of our many strong local business partners, does an excellent job in promoting the Saint Louis region as one of the top four 'green' areas in the nation."

More than 60 companies and institutions completed the Challenge in 2011; this is up nearly 20 per cent from 2010.

Dr Joyce Cacho, Chief Sustainability Officer at Novus, commented: "The Novus sustainability programme demonstrates how companies can meet economic, environmental and social needs successfully. We're proud to be among the agribusiness leaders incorporating sustainability into our business model and aligning with our suppliers and customers to strengthen our local communities."

RCGA cited a number of Novus's sustainable achievements in 2011 including:

• A level B-check rating by the Global Reporting Initiative for the company's sustainability report
• Recognition by the Sustainable Sites Initiative (SITES) as one of the first landscapes to participate in a new programme testing the first international rating system for sustainable landscape design
• Campus improvements such as the installation of wind spire and three electric car chargers.

Dr Cacho acknowledged that this recognition reflects the leadership of the individuals who make up Novus's Green Team, a group of employees dedicated to incorporating environmentally sound practices into day-to-day company activities.

Novus's Mission statement, established 20 years ago, is to 'Make a clear difference in sustainably meeting the growing global needs for nutrition and health.'

According to Dr Cacho, sustainability has been critical to the company's overall success, especially in research and product development. In 2009, Novus moved from a Corporate Social Responsibility commitment to a deeper, integrated sustainability approach that is based on the triple-bottom-line principles of social, environmental and economic sustainability. This has positioned the company as an international innovator of sustainable business practices.