DuPont ERA Awards Continue to Highlight Sustainable Operations
20 February 2014 The DuPont Environmental Respect Awards are the largest and longest running awards competition for agriculture distributors and retailers. Its success has been a result of the ongoing emphasis placed on product stewardship, agronomic consulting and community outreach.
FCI caught up with Dr. Raymond Forney, global stewardship manager for DuPont Crop Protection, to discuss how the competition has evolved and what it means to global agriculture service providers and ultimately, farmers and the communities they serve.
FCI: Now that we have 10 years of the world program of the DuPont Environmental Respect Awards to look back upon, what has the competition evolved to symbolize? Why is it important?
Forney: With 10 years of international entries, the program has now provided recognition for environmental leadership to over 1,000 operations in 39 countries. The crop protection industry, and DuPont’s distributors and retailers, are increasingly crucial to the vast societal challenge to produce food, feed, fiber, and fuel sustainably, all while managing natural resources for healthier soil, cleaner air and water, safer and more secure energy, and more habitat for biodiversity. It’s a big job!
FCI: How has product stewardship education programs changed during the past 10 years? How has DuPont’s vision of stewardship changed?
Forney: Stewardship education programs have been hard pressed due to economic ups and downs and the competition for scarce funding. Production agriculture represents a shrinking proportion of populations everywhere, so political support for public funding is a challenge. In the private sector, and especially within DuPont Crop Protection, our vision has stayed pretty consistent: We have to work with all stakeholders to ensure that those who touch or are touched by our products, services, and technologies have the information and skills they need to maximize benefits and minimize risks.
FCI: Why should agriculture dealers/retailers enter the Environmental Respect Awards? What will they gain by going through the entry process?
Forney: Participation in the ERA program gives distributors and retailers a chance to benchmark their current standards of performance with their peers, to earn recognition for the great work they are doing, to serve as role model leaders for others in the industry, and to help make good news for agriculture. It is also one way to get to know DuPont a little better. And, they just might win a fun trip to Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.!
FCI: Ultimately, why is 
DuPont interested in highlighting responsible retailers? What is the domino effect of recognizing responsible businesses?
Forney: The needs of the world and its growing population require the very best from science and collaboration among all who are willing to help put it to work to create sustainable global solutions. We are a market-driven science company, and we are looking to expand our relationships with those who share our core value of environmental stewardship.
FCI: Feel free to discuss anything else about the ERA program.
Forney: The ERA program is the biggest and longest running program of its kind in the world today. It is a wonderful thing to be a part of, and it is all about the people, the truly exceptional leaders, that makes it so special.
Enter the Environmental Respect Awards now! Deadline March 10.
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