RIYADH — MEPCO, the Middle East and Africa’s leading vertically-integrated paper manufacturer, was recently awarded the King Khaled Award for Responsible Competitiveness. The accolade was held under the aegis of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and is known for honoring companies that have built competitive advantage through a commitment to sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR).

Responsible competitiveness has been described by the World Trade Organization as being ‘about forward-looking corporate strategies, innovative public policies and engaged and vibrant civil societies’. The King Khalid Foundation (KKF) established the Responsible Competitiveness Branch with the introduction of the Saudi Responsible Competitiveness Index (RCI) in collaboration with the Foundation and global consulting firm Accountability.

The framework builds on extensive research and consultation with some of the world’s largest companies, management scholars and investors. Five core areas of good performance are measured for the RC Award, each selected with a clear rationale, strong business case and tailored specifically for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The RC Award goes beyond philanthropy initiatives and focuses on aligning CSR practices with business imperatives, such as promoting growth, improving profitability, enhancing brand and reputation, and deepening engagement with key stakeholders.

MEPCO offers a diverse range of paper products to customers around the world. The company’s innovative approach to doing business enables it to deliver significant environmental and economic benefit to its home market. MEPCO exports its products from Saudi Arabia to the GCC and wider Middle East & Africa region; furthermore, it has developed a growing presence in South Asia, the Americas and Europe.

Through its wholly-owned subsidiary, WASCO, MEPCO’s raw materials are sourced from locations across the Kingdom and neighboring countries. The use of energy- and water-efficient production processes enables MEPCO to offer environmentally-friendly and recyclable products to the market, while locally-sourced raw materials provide measurable benefit to the Saudi economy.

The company offers a wide range of paper and paperboard products in the industrial paper and packaging sectors, including the construction, large-scale manufacturing and secondary packaging markets. Product lines include containerboard and core-board products. The company is listed on the Saudi Stock Exchange, under Tadawul symbol ‘MEPCO’.

Launched in 2008, the award is a multi-year initiative to assess, reward, and improve responsible business practices in Saudi companies. The underlying concept is the notion that organizations can gain a range of competitive advantages from embedding responsible business practices, which also aligns with the Kingdom’s broader development goals and Saudi Vision 2030. — SG