The American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai held its 2005 Corporate Social Responsibility Conference and Awards today. Winning companies included Mary Kay Cosmetics, who was singled out for the company's work with the All-China Women's Federation.

During the event, three awards were presented to foreign companies operating in China. AmCham had planned on also presenting a CSR award to a Shanghai company, but none apparently submitted details to be considered for an award.

The Corporate Community Outreach Award went to Mary Kay, in part because of the company's commitment to providing small loans to women to start their own businesses. The award criteria included looked at the number of people affected by the award recipient's activities, the number of volunteers involved in the program, and the percentage of pre-tax profits donated to charity. Mary Kay also provides scholarships to women attending Beijing University and Zhejiang University.

Coca-Cola won the Environmental Stewardship Award because of its activities in China to minimize the negative environmental impacts of its manufacturing processes. The beverage company was hailed for its move to reduce its packaging materials by changing from its two-piece cans to the one-piece cans currently used.

The Employee Health and Safety Award went to logistics company TNT. AmCham's CSR committee chose TNT in part based on the company's observation of international, national, and local codes and regulations. The company also has implemented voluntary standards which go beyond regulations in an effort to avoid accidents.

ITT's China President Mark Steele, who is also the Chairman of the Corporate Social Responsibility Committee for AmCham, oversaw the event held in Shanghai's Regal International East Asia Hotel.

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