GA VSD+ Team Wins Atlas Copco’s Environmental Award

With the rising cost of energy and our earth’s resources dwindling, it has never been more important for companies to focus on the development or implementation of new technologies that help reduce stress on the environment. Atlas Copco’s Environmental Award honors a person or a team of people who have achieved outstanding commitment and performance in the environmental area. This year’s award was presented to the project team that developed the GA VSD+.

The project team received a prize of approximately $7,515 for use toward an environmental initiative or project of their choosing. The team chose to donate the entire prize to WeForest, an international non-profit committed to creating and promoting a pioneer movement in large scale sustainable reforestation. By planting bio-diverse forests in the poorest countries, WeForest helps restore natural resources that in turn help to cool climates and provide jobs for women, enabling them to feed and educate their children.

With the prize money, 14,500 trees will be planted, covering an area of approximately 36 acres in Burkina-Faso, near the Malinese border. The VSD+ forest will contribute to the “Great Green Wall,” a forest that protects several African countries against the expansion of the desert.

Sustainable productivity lies at the heart of Atlas Copco’s commitment to innovation and growth and as a result, Atlas Copco has consistently been recognized by leading indices. This year, Atlas Copco was included in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index, UN Global Compact 100 Stock Index and the FTSE4Good Index . Atlas Copco was also listed among the world’s 100 most innovative companies by Forbes, was listed as one of the world’s most sustainable companies in the Global 100 list presented at the World Economic Forum and was named one of the world’s most ethical companies by Ethisphere Institute.