The A&B Laboratorios de Biotecnología
team holding the prize

The Basque company A&B Laboratorios de Biotecnología has been awarded the Prize for Best Business Practice 2009 by the San Prudencio Labour Foundation in the environmental category, with a project entitled “The environment as a driving force for innovation”.

This award is in recognition of the organisation’s work as a company that is fully engaged with continual environmental improvement in processes and products, via a socially responsible attitude towards sustainable growth.

In its headquarters at the Industrial Park of Jundiz (Vitoria), A&B Laboratorios de Biotecnología focuses its work on research, design, production and sales of chemical and biological products with industrial applications, in particular for the food industry.

The jury singled out the fact that A&B Laboratorios de Biotecnología has based its candidacy for good business practice on its contribution and development of an innovative system for environmental testing of products in the chemical sector throughout their life cycle, following the requirements of the Spanish Technological Regulation Committee UNE’s guideline 150301 for ecodesign. This, together with the use of clean technologies such as environmental biotechnology (using enzymes and natural microorganisms) has meant that the company can eco-innovate by developing products that respect both the environment and the health of consumers.

Furthermore, the working method used at A&B Laboratorios de Biotecnología is in alignment with the new requirements for testing and restriction of chemical substances and preparations (European REACH regulations, directive on biocides, etc.) and allows the company to eliminate the most dangerous raw materials systematically, thus getting ahead of future requirements.

According to the heads of the company, “the prize shows that biotechnology can help companies to differentiate themselves and be more competitive via eco-innovation of products and processes”.