To celebrate the United Nations 2010 International Year of Biodiversity, the Union for Ethical BioTrade and Food Ingredients Europe are proud to announce the first Ethical BioTrade Awards for Biodiversity at the Fi Europe fair 2009. The announcement will be made next week in Frankfurt at the annual Fi Europe trade show and the first award will be presented next year in Madrid at Fi Europe's sister show, Health Ingredients Europe 2010.

The awards, the first of their kind, will recognize the efforts of companies that promote the objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) throughout their supply chain. The CBD objectives are: biodiversity conservation, sustainable use, and benefits sharing. The awards will be divided into two categories: biodiversity leadership, and biodiversity innovation.

Companies will be able to submit nominations from January 2010 onwards, which will coincide with the official launch of the International Year of Biodiversity. The panel of judges will be composed of key experts in the field of biodiversity, brought together from business, NGOs and International Organisations. More information on selection criteria and the nomination process will be made available in January.

The Union for Ethical BioTrade is a non-profit association that promotes the 'Sourcing with Respect' of ingredients that come from native biodiversity. Members commit to gradually ensuring that their sourcing practices promote the conservation of biodiversity, respect traditional knowledge, and assure the equitable sharing of benefits all along the supply chain.

Fi Europe is a biennial global trade show and the leading business platform for the food ingredients industry. The show is a key event in the industry calendar as a premier networking destination and launch pad for innovative new products. Fi Europe is the flagship show in the worldwide portfolio of Fi events.

www.ethicalbiotrade.org