Under the name SEED Initiative it was presented as an “Example of Excellence” partnership inter alia by UNEP and BMUB at the Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002 where it was also registered by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as a Type II Partnership.
The independent SEED International Jury of experts selects enterprises which have the potential to make real improvements in poverty eradication and environmental sustainability while contributing to a greener economy.
Companies have a lot to gain from partnering with civil society and public sector initiatives in order to catalyze change.
Under her leadership, SEED has evolved from a biennial awards scheme into a multi-component programme for action on sustainable development and the green economy.
Further partners of SEED comprise Conservation International, the European Union, the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety, the Government of Flanders, the Indian Ministry of Environment and Forests, the Ministry of Economic Affairs of the Netherlands, South Africa's Department of Environmental Affairs, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women UN Women (UN Women), the US Department of State and the international Law firm Hogan Lovells.