KATHMANDU, DECEMBER 10

Purnaa Enterprises, a US socially conscious and environmentally sustainable manufacturing company operating in Nepal, was one of the six companies in the world awarded the 2021 Secretary of State's Award for Corporate Excellence (ACE) last night.

Purnaa employs and empowers traditionally marginalised people, paying employees a living wage and offering healthcare, literacy services, childcare, and academic support.

The ACE award is given to US companies that represent corporate responsibility, transparency, and the promotion of human rights.

ACE winners demonstrate a strong commitment to advancing key global priorities and improving the communities in which they operate.

Along with Purnaa, MasterCard India won the ACE award for supporting and revamping India's first-ever Rural Women's Chamber of Commerce; Zipline for deploying delivery drones with quarter million COV- ID-19 vaccine doses to remote areas of Ghana; 3M Singapore for ramping up production of N95 respirators to combat COVID-19; Australis Aquaculture for climate-smart ocean farming in Vietnam; and Patagonia in Argentina for promoting nature-based climate solutions.

A version of this article appears in the print on December 11, 2021, of The Himalayan Times.