AkzoNobel opened nominations for the industry’s first FIT Sustainability award. The program aims to complement the advancement of waterborne technology and promote the unique contributions that the collision repair industry is making to generate a sustainable future.

Nominations can be made by going to www.akzonobelcarrefinishes.net/FIT. They will be accepted until Jan. 31, 2010.

FIT is an acronym for the three key measurement criteria of the award: focus, innovation and talent. Under this new initiative recognition will go to enterprises that are pursing and delivering sustainable and environmentally focused business solutions to the collision repair industry. These solutions are defined as those that meet the needs of the present, without compromising the needs of the future.

Award presentations will occur in conjunction with the Most Influential Women (MIW) program. FIT will create an umbrella under which MIW and the new awards will be covered.

“Ten years ago AkzoNobel was the first in our industry to elevate the societal issue of the advancement of women in the collision repair industry,” says AB Ghosh, general manager of AkzoNobel Car Refinishes Americas. “Our hope is that the FIT awards will be as successful in advancing the reduction of the carbon footprint of our industry as MIW has been in advancing the contributions of a valuable talent and resource pool.”