Exporter 2024

Objective

To acknowledge smart Estonian companies who create added value and are successful in increasing their exports.

Who can apply?

We invite Estonian companies that export products or services with their own brand to apply (i.e. the company was created in Estonia with Estonian capital or an Estonian company created with foreign capital, the brand of which was developed in Estonia).

Evaluation criteria and process

The following economic indicators are evaluated (comprising a total of 45% of the evaluation):

  1. Export revenue in 2023 (10%)
  2. Export revenue growth in percentage in 2021-2023 (10%)
  3. Added value1  percentage growth per employee in 2021-2023 (15%)
  4. The company has export markets with a yearly revenue of at least EUR 20,000 and more than 5% of all export revenue. (Each market in the European Union gives 1%, markets outside the European Union 2%, the maximum is 10%). (10%)

 

The company must show a significant achievement in the following areas (comprising 55% of the final result):

  1. Products or services stand out in foreign markets (widely reported success stories or the number of clients using the product/service, uniqueness, etc.) (15%)
  2. There has been a significant technology or process development or change in the company/product range that has impacted financial results (15%)
  3. The company cooperates with research and development institutions or makes targeted investments in research and development2 (15%)
  4. SDG3, ESG4 or other similar principles are being created or implemented and disclosed by the company (10%)

 

  1. Added value per employee = (labour costs including taxes + depreciation of fixed assets + business profit) / number of employees.
  2. Research and development (including experimental development) includes systematic creative activities designed to increase the scope of knowledge and the ability to use such knowledge to uncover new fields of technology. Activities can be classified as research and development if they fulfil five basic criteria: innovative, creative, producing unexpected results, systematic, transferrable and/or repeatable. For research and development, all five criteria should be simultaneously fulfilled, whether it is a constant or intermittent activity.
  3. SDG or the Sustainable Development Goals were adopted in 2015 by the United Nations as a call to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that by 2030, all people have peace and well-being. See more: https://sdgs.un.org/goals.
  4. ESG or Environmental Social and Corporate Governance – an environmental, social and corporate governance framework that is integrated into an organisation’s strategy to consider the needs of all organisational stakeholders (such as employees, customers and suppliers and financiers) and find ways to create more value for them. It can be considered a set of management measures and standards through which it is possible to manage the impact of a company and its products and/or services on the environment, people and the economy.