LAS VEGAS, Feb. 12, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- A leading showcase for the most powerful corporate social responsibility and green initiatives has named MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM) a winner for its annual awards program in the category of Overall Leader in CSR Practices – more than 10,000 employees.

Competing alongside Coca-Cola Enterprises, which also was honored, Disney and UPS, MGM Resorts is the first company in the gaming industry to earn a PR News CSR Award.

"It is truly an honor to receive the PR News CSR Award and be recognized among so many other great leaders in corporate social responsibility," said Jim Murren, Chairman and CEO of MGM Resorts International. "We earnestly believe that the health of our company is directly linked to the welfare of the communities in which we operate, and so we make it a business imperative to be a leader in all forms of corporate social responsibility."

Winners of the PR News CSR Awards were chosen by an expert panel that evaluated entries submitted by organizations participating in the awards competition. The judging criteria included: creativity, innovation, sound planning, implementation and outcomes. Furthermore, organizations were judged according to the alignment of their strategic objectives with their end goals and proven success.

Since the company's founding, MGM Resorts has shown a powerful commitment to the fundamental principle of social responsibility. The three major initiatives comprising MGM Resorts' social responsibility efforts are: Diversity & Inclusion, Philanthropy & Community Engagement, and Environmental Sustainability. Program highlights include:

Diversity & Inclusion:

• MGM Resorts was the first company in the gaming and hospitality industry to voluntarily adopt a formal diversity and inclusion policy.
• MGM Resorts has increased and maintained the overall representation of women (more than 40%) and minorities (more than 30%) in the diversity profile of its management team for more than half of the past decade.
• Since 2001, through its Supplier and Construction Diversity programs, MGM Resorts has spent a cumulative total of nearly $3 billion with MWDBE suppliers and contractors (i.e., minority-owned, women-owned and disadvantaged business enterprises).

Philanthropy & Community Engagement:

Since its founding in 2002 to 2012, the employee-driven MGM Resorts Foundation has donated almost $50 million to nonprofit organizations for the betterment of American communities.

• In 2011, the corporate giving program contributed to a combined total of more than 500 nonprofit agencies in Nevada, Michigan and Mississippi.
• MGM Resorts' donation in 2012 of more than 189 tons of canned food to Three Square, the leading Las Vegas food bank, earned the distinction of the largest single company donation in the nonprofit organization's history for the third year in a row.
• In 2012, MGM Resorts employees logged more than 113,000 volunteer hours and helped more than 850 charitable organizations meet community needs.

Environmental Responsibility:

• At more than 18 million square feet, CityCenter is the largest LEED® Gold certified development in the world.
• MGM Resorts has reduced electricity consumption by 125 million kWh per year, enough to power 10,850 homes each year.
• The company has increased its recycling rate by more than 420% in four years.
• MGM Resorts has reduced water usage by 500 million gallons per year, enough to fill more than 750 Olympic-size swimming pools.
• Fifteen company resorts have achieved the prestigious Green Key rating for environmental conservation from the largest sustainable operations certification body in the world, Green Key Global.
  

For more information about MGM Resorts International's commitment to social responsibility, please visit: http://www.mgmresorts.com/offers/2012/07_annualcorporatesocialresponsibilityreport/index.html  

To learn more about the 2013 PR News CSR Awards and for a complete list of award winners, please visit:
http://www.prnewsonline.com/CSRawardwinners2013/  

MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM) is one of the world's leading global hospitality companies, operating a portfolio of destination resort brands, including Bellagio, MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay and The Mirage. MGM has significant holdings in gaming, hospitality and entertainment, owns and operates 15 properties and has 50% investments in three other properties including CityCenter, which features ARIA Resort & Casino. MGM also has a 51% interest in MGM China Holdings Limited, which owns the MGM Macau resort and casino and is in the process of developing a resort on Cotai. Through its hospitality management subsidiary, the Company holds a growing number of development and management agreements for casino and non-casino resort projects around the world.

SOURCE MGM Resorts International