
Both large, medium and small companies have a chance of being honored at the British newspaper The Guardian's annual Sustainable Business Awards kicks.This year a number of companies fought for the prestigious awards in 13 different categories. Among other things the judges will be asking: How effectively does the project or initiative meet the specific criteria of the category entered? Is there evidence of measurable, sustainable change as a result of the project? And what were the challenges the project had to overcome? Here you get a complete overview of categories, the nominees and not least the winners.
Category 1: Bold move
Sometimes it takes a bold move from one company to push the boundaries on sustainability. This award will recognize organisations that can point to one truly risky, groundbreaking step they have taken to advance sustainability which could pave the way for other businesses.
The nominees:
Category 2: Built environment
An award for innovative redevelopments or new-build projects that are at the leading-edge of approaches to reducing the built environment’s negative environmental impacts and raising its positive social impacts.
The nominees:
The Enterprise Centre, University of East Anglia
Category 3: Carbon and energy management
Reducing a companies’ emissions is key to meeting carbon reduction targets. his is an award for initiatives that take a holistic approach to measuring, managing and reducing emissions.
The nominees:
Category 4: Collaboration
An award for a project that breaks down traditional barriers. We are looking for examples of several partners working together in non-traditional ways towards a goal that delivers truly sustainable outcomes.
The nominees:
Edinburgh Centre for Carbon Innovation
Category 5: Communicating sustainability
Inspiring action on sustainability issues is key. We’re looking for standout examples of campaigns that have engaged and entertained, eliciting action and leading to tangible shifts in behaviour.
The nominees:
Category 6: Diversity and inclusion
It is critical that companies are a reflection of the society in which they operate and a strong workforce is a diverse one. This award recognises an organisation’s understanding that innovation and success come through including different perspectives and experiences. We are looking for organisations which prioritise diversity, be it around race, gender, culture, sexuality, ability, age or other aspects either within their own workforces or as part of external projects.
The nominees:
Category 7: Finance for good
Finance feeds into the world we are building and good financial models are a very important tool in making it more sustainable. This award is for an organisation that has shown leadership by developing financial models or tools that produce social, environmental and business benefits.
The nominees:
Category 8: Net positive
It is no longer enough to do less bad. Progressive businesses are seeking ways to be regenerative in their activity. This award is for those businesses that are taking tangible steps towards making a net positive contribution to communities, society and the environment.
The nominees:
Sindicatum Sustainable Resources
Category 9: Social impact
Business has huge potential to contribute positively to society. This award is for a project or initiative that seeks to solve a challenging social issue while simultaneously creating shared value for the business.
The nominees:
Category 10: Startup of the year
A startup is a company set up to solve a particular problem or challenge. They are companies associated with innovation, impact and future thinking. This award celebrates early stage companies with sustainability at their heart and an idea with the potential to scale up. To be eligible, companies must have started to trade between 1 January 2011 and 31 July 2015.
The nominees:
Category 11: Supply chain
Global supply chains are vast and complex. This award is for projects that embed respect for human, economic and environmental rights across a business or product’s supply chain.
The nominees:
Category 12: Waste
From circular principles applied to design, to projects achieving zero waste and remanufacturing initiatives, rethinking waste is vital. This award is for projects or products that are at the cutting edge of waste innovation.
The nominees:
Category 13: Water
Water sustainability will be one of the defining challenges of our time. This award will recognise an organisation that can demonstrate its commitment to water sustainability through projects, technologies, designs or policies that improve water availability, access or quality.
The nominees:
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