A decade of celebrating the green economy

It's been a long, winding, and pandemic-hit road, but this week we're delighted to announce the full shortlist for the BusinessGreen Leaders Awards 2020. It is a truly inspiring list of green-minded corporates, innovative start-ups, and pioneering leaders that provides further evidence that the foundations are in place from which to build a green recovery.

It also means the 10th edition of the UK's largest and most prestigious green business awards is set to proceed this autumn, albeit in digital format.

Like many of the changes forced upon the world by the coronavirus crisis the shift to an online event is a touch bittersweet.

Over the past decade the BusinessGreen Leaders Awards has emerged as one of the best nights in the calendar for the UK green economy. It is invariably a hugely enjoyable, remarkably good natured (apart from that one table back in the early 2010s that walked out as soon as they discovered they hadn't won), and not a little moving event.

Last year, Lord Deben's acceptance speech for his Lifetime Achievement Award as he heralded the passage into law just hours earlier of the UK's net zero target - "this is the most special day. We will actually be the first country to say: we are not going to make it worst" - brought a tear to many eyes. Personally, it was one of the happiest moments of my near 14 years editing BusinessGreen.

But this year will be different, for obvious and uncontestible reasons. And that difference opens up opportunities.

The goal of the BusinessGreen Leaders Awards has always been to not just celebrate the many fantastic companies driving the development of the green economy, but also to provide them with a platform to raise their profile and highlight their work - to demonstrate that green business is both good business and mainstream business.

Broadcasting the awards ceremony allows us to extend its reach and grow its audience, while the new marketing packages we are offering to the shortlisted organisations can help make it easier for them to promote their crucial green efforts. Unfortunately there's less scope for an after-party and early hours karaoke, but the core purpose of the evening could actually end up being strengthened. As we are discovering with the fantastic engagement ahead of the Net Zero Festival in September, digital events can allow for larger audiences and more accessible high value content.

We really hope many of you can join us for what will be the 10th annual BusinessGreen Leaders Awards and help celebrate a remarkable decade for this most important of sectors - not least because after the last few months we all deserve it.

 

A version of this article originally appeared in the BusinessGreen Overnight Briefing newsletter, which is available to all BusinessGreen subscribers.

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