All the winners and highly commended entries from the UK's most prestigious green business awards
Last night over 500 executives, politicians, investors, entrepreneurs, and campaigners from across the green economy gathered in London for the ninth annual BusinessGreen Leaders Awards.
The awards were more competitive than ever with over 350 entries across 24 categories providing our expert panel of judges with an unenviable task.
The quality of entrants was higher than ever before - a testament to the rapidly growing influence, importance, and maturity of a green economy that is absolutely critical to the UK's future health and prosperity.
But in the end there could only be one winner in each category and here are organisations that took home the gongs on the night.
Manufacturer of the Year
Cranswick
In a hotly contested field, the judges were won over by Cranswick's sweeping Second Nature sustainability strategy and its work to tackle food waste, deploy renewables, slash plastic waste, and embrace green agricultural practices across the business and its supply chain.
Communications Agency of the Year
Barley Communications
In one of our most competitive categories, Barley Communications eventually edged it thanks to its visual, integrated, and extremely catchy green campaigns that consistently proved highly impactful through both traditional and social media.
Highly Commended: Greenhouse PR
Highly Commended: Seahorse Environmental Communications
ESG Investor of the Year
Zouk Capital
With ever more investors embracing ESG practices, Zouk Capital stood out with the judges thanks to its long-standing and fully embedded ESG strategy, which has served to drive major investments in some of Europe's most exciting clean technology projects and companies.
Highly Commended: Church Commissioners for England
Highly Commended: Hermes Investment Management
Consultancy of the Year
Ecuity Consulting LLP
In another highly competitive category the judges gave Ecuity Consulting the nod thanks to its impressive track record and client base, its focus on innovative emerging technologies, and its willingness to wrestle with some of the thorniest decarbonisation challenges.
Highly Commended: Verco
Circular Economy Project of the Year
Minster Surfacing - Smarter, cleaner, greener road surfacing project
The judges were hugely impressed by Minster Surfacing's commitment to slashing environmental impacts and its pioneering techniques for recycling old roads to create new ones, which have been credited with slashing waste levels, boosting recycled content, and cutting emissions by almost a third.
Highly Commended: ALDStone - Tile re-use system
Highly Commended: Genuine Solutions UK Ltd - Mobile devices and accessories re-use system
Energy Efficiency Project of the Year
Willmott Dixon - Energy Synergy
In another competitive field, Willmott Dixon took home the prize thanks to its structured approach to tackling the energy efficiency performance gap, which has delivered a co-ordinated effort to ensure buildings deliver on their energy-saving promises that has frequently saved businesses up to 15 per cent on their energy use.
Highly Commended: GridBeyond Point - Intelligent energy technology platform
Environmental Awareness Campaign of the Year
Global Action Plan - Clean Air Day Campaign
The judges were hugely impressed by the focus, planning, execution, and effectiveness of Global Action Plan's Clear Air Day, which generated huge media interest, played a key role in driving awareness of air quality issues, and provides an invaluable resource that helps plug an information gap on this most important of issues.
Highly Commended: Hubbub - #WhatsInMyWash
Building Project of the Year
Baytree Dunstable (Unit A) - KAM Project Consultants Ltd
The judges were won over by a project that has been described as 'the world's most sustainable warehouse', boasting everything from solar panels and ultra-high energy efficiency credentials to an orchard and green gym equipment. Built to BREEAM Excellent and EPC A-rating standards the project has brought cutting edge green design and innovation to a sector where sustainability considerations are still too easily ignored.
Transport Project of the Year
E-cargobikes.com - Zero-emission last-mile delivery service
In one of our most competitive categories, E-cargobikes.com edged it thanks to its ultra-clean delivery model and its transition from highly successful trials to scaling up its zero emission last mile delivery service in conjunction with leading retailers.
Highly Commended: The Climate Group - EV100
Highly Commended: Sustainable Shipping Initiative - Ship Recycling Transparency Initiative
Green Infrastructure Project of the Year
Pivot Power
The judges were hugely impressed by Pivot Power's ambitious project to scale up the deployment of network of energy storage reservoirs, grid connections, and electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
Highly Commended: Limejump - Virtual Power Platform
Employee Engagement Campaign of the Year
Foreign and Commonwealth Office - #BeyondPlastic
In another competitive category the FCO won over the judges with the breadth and ambition of its #BeyondPlastic campaign, which has already secured impressive results cutting single-use plastic by 97 per cent as the department moves to halt the use of single use plastics altogether across its global operations by 2020.
Highly Commended: MATCHESFASHION.COM - Matches Mob
Highly Commended: Costain - Resource Efficiency Matrix
Digital Project of the Year
Octopus Agile - Renewable energy time-of-use tariff
The judges were won over by Octopus' pioneering use of real time energy data and smart meters to deliver its Agile service, providing the world's first renewables powered time-of-use energy tariff and helping customers to curb energy use, cut bills, and maximise emissions savings.
Highly Commended: GridBeyond Point - The intelligent energy technology platform
Waste-busting Project of the Year
Just Clear - Busting waste with reuse
Just Clear got the nod from the judges in another competitive category as the pioneering company built on its zero waste to landfill status with the introduction of a new re-use centre and expanded electric vehicle fleet.
Highly Commended: Canary Wharf Group - Breaking The Plastic Habit
CSR/Marketing/Advertising Campaign of the Year
Hubbub & Barley Communications - Community Fridge Network
In a hugely competitive category, Hubbub's work to promote and build its world-leading Community Fridge Network won over the judges, as the group combined tackling food waste with a campaign to unlock a raft of wider community benefits.
Highly Commended: Ecotricity - Vegan Power: 'The Dirty Secret' in our Sockets
Highly Commended: Octopus Electric Vehicles - Green Friday Giveaway
Renewable Energy Project of the Year
Ørsted - Walney Extension Offshore Wind Farm
In a category that showcased the huge strength of the UK's burgeoning renewables sector, Ørsted took the judges' plaudits thanks to its community engagement, localised supply chain, media buzz, and exemplary project execution as it delivered the world's largest operational offshore wind farm.
Highly Commended: GRIDSERVE - York and Hull subsidy-free solar farms
Highly Commended: Vaillant with Derby Homes - aroTHERM on the balcony
Sustainability Team of the Year
National Trust - Hydro Team
National Trust's Hydro Team stood out in an extremely strong field, with the judges praising the team's technical expertise, hard work, and commitment, which have combined to drive forward both National Trust's renewables strategy and the wider hydro-electric sector.
Young Sustainability Executive of the Year
Sarah Middlemiss, Ecometrica Space Team
There were many inspiring entries in this category, but there could only be one winner and in the end Sarah Middlemiss won over the judges thanks to her critical role in leading the Forests 2020 initiative, bringing together international partners, multi-million pound budgets, and cutting edge space technologies to help protect the world's tropical forests.
Highly Commended: Heather Poore, Hubbub
Highly Commended: Rhona Turnbull, RBS
Sustainability Executive of the Year
Katharine Teague, AB Sugar
In yet another highly competitive category, Katherine Teague impressed the judges with the central role she played in the adoption of industry-leading sustainability targets by one of the world's largest global food companies, delivering a series of new green goals for AB Sugar and driving a raft of initiatives to help ensure the targets are met.
Highly Commended: Dr Eva Gkenakou, Multiplex Construction Europe
Highly Commended: Alex Hilton, Foreign & Commonwealth Office
Innovation of the Year
Centrica - Cornwall Local Energy Market
Centrica's pioneering Cornwall Local Energy Market got the nod from the judges, who praised the breadth, innovative technology provision, and integrated nature of a project that could yet revolutionise how increasingly low carbon energy grids operate across the UK.
Highly Commended: HV Systems - Zero Emission Commercial Vehicles
Highly Commended: Worn Again Technologies - Polymer recycling technology
Entrepreneur of the Year
Asher Bennett, Tevva Motors
In a shortlist that stands testament to the huge amount of green entrepreneurial talent in the UK, Asher Bennett got the judges' vote thanks to a breakout 2018 during which Tevva Motors secured investment, scaled up production of its range-extended electric trucks, promoted UK clean tech overseas, and stepped up R&D in a raft of zero emission innovations.
Highly Commended: Peter Davies, Verv
Highly Commended: Chris Forbes and Julie Chen, The Cheeky Panda Ltd
Small Business of the Year
DAME
In one of our most close run and competitive categories, DAME edged it with the judges thanks to its B Corp status, ambitious mission to eradicate single use plastic from bathrooms, and the successful launch of the world's first reusable tampon applicator.
Highly Commended: Churchill Gowns
Highly Commended: Green Building Store
Politician of the Year
Alan Whitehead, MP
This year's politician of the year is one of Parliament's longest-standing and most well-respected environmental advocates. Over the past two decades he has consistently championed environmental causes and the green economy, frequently working across party lines to deliver meaningful and effective policy progress.
On parliamentary committees, in his role as chair of the Parliamentary Renewable and Sustainable Energy Group, as one of BusinessGreen's most popular columnists, and as shadow energy and climate change minister, Alan Whitehead has been a friend and ally of the green community. His thoughtful and conciliatory approach of to policy challenges is a welcome antidote to much of today's partisan division, as was his quietly authoritative reminder to his colleagues earlier this year that the climate emergency has to be solved 'on their watch'.
In the past year he has helped beef up Labour's green ambitions, pushed the government to deliver on its clean growth ambitions, and, as ever, offered a detailed and constructive critique of everything from energy efficiency policy to nuclear politics.
Leader of the Year
Dale Vince, Ecotricity
In another fiercely competitive category, Dale Vince stood out for both his track record as one of the UK's most high profile green entrepreneurs and a hugely impressive 2018 during which he secured a series of landmark business accounts for Ecotricity, achieved vegan status for the company's power and gas, launched a new vegan food business, and continued to drive the development of sustainable football club Forest Green Rovers.
Highly Commended: Erik Nygard, Limejump
Highly Commended: Neil Perry, Solarcentury
Company of the Year
Ørsted
In a category that served to highlight the burgeoning strength and expanding breadth of the green economy, Ørsted successfully defended its title securing plaudits from the judges for its record-breaking offshore wind deployment, cutting-edge energy storage projects, pioneering power purchase agreements, vocal lobbying for a zero carbon energy system, and continued commercial success.
Highly Commended: Kingfisher
Highly Commended: Salix Finance
Lifetime Achievement Award
Lord Deben
For more than five decades our Lifetime Achievement Award winner has been one of the UK's most steadfast advocates for both the urgent need to protect our environment and the critical role business has to play in the development of a genuinely sustainable economy.
He was the UK's longest serving Environment Secretary - a title that is unlikely to be relinquished any time soon - and throughout his time as an MP, a Minister, and a peer he has consistently and eloquently championed the need for greener business models and rapid decarbonisation, often taking on his own colleagues as he strived to build a coalition for bolder climate action.
Indeed, as Environment Secretary he shaped the UK's initial response to climate change in the 1980s and 90s, in opposition he tabled one of the first Early Day Motions on climate change, before playing an integral role in the adoption of the UK's Climate Change Act, and once the world-leading legislation was secured he worked tirelessly to promote effective environmental legislation around the world.
For much of the past decade, Lord Deben has continued to play a critical role in British public life and the green economy through his chairing of the Committee on Climate Change. He has helped guide the organisation's hugely influential work and strived to make a compelling case for climate action.
With this year's report on the net zero transition Lord Deben and his team have provided a legacy-shaping piece of work that has comprehensively and convincingly made the case for the UK to lead the world in pursuit of a net zero economy, laying the foundations for this country's post-Brexit revival.
In recognition of his work over the past year and the decades that preceded it, our lifetime achievement award goes to Lord Deben.
