Photographs: Sophie Holding/IMS Consulting

Lord Taylor, Parliamentary under Secretary of State Defra, formally announced the 12 UK Entrants chosen to be entered into the European Business Awards for the Environment (EBAE) at a Celebration Ceremony held on the 13th March 2012.

The Ceremony, hosted by the RSA’s Environment Awards Forum at Defra’s Nobel House, marked the achievements of the 12 UK Entrants for Europe - showcasing best practice examples in sustainable business from across the country.

The EBAE recognises outstanding, new or innovative contributions to sustainable development and the UK Entrants will compete for a prize against winners from 23 other countries on the European stage.

Presenting the certificates at the ceremony, Lord Taylor said:

‘The 12 companies chosen for Europe are the cream of the crop in terms of UK environmental innovation and demonstration of their “green” commitments.’

‘I have seen for myself that all our entries are extremely strong and I wish them every success on the European Stage’.

“All Winners Here”

UK Entrants for Europe are selected from the winners of RSA Accredited award schemes from the past two years.

Speaking of RSA Accreditation at the celebration ceremony, Malcolm Aickin, Chair Environmental Awards Forum said:

‘The UK has a wide diversity of environmental awards, only the best of these receive accreditation and only the best winners from these awards are selected as UK entries to the European Awards.’

‘There is great strength and depth in the British entries.  All the entrants are winners in their own right - they have all already won in one of the Accredited Award Schemes.’  

The 2012 UK Entrants:

The EBAE consists of five awards, rewarding companies for management practices, products, processes, international business cooperation and biodiversity activities that contribute to economic and social development without detriment to the environment. The UK is represented in each:

Management
•    Marks and Spencer – Plan A Sustainability Programme
•    Robert Wiseman – Sustainability Strategy
•    Olympic Delivery Authority – Sustainable Development Strategy
•    Arcola – Green Action Plan to become the world’s first carbon neutral theatre

Product
•    Aquamarine Power – Innovative Oyster wave power technology
•    Levi Strauss – Levi’s Water<Less™ jeans collection

Process
•    Oxford Catalyst Group – Microchannel reactors for the production of clean fuels
•    Hanson –Measham Brick Works, sustainable brick making
•    Avalon – Insulation installation using abseiling
•    Greenvale – Unique water recycling system developed in the potato processing industry

International Business Cooperation
•    Cafédirect – Adaptation for small holders to climate change scheme
•    Sindicatum – Partnership with the Chinese coal mining industry to bring sustainable development into underground mining

SME Power

The UK’s particularly impartial and rigorous selection process for Entrants to EBAE ensures that only the ‘best of the best’ are chosen for Europe.

Of the 12 companies that were selected, nearly half are classed as small and medium enterprises.

Lord Taylor was particularly impressed at the calibre of the UK’s SME Entrants noting at the event that ‘SMEs are a vital part of the local and national economy accounting for 99.9% of all enterprises in the UK’

‘It is particularly heartening that SMEs are playing their part in implementing sustainable practices in their operations and finding new, more sustainable ways to deliver products and services to the consumer.’

The UK has an excellent track record in the EBAE awards with an award winner in every EBAE since 1994.

All of the UK Entrants will now go forward to the next stage of the EBAE Awards and will be assessed alongside the winners from other European countries by a jury who will meet in Copenhagen at the end of this month. The eventual winners of each EBAE category will be announced in Brussels during Green Week in May