Run by iiE, the environmental accreditation and membership scheme for businesses of all sizes, the awards celebrated 2015’s green champions. In this year alone, the region’s member businesses collectively achieved a minimum of:
789,926 kwh electricity saved, 365.1 tonnes of CO2e
11,868,154 kwh gas saved, 2545.72 tonnes of CO2e
2,825 m3 water saved
12,228,098 pages of paper not used
170,104 tonnes of waste diverted from landfill
280,488 miles not travelled
£683,689 estimated savings
“It’s great to be able to share our vision of creating sustainable businesses and setting a ‘standard’ for the environment,” explains iiE’s Kim Coley. “The iiE Awards help to share best practice, inspire others, change beliefs, perceptions and habits, and then ultimately change business cultures, helping businesses to be so much smarter and more efficient, with an engaged and happier workforce. Collectively, this is making a huge positive impact!”
Guests heard from this year’s Guest Speaker Clare Brass, Head of SustainRCA, a cross-departmental centre for sustainability at the Royal College of Art. Clare was previously Leader of Sustainability at Design Council before setting up SEED Foundation, exploring the role of design in creating and supporting social business, and using the learning from environmental research to create enterprise opportunities.
At the annual iiE Awards member businesses secured Bronze, Silver or the highest level of Green accreditation, plus they discovered who won further awards – such as the ‘Great Green Star’, ‘Green Champion of the Year’ and the ‘Overall Outstanding Achievement Award’. iiE would like to thank Hunt & Coombs Solicitors for sponsoring the Awards.
Produce World Group won the ‘Overall Outstanding Achiever Award – Large Business’. Some of their highlights included a massive 555,011 kWh reduction in electricity usage between July 2013 and June 2015, installing 800 solar panels at the Yaxley site which will reduce the site’s carbon footprint by 10%, and weekly donations of produce to FareShare which have resulted in vegetables being contributed to over 500,000 meals.
Rawlinsons received the ‘Overall Outstanding Achiever Award – Small Business’. Just some of their achievements included reducing electricity by 30%, reducing landfill waste by 80%, (over 30,000 kwh), plus they have proactive green champions, and launched their own green Jute bag to help staff and customers reuse carrier bags.
The full list of iiE Awards 2016 winners:
Bronze & Silver Awards
• Hereward Stationers
• London Professional College
• Microbyte
• The Template Company
• Alliance Leisure
Green Awards
• AA Chartered Accountants
• Athene Communications
• Axiom Housing
• Blue Dolphin
• Blue Sky Peterborough Green Energy
• Bulley Davey
• Business Control Solutions
• Crusader Traffic
• Cubet Ltd
• Groundwork Northamptonshire
• Longhurst Group
• Monarch Automotive
• Peterborough Skills Academy
• Nottingham Energy Partnership
• Peterborough City Council
• PPS Print
• Prince Energy
• Roythornes Ltd
• Save My Tax
• Shield Technologies – Now known as Green City Solutions
• Sundays
• The National Flooring Company Ltd
• Vivacity – Jack Hunt Pool and Gym
• Vivacity – Regional Pool
• Yorkshire Energy Partnership
Great Green Stars
• Buckles Solicitors
• Budget Paper Supplies
• Cambridge and Counties Bank
• City College Peterborough
• Cross Keys Homes
• Daventry District Council
• Electric Corby
• Hunt & Coombs Solicitors
• IKEA
• IPM Global Mobility
• Lark Energy Group
• Manit Contractors
• Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust
• Peterborough Regional College
• Queensgate
• Skanska Peterborough
• St Andrews
• University of Lincoln
• University of Northampton
• Walters
Overall Outstanding Achiever – Small Business
• Rawlinsons Accountants
Overall Outstanding Achiever– Large Business
• Produce World Group
Green Champion – Small Business
• Cambridge and Counties Bank Green Team
Green Champion – Large Business
• Clare Topping, Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust
Investors in the Environment is a not-for-profit environmental accreditation scheme designed to help the business sector save money and reduce their impact on the environment. There are now nearly 300 members and 4,000 businesses signed up to the iiE green network, covering over 17 different regions across the UK.
By businesses ultimately putting together a credible Environmental Management System, the scheme also allows businesses to keep ahead of emerging environmental legislation, involves staff in securing operational efficiencies, and raises their corporate profile.
For more information and to discover how to sign up as a member, visit the website at www.iie.uk.com.