The great and the good of the sustainability sector descended upon the Grand Connaught Rooms in London last night (19 November) for the eighth year of edie’s Awards which celebrate the very best in sustainable business. (Click here for the full gallery of the night).

A glittering ceremony, hosted by TV comedian and environmentalist Alistair McGowan, saw 74 shortlisted finalists whittled down to winners in 14 categories ranging from Carbon Management to Stakeholder Engagement and Sustainability Reporting. 

 DOWNLOAD FULL WINNER CASE STUDIES 

Kingfisher-owned DIY retailer B&Q took home three awards on the night: Carbon Management; Stakeholder Engagement; and Sustainable Packaging. The esteemed panel of judges – which included the Carbon Trust’s chief operating officer Michael Rea, BRE’s chief executive Peter Bonfield and Forum for the Future’s chief executive Sally Uren – praised B&Q for having “sustainability wrapped around the core of its strategy” and for its overall willingness to transform the green credentials of the entire home improvement industry.

Supermarket giant Sainsbury’s scooped the Sustainable Building Award for its ‘Triple Zero’ concept to create stores that have zero water impact, zero operational carbon and send zero waste to landfill. Dutch paint manufacturer AkzoNobel grabbed the prize for Sustainability Reporting and French IT services firm Cap Gemini won the Sustainable Transport & Travel Award. 

Hospitality operators JD Wetherspoon and Whitbread Group were also among the night’s award-winners; the former taking home the Waste & Resource Management accolade for its work with the DHL Supply Chain; and the latter collaborating with Waterscan to take home the trophy for Water Management.

The Consultancy Award, determined by third-party research from category sponsor Accent, was won by ERM. Other sponsors of the 2014 Sustainability Leaders Awards were Air Products and Sounds Commercial.

Sustainability Leaders Awards 2014 Winners

Carbon Management – B&Q

Sustainable Transport & Travel – Cap Gemini

Water Management – Whitbread Group & Waterscan (Highly Commended: First Milk)

Sustainability Leader Consultancy – ERM

Energy Efficiency – University of Reading

Sustainable Packaging – B&Q

Waste & Resource Management – DHL Supply Chain & JD Wetherspoon

Sustainability Reporting – AkzoNobel

Stakeholder Engagement – B&Q (Highly Commended: Oxfam)

Sustainability Leader (Person) – Dave Hampton, Carbon Coach

Sustainable Building – Sainsbury’s

Sustainable Systems & Software – Ecodesk

Waste Treatment – Clearfleau

Sustainability Product Innovation – BBOXX

A full report from the Awards, including case studies of each of the winners, what the judges said and photos from the night, is available here.

Luke Nicholls

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