The 12 organisations at the forefront of sustainable business
practice were revealed on 3 February 2011 at the Mansion House by
Lord Smith, Chairman of the Environment Agency, as winners of the
City of London Corporation’s Sustainable City Awards.
This year saw small businesses leading the way. SMEs snapped up
eight of the 12 awards, from Café Spice Namaste - a seasonal
restaurant serving contemporary Asian cuisine - to the world’s
first carbon-neutral theatre, the Arcola in Islington, small
businesses swept the board.
Despite small businesses seeing such a strong showing, judges
made a controversial choice in choosing a private Swiss bank, Bank
Sarasin, as the competition’s overall winner. The award was for
research into how being green affects a nations’ growth prospects -
this “green is good for the economy” message is all the more
powerful for having come from a bank rather than an NGO.
Simon Mills, Head of Sustainable Development at the City of
London Corporation comments, “Despite these being hard times for
businesses, we have seen unprecedented numbers coming forward for
recognition in this years awards. Green technologies not only offer
genuine cost savings, but offer businesses the change to diversify
into new products and services that can give them a spring board
for rapid growth as the economy thaws.”
Awards presenter, Lord Smith, Chairman of the Environment Agency
adds, “The innovation seen here tonight is exemplary. However, the
challenge we will face over the next decade will be to ensure that
this commitment does not wane. Although we have made great strides
toward mainstream acceptance of sustainability, this needs to be
built upon, not only to protect our environment, but to safeguard
future economic growth.”
Winners
Sustainable City Award Trophy
Bank Sarasin: For innovative research into the
sustainability of nations, predicting the likely consequences for
their long-term economic performance – highlighting how economic
growth can go hand in hand with sustainability.
Leadership in Sustainability
In association with the London Chamber of Commerce and
Industry
Café Spice Namaste: One of the first
restaurants in the UK to have an environmental policy. They are
true ambassadors of sustainability in the hospitality sector.
Air quality
Winner: Campaign for Clean Air in London
Highly commended: Sheffield City
Council; GnewtCargo
Shortlisted: Volvo Car UK; The Open Air
Laboratories Project (OPAL)
Sustainable finance
Winner: Shared Interest
Highly commended: F&C
The Farsight Award
Winner: Sarasin
Highly commended: JP Morgan;
Unicredit
Shortlisted: Credit Suisse; Deutsche
Bank
Tackling Climate Change
Winner: SPIE Matthew Hall
Highly commended: Paper Round
Shortlisted: Arup; Avalon Abseiling; Arcola
Theatre
Sustainable travel and transport
Winner: Gnewt Cargo
Highly commended: Hackney Community
Transport
Shortlisted: Sheffield City Council; Car Take
Back
Resource conservation
Winner: Arcola Theatre
Highly commended: London School of Economics;
Brookfield Construction
Shortlisted: Land Securities; Eversheds
Greening the Third Sector
Winner: Arcola Theatre
Highly commended: Cricklewood Homeless
Concern (CHC)
Shortlisted: Downs Syndrome Association; Place2Be;
Get More Local
Sustainable buildings
Winner: Avalon Abseiling Ltd
Highly commended: Brookfield
Construction Ltd; London School of Economics
Shortlisted: London Fire Brigade; London
Youth
Sustainable procurement
Winner: Get More Local
Highly commended: GLA Group
Shortlisted: Friends House
Hospitality; London Fire Brigade; London Borough of
Haringey
Environmental management in SMEs
Winner: Vacherin Ltd
Highly commended: Paper Round
Shortlisted: Café Spice Namaste; Avalon
Abseiling Ltd; Methodist International Centre
Sustainable food
Winner: Café Spice Namaste
Highly commended: Wahaca
Shortlisted: The Alma; Vacherin Ltd; Paternoster
Chop House
Responsible waste management
Winner: Linklaters
Highly commended: Artillery
Architecture & Interior Design
Shortlisted: Wahaca; Eversheds;
Vegware
Download the Winners' leaflet (170kb)