Sustainability Awards Sheffield: The finalists are revealed - time to get set for the ceremony!

The South Yorkshire Sustainability Awards attracted dozens of amazing applications from a huge variety of organisations - united by a desire to reduce their impact on the planet.

Featuring 12 categories, our new contest captures the breadth of activity in business and society and aims to recognise and celebrate the people leading the green transition.

Three expert judges had the unenviable task of choosing the winners and we thank them for their time and commitment.

They were:

Hellen Stirling-Baker, founder of sustainable childrenswear shop Small Stuff UK and sustainability lead on the board of directors at the almost 4,000-member British Independent Retail Association.

Kate Martin, executive director, City Futures, Sheffield City Council. She has managed major capital and strategic, economic and community partnerships at director level in local authorities for more than 20 years.

Curtis Yip is a member of the Regional Youth Climate Assembly, deputy member of the Youth Parliament for Rotherham and South Yorkshire, and national, Mayoral Combined Youth Authority and Public Transport Youth Group.

After much anguish, the judges produced this list of finalists.

Don’t miss the awards ceremony at Magna on Thursday September 22 when the winners will be revealed, including the coveted Lifetime Achievement Award.

Buy tickets at https://southyorkshiresustainabilityawards.co.uk/

Best Hospitality or Retail Sustainability Initiative

Lavang/The Private Diners Club

Marmadukes

Mattress Online

Preloved Kilo Ltd

Lavang is a future-thinking business with an active social value action plan at the forefront of its operations. Food waste is recycled and turned into green energy at an anaerobic digestion recycling plant.

Marmadukes’ ethos is encapsulated in their mission statement ‘Best Made, By And For People Who Care’. Every decision is made through the lens of empowering people and helping the planet.

Mattress Online introduced a collection and recycling service in 2015 which a third of customers now use. The company has pledged to recycle 40 per cent of all mattresses - which would otherwise go to landfill - by 2025.

Preloved Kilo is the UK’s largest independent sustainable fashion kilo retailer, aiming to bring sustainable fashion to the mainstream and help educate the masses. It processes thousands of tonnes of clothing and sells in shops, online and to George in 50 Asda stores.

Business Leader of the Year, sponsored by Barnsley College

Chris Rea, AES Engineering Ltd

Tom Rumboll, SYNETIQ Ltd.

Chris Rea, founder and managing director of AES Engingeering Ltd, has been nominated for this award due to his incredible efforts within the community and within the AES organisation. It has committed to ‘go beyond net zero’ with £29m of planet-friendly investment by 2029.

Tom Rumboll, SYNETIQ chief executive and IAA UK Managing Director has been nominated for this award as the leader of a business that set the standard for the vehicle recycling industry through the supply of green parts.

Community Initiative of the Year, sponsored by The River Stewardship Company

Betterworld Solutions

Baby Basics UK

Labre's Hope

Betterworld.Solutions encourages companies to adopt, publish and operate an investment policy to prevent global warming. Members include Gripple, WanDisco, OSL Group and Vulcan Seals.

Baby Basics UK serves 10,000 children and their families in Sheffield (39,000 across the UK) with basic essentials, 80 per cent of which are second-hand ensuring we are helping our communities to recycle/reuse.

Labre's Hope is an inspirational social enterprise helping to break the cycle of homelessness, and put the hope into eco-friendly soap. The business is backed by Amazon and £500,000 from Government.

Education Initiative of the Year, sponsored by Hallam FM

AESSEAL plc

Schools Climate Education South Yorkshire

AESSEAL plc is the top UK apprentice employer in the manufacturing sector in 2022, according to the Department of Education’s annual rankings. It is the highest ranked manufacturing employer, and 32nd overall in the Top 100, chosen from more than 500 UK apprentice employers across industries including healthcare, banking, media and the automotive industry.

Schools Climate Education South Yorkshire has signed up more than 60 schools in the region. However, its impact is much wider, having secured the attention of the Department for Education, who contacted SCESY with a provisional plan to launch their sustainability and climate change strategy for schools.

Large Business of the Year, sponsored by The National Centre of Excellence for Food Engineering (NCEFE)

AES Engineering Ltd

SYNETIQ Ltd

AES Engineering Ltd designs, manufactures, supplies and refurbishes mechanical seals, whilst supplying engineered sealing systems and other environmental and reliability-focused products.

A world away from the perceptions of a breaker’s yard, SYNETIQ is focused on more sustainable motoring, utilising the waste hierarchy to reduce, reuse and recycle through our circular model.

SME of the Year, sponsored by Business Sheffield

AAD Architects Ltd

All Seasons Group

Cafeology Ltd

Glistening Kicks

Iceotope Technologies

Moore Insight

AAD Architects is keen to play a part in driving the green economy and has implemented a sustainability strategy which reduces carbon emissions without impacting on financial performance.

All Seasons Group is a leading supplier and installer of solar panels, heat pumps and energy-saving measures for UK home and business owners.

Founded in 2003, Cafeology is an independently-owned British company based in Sheffield that ethically sources coffee through sustainable long term partnerships and primarily supplies the out-of-home market.

Why add to the 300 million pairs of shoes sent to landfill each year? Let Glistening Kicks bring them back to life!

Iceotope’s chassis-level precision immersion cooling technology is being used and endorsed by some of the biggest companies in the world, from Hyperscale to the Extreme Edge.

Moore Insight has recently committed to achieving Net Zero from Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions by 2025 by promoting greener lifestyle to stakeholders as well as using sustainable materials.

Manufacturing Award, sponsored by University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC)

BIDBI - Bag It Don't Bin It Ltd

Iceotope Technologies

Instantprint

ITM Power plc

BIDBI is a textile printer that specialises in printing sustainably sourced bags, accessories and homewares using environmentally-friendly print methods.

Iceotope’s chassis-level precision immersion cooling technology is being used and endorsed by some of the biggest companies in the world, from Hyperscale to the Extreme Edge.

As an industry-leader in sustainable print manufacturing, Instantprint has set out its net zero strategy to accelerate its commitment to providing gold standard printed materials without negatively impacting the environment.

ITM Power designs and manufactures PEM electrolysers to produce green hydrogen from water and renewable electricity to decarbonise transport and industry.

Net Zero Business of the Year, Sponsored by TERC - Translational Energy Research Centre

AES Engineering Ltd

Hybrid Air Vehicles

ITM Power plc

Magtec

Wayv. Talk and Broadband for Business

AES Engineering Ltd achieved global net zero across its 230 locations, covering all scope one, two and three greenhouse gas emissions in 2021

Airlander, an ultra-low-emission hybrid aircraft, will be made in South Yorkshire an in service from 2026, with zero-emissions flight available by 2030.

ITM Power makes electrolysers that produce hydrogen which provide grid balancing via energy storage.

Magtec is the UK’s leading designer, manufacturer and integrator of drive systems for electric and hybrid vehicles and is at the forefront of net zero technology for the transport industry.

Wayv. Talk and Broadband for Business has recently become the first business broadband and telecoms company to be certified as carbon neutral in the UK.

Young Green Champion of the Year, Sponsored by ITM-Power

Curtis Yip, is a member of the Regional Youth Climate Assembly, deputy member of the Youth Parliament for Rotherham and a member of the South Yorkshire, and national, Mayoral Combined Youth Authority and Public Transport Youth Group.

Safaa Shreef, Barnsley Youth Council and the British Youth Council Steering Group

Curtis has used his position within Rotherham Youth Cabinet to campaign strongly against the climate emergency and volunteers tirelessly for a sustainable environment.

Safaa has spent years being a part of youth voice and leading climate action in Barnley and South Yorkshire.

Public Sector Organisation of the Year - To be announced

Green Ambassador of the Year - To be announced

Don’t miss the awards ceremony at Magna on Thursday September 22 when the winners will be revealed, including the coveted Lifetime Achievement Award.

Buy tickets at https://southyorkshiresustainabilityawards.co.uk/

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