Sustainable 60 Awards Winners Announced

Winners of the Sustainable 60 Awards 2014 have been announced, with nine companies recognised as New Zealand’s most sustainable businesses.

The annual Sustainable 60 Awards recognise sustainable business excellence in New Zealand and are supported by Fairfax Media and the Sustainable Business Council, along with partners Deloitte, the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) and Sustainable Edge. The Awards provide an opportunity for companies to showcase and be recognised for their commitment to sustainable business, share best practice – and celebrate success.

The nine winning companies were recognised across five award categories including community, environment, marketplace, workplace, strategy and governance. There are also overall sustainable business awards (small, medium, large) that recognise consistently good performance across all categories, and an energy management commendation, presented to the most energy efficient company.

Sustainable 60 Award Winners

This year’s entries were judged by a panel of 10 experts from New Zealand Superannuation Fund, Ebos Group, Business NZ, Massey University, 37 Degrees South, impactCR, Deloitte and Fairfax Media.

Competition convenor and sustainability consultant, Annette Lusk says this year’s winners represent a significant shift towards sustainable practices across multiple areas of business operation, with the high standard of entries making judging the 2014 awards a difficult task.

“This year we saw some really exciting innovations from smaller businesses, such as Mr Box, the winner of the overall sustainable business in the small business category.

“A Christchurch-based business which constructs concrete foundations, Mr Box uses an innovative formwork system that is reusable, easy to clean, cost effective and can save 25 – 30 hours on the job. Unlike traditional timber boxing this revolutionary patented new formwork uses aluminium panels and steel pegs, attached using custom-made clamps.”

Winner of the marketplace category award, Active Refrigeration, implemented game changing technology for manufacturing processes. Active Refrigeration is an industrial refrigeration company that is using an innovative manufacturing processes that requires cooling and heating of liquid substances at the same time. Their heat pump technology replaces the need for separate refrigeration and boiling units and uses natural refrigerants such as ammonia.

Awards judge and Deloitte Partner, Jacqueline Robertson believes it’s important to recognise and share stories about New Zealand companies that are taking sustainable business practices seriously.

“There is emerging evidence that companies that take a broader view of their risks and opportunities, and consider they have a broader role to play in society can make a positive difference in their communities, and reduce their impact on the environment whilst protecting and growing their bottom line.

“One company that particularly stood out was DB Breweries,” Jacqueline continues.  “Often in larger companies, sustainability is the domain of marketing or communications, or is driven by one particularly strong personality. It’s fantastic to see a company of DB Breweries’ size start to embed sustainability goals and targets through its entire management team – from procurement to sales, HR and finance – and even creating a role for internal audit to provide assurance that internal sustainability information is reliable.”

Visit http://www.sustainable60.co.nz to find out more