SEEDA CELEBRATES SUSTAINABLE BUSINESSES ACROSS THE SOUTH
EAST
27 November 2003
For the third successive year, businesses across the South East of England
have been recognised for their commitment to environmental quality and
social well-being at the Sustainable Business Awards for the South East.
The Awards, organised by the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA)
and supported by the Institute of Directors (IoD), highlight the relationship
between environmentally friendly, socially responsible business management
and commercial success.
With awards going to companies as diverse as George Gale & Co. Ltd,
Hampshire's oldest family brewer and Buckinghamshire-based manufacturer
Ercol Furniture Ltd, this year's competition was tougher than ever.
After receiving scores of entries from all over the South East, the Awards' Judging
Panel selected 20 finalists, each of which was judged on its ability to
improve performance by integrating sustainable practices into its operations.
Judging criteria for the Awards included environmental management, energy
efficiency, waste minimisation, social responsibility, supply chain management,
transport, innovation and economic benefits.
Directors and staff from the 20 finalists, together with many of the
region's business leaders, attended an Awards ceremony and dinner
at the Esher Hall, Sandown Park Racecourse, Surrey, where the winners
and runners-up of the Sustainable Business Awards for the South East 2003
were announced by BBC TV News presenter, Natasha Kaplinsky.
SEEDA's Head of Sustainable Development, Graham Tubb MBE, said
that the winners of the 2003 Awards exemplified the new sustainable approach
to business that SEEDA was trying to encourage. "Sustainability
makes sound commercial sense," he said. "It is not a luxury
or an add-on. Companies that integrate sustainability into their business
practice are well placed to turn it to their commercial advantage."
SEEDA's Chief Executive, Anthony Dunnett, praised all the Sustainable
Business Partnerships (SBPs) across the region for their role in promoting
best practice by engaging directly with companies in their areas. By promoting
more efficient utility management among companies of all sizes, the SBPs
have saved South East businesses almost £1.2 million during the
past two years.
Mr Dunnett is proud that the South East is the first English region to
make sustainability a cornerstone of its Regional Economic Strategy (RES)
and that sustainable principles underpinned all of SEEDA's activities.
The South East has adopted a number of measures to promote sustainability,
Mr Dunnett explained, including the formation of an Environmental Technologies
sector group for the region, the South East Water Resources Forum, the
Building for Nature advisory service and most recently the launch of the
Sustainability Checklist for Developments in the South East to improve
levels of sustainable construction in future building projects.
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