09 November 2016
A total of nine Scottish companies were recognised as champions of business sustainability at the 17th annual Vision in Business for the Environment of Scotland (VIBES) Awards.
Guala Closures UK Ltd, Edinburgh Leisure, Farne Salmon and Trout Ltd, Edinburgh International Conference Centre, Veracity UK Ltd, Lothian Buses, Marlin Industries Scotland Ltd and Glenuig Inn Ltd each picked up a coveted green award at the ceremony held at Glasgow’s Radisson Blu Hotel on Tuesday 8th November.
Benjamin McIntosh-Michaelis from the University of Strathclyde was also awarded the Hydro Nation Challenge charity award (held in partnership with WaterAid) at the annual VIBES ceremony which was attended by over 300 people from a wide range of Scottish businesses.
A further six businesses (Webhelp UK, Ross-shire Engineering, Changeworks, Brathadair, Bridge Biotechnology and Sunstore Technology) each received commendations for their environmental efforts.
VIBES is Scotland’s leading environmental awards scheme which recognises and rewards businesses contributing to the country’s sustainable development by taking significant steps to improve or reduce their impact on the environment.
This year, 32 Scottish businesses were shortlisted from a record number of entries. Each of the finalists underwent a rigorous judging process, including a programme of site visits, to assess their environmental practices.
The awards aim to encourage efficient use of resources, enhance business competitiveness, improve environmental performance and support wider sustainable development goals.
Awards were presented for Management SME (under 250 employees) and Large (250+ employees), Environmental Product or Service, Transport, Hydro Nation Challenge, Micro Business and Circular Economy along with two new categories, Green Team and Innovation, a special themed award in celebration of Scotland’s Year of Innovation, Architecture and Design which was presented to Guala Closures Ltd.
Gillian Bruce, Chair of the VIBES Awards, commented: “The VIBES Awards recognise and showcase the fantastic work being undertaken by businesses across the country to put sustainability at the heart of their operations, often saving money in the process.
“We have been very impressed with the high standard of entries, and with a record number of companies entering the VIBES Awards this year it is encouraging to see that so many businesses understand how reducing their environmental impact can also benefit their business.
“We would like to congratulate all of our 2016 winners and finalists and hope that many more companies will be inspired to follow in their footsteps by recognising the benefits of sustainability in business.”
Each of the 2016 VIBES winners is now eligible to enter the 2018 European Business Awards for the Environment (EBAE) which is open to winners and runners up of RSA Accredited award schemes. VIBES is the only Scottish based RSA Accredited award scheme.
This year six out of the 10 entries representing the UK were chosen from previous VIBES Awards winners, with CMS Window Systems going on to win the Management (medium and large) Award category at the ceremony in Estonia last month while Perthshire based Jessie Mac’s came runner up in the Management (micro and small) category.
Sponsoring the awards this year is Scottish Government, ScottishPower, Chivas Brothers Pernod Ricard, Anglian Water, Keep Scotland Beautiful, SEPA, NetRegs, Energy Saving Trust and Scottish Centre for Sustainable Practice and Living. The University of Stirling Management School is a venue sponsor.
VIBES is a strategic partnership between Scottish Environment Protection Agency, Scottish Government, Scottish Water, Scottish Enterprise, Highland and Islands Enterprise, Zero Waste Scotland, Energy Saving Trust and Scotland’s 2020 Climate Group. The Awards are further supported by CBI Scotland, the Institute of Directors, the Federation of Small Businesses, Bright Green Business and Quality Scotland.
The Awards are accredited by the RSA Environment Awards Accreditation Scheme (www.rsaaccreditation.org).