Best Initiative by a Large Business

in association with Tesco

WINNER Whitbread Hotels & Restaurants and Veolia Environmental Services – Landfill Diversion Initiative

Whitbread, the UK’s largest hospitality company, has partnered with environmental services company Veolia to prevent thousands of tonnes of waste from hotels and restaurants going to landfill. Whitbread’s landfill diversion from its 590 Premier Inns increased dramatically from 49% to 66% between November 2009 and January 2011. By diverting waste – for example to anaerobic digestion – the hotels slashed direct CO2 emissions by 820,000 tonnes. Their diversion of food waste on a national scale is a first for the UK hospitality industry. The two companies report that a further 4.5 million tonnes of potential future CO2 emissions were avoided by recycling paper, plastic and metal, and by using the hotel waste to generate electricity. http://tinyurl.com/6f7bhk8

InterfaceFLOR – Mission Zero

InterfaceFLOR has pulled the rug from under the carbon emissions of carpets. The world’s leading supplier of carpet tiles, with a UK base in Halifax, has reduced its carbon emissions per square metre of carpet by 40% over the last five years. That achievement is part of the company’s “mission zero” – to eliminate its environmental impact by 2020. Its use of recycled and bio-based material reached 36% in 2009, it has introduced flooring which contains 40% less oil-based yarn, and a new ultrasonic machine reduces waste when cutting floor tiles by 80%. InterfaceFLOR also collects old carpets from its customers and uses them to make new carpet. http://tinyurl.com/6kromd4

Jewson – Making Sense of Sustainability

A crucial resource in making our homes greener is Britain’s army of small local builders. One of the UK’s three biggest builders’ merchants, Jewson, is using the influence and credibility it has with local builders to change habits, spread knowledge about green building techniques and increase the use of more sustainable materials. Central to this is its Sustainable Building Guide launched in November 2010. It gives practical advice on everything from foundations and floors to insulation, renewable energy and water management, as well as information about legislation and financing. Jewson has also hosted sustainability days at its branches. http://tinyurl.com/6coywzn

Scottish Leather Group – Low Carbon Leather

Scottish Leather Group, the largest leather producer in the UK, has combined environmental responsibility with commercial success. It designed a £6 million thermal energy plant, installed in July 2010, to turn its waste into energy – a world first for the leather industry. The company previously sent 27,000 tonnes of waste to landfill each year, requiring 100,000 road-miles of transport. This waste is now used in the on-site thermal plant, reducing the carbon footprint of leather at the company’s Bridge of Weir tannery by 40%. The company’s environmental credentials have generated a 30% increase in demand for its leather. http://tinyurl.com/64t58bl