Local authorities, business and third sector organisations came together on Monday 25th March 2019 for Greater Manchester’s second Green Summit where event sponsor, Groundwork in Greater Manchester, a not-for-profit organisation with an environmental heart, launched an awards programme for businesses and community groups which focuses on how they can actively contribute to the city regions challenging sustainability commitments.
Mike Ormerod, Executive Director at Groundwork, has been a Green Summit Steering Group member for the past two years and helped shape the Greater Manchester Springboard Report, which has since developed into the GM 5 Year Environment Plan. In addition to this he was keen to develop opportunities for businesses and community groups that allow for practical participation towards the city region’s sustainability goals and as such, the Groundwork Sustainable Business Awards were launched.
The Groundwork Sustainable Business Awards is an accreditation scheme that requires continual improvement across 4 areas; social impact, environmental performance, quality performance & health & safety. The awards have been designed for businesses of all sizes plus as well as community groups or other organisations such as schools and churches.
The award benchmarks include targets such as:
• Diverting over 50% waste from landfill.
• Maintaining a register of applicable health and safety legislation.
• Introducing apprenticeship programmes to upskill young people, back-to work, or career shifters.
• Training to improve product or service quality.
The awards journey starts at the Seed stage moving through to the Shoot and Sapling stages and finishing as Seasoned; where businesses are able to demonstrate leadership in sustainable best practice with improved performance and social value.
For more details on the new accreditation scheme please Groundwork Sustainable Business Awards 2019.
The first organisation to sign up to the awards is Beever and Struthers, an award winning firm of Chartered Accountants and Business Advisors in the heart of Manchester. With a history of sustainable action Beever and Struthers are building on their involvement in Manchester’s Environmental Business Pledge and are working with a member of the Groundwork team to explore their current position and aspirations across the four categories of environment, health and safety, social impact and quality for the upcoming years.
Geraldine Finn, Business Development Director at Beever and Struthers commented,
“Beever and Struthers is committed to becoming a truly sustainable business through minimising any adverse effects our activities have on both the local and wider environment. We hope that the scheme will support us in our goals of holistic sustainability that will contribute to reducing environmental, impact, leaving a positive legacy in the communities we operate, inputting in the zero carbon Manchester by 2038 and keeping our family of staff safe and well, and upskilling the next generation.”
Mike Ormerod, Executive Director at Groundwork commented,
“Groundwork has a clear and simple aspiration to play a leading role in ensuring that there is a sustainable and resilient future for people, places and businesses in Greater Manchester. Our new awards scheme not only supports organisations to take practical and effective measures to improve their sustainability and reduce their impact on the planet, but it also provides a visible sign of their commitment to social justice. It’s also really important to understand that companies who take sustainability seriously are also enhancing their resilience and competiveness!”