Sustainability inspiration from the best in the business at the iiE Awards 2024

Businesses in Northamptonshire are invited to the 2024 iiE Awards on Thursday 21 November at the Allia Future Business Centre in Peterborough.

The prestigious awards, which recognise the green achievements of businesses and organisations, are presented annually by national environmental accreditation scheme Investors in the Environment (iiE). This year’s headline sponsor is green energy company Ecotricity.

Sustainable business guru Mark Shayler will compere the awards presentation, before which attendees can quiz environment specialists and exchange ideas during a morning of sustainability-themed workshops.

These sessions include ‘Effective Action to Support Nature’, which will explore the role organisations of any size can play in reversing biodiversity loss, led by Nick White, Principal Advisor for Net Gain at Natural England, and Alison Chaves, Communities & Education Manager (Great Fen) at Wildlife Trust BCN.

At the same time, experts from RECOUP, the leading independent authority on plastics resource efficiency, will be offering practical advice on how businesses can minimise plastic use and waste.

Later, attendees can get into the finer details of measuring and cutting carbon emissions with iiE Principal Sustainability Consultant David Knight alongside Paul Bowtell, Ecotricity’s Senior Sustainability Manager, or address the impact of work-related travel and commuting with the Energy Saving Trust’s Fleet Support Consultant, Callum Puttock, and Programme Manager, Peter Eggeman.

Key learning points from each workshop will be captured and shared with event attendees.

This year’s keynote speaker, Mark Shayler, will tackle Successful Disruption: Changing Business As Usual For Good. Counting Nike, Unilever, Amazon, and Samsung among his many clients, he works with businesses to embed sustainability into their products and services, accelerating their growth in changing markets.

Mark has saved businesses over £160m per annum through environmental improvements, boosted product sales by 8,000 per cent by introducing circular economy business models, and trained over 2,000 people in sustainability.

Announcing this year’s awards programme, iiE’s National Lead and Principal Sustainability Consultant, Antony Gough, said: “The 2024 iiE Awards are more than just about celebrating success; they are also a fantastic opportunity for business leaders from all sectors to meet like-minded people and up their sustainability game.

“We’re really excited to be offering workshops which provide expert advice for any business looking to reduce its environmental impact and make a positive difference. We’re grateful to all our sponsors for making it possible.”

This year’s iiE Awards at Peterborough’s Allia Future Business Centre run from 10:30am to 4pm. Organisations in Northamptonshire can register to attend the morning workshop sessions for free. A networking lunch follows the second workshop session prior to the awards presentation in the afternoon.

The awards are open to accredited iiE members. There are nine categories, recognising efforts by small to medium-sized enterprises and larger businesses to reduce resource use, support nature, influence change, and make a positive social impact.

This year’s sponsors and supporters include Roythornes Solicitors, Compare the Market, Green Energy Switch, Redwood Bank, Elanco, MWI Animal Health, Cambridge & Counties Bank, Hunt & Coombs Solicitors, and Waterwise.

For the full 2024 iiE Awards programme, head to: https://www.iie.uk.com/iie-awards/