SURREY’S inaugural business sustainability awards are launching next week.

The CREST21 Business Awards – promoting firms with policies and practices that support the environment – are free to enter, and open to entries from Monday 1 February.

The Surrey CREST21 Business Awards have been founded by the Woking News & Mail, in association with the University of Surrey’s Centre for Environment and Sustainability (CES) and supported by headline sponsor Surrey County Council.

“Surrey County Council is delighted to be headline sponsor as it demonstrates our commitment to working with businesses in the county to tackle climate change,” said Cllr Natalie Bramhall, SCC cabinet member for environment and climate change. “The CREST21 awards highlight the importance of the business sector in reducing carbon emissions in Surrey to achieve our overall aim of being net zero carbon by 2050.”

SCC and major supporter Woking Borough Council both welcome the aim of the awards, which is to bring together the best and brightest from the business community operating in and around the Woking area to celebrate projects, individuals, teams and organisations that are redefining successful business with environmentally sustainable developments, policies and practices.

Terry Tidbury, managing director of the News & Mail, said: “No effort is too small, no aspiration too big in our aims to protect our planet from climate change and to create a sustainable living and working environment. We are very proud to have initiated this rallying call to Surrey businesses, in association with the University of Surrey, and are delighted to have Surrey County Council and our other sponsors on board to help us launch the inaugural CREST21 awards.”

The event will be live streamed from the WWF’s Living Planet Centre, Woking, in May 2021. It will be open to entries from Monday 1 February 2021 through its website https://crestawardssurrey.co.uk/awards/.

Prof Angela Druckman, director of the university’s CES, said: “We are delighted to be part of the inaugural CREST21 awards with the Woking News & Mail. This is especially timely with the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) being hosted in the UK.

“We strive to produce professionals who understand the diverse and challenging nature of sustainability and who are well placed to move the agenda forward in their respective industries. Helping to increase awareness and create opportunities to change business strategy and practices to deliver economic and environmental benefits to industry underpins the ethos of our centre and the reason we place such value on this initiative.”

In recognition of the fact that the CREST21 Business Awards will launch in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the organisers are also announcing today that this year’s award categories will include a “Resilience in Crisis” category. This will recognise the many challenges that local sustainable businesses have successfully overcome during the past 12 months.

There are five awards to enter. Entry is free and open to any organisation, large, small or individual, that is operating in or around the greater Woking area. 

More information on how to enter can be found on the awards website, https://crestawardssurrey.co.uk.

* THERE is still an opportunity to sponsor the awards. Organisations interested in taking a lead as a CREST21 media sponsor can request an information pack by emailing [email protected].