CREST Business Awards – Surrey’s only awards programme focused uniquely on celebrating sustainable businesses – added its voice to a film for the official COP26 website.

CREST was launched by the News & Mail in association with Surrey University’s Centre for Environment and Sustainability (CES). The News & Mail’s managing director Terry Tidbury was asked to give the COP26 community an insight into the awards scheme.

“It was a big moment for us to bring CREST Awards to the attention of a global stage and we welcomed the fact that Surrey County Council, who is our headline sponsor for the second year running, acknowledged the value they are bringing to the collective efforts to combat the climate change crisis,” said Terry.

He was speaking at a recent greener travel event in Farnham with the theme “How to reduce carbon emissions from transport in a rural county” which was broadcast live on the COP26 conference website, where it is still posted as part of regional contributions from around the UK.

The CREST team was joined by Doug Johnson, managing director of CREST21 Sustainability Impact winner Mesh Energy, who explained how his company helps developers, designers and architects to decarbonise buildings and also take in-house steps to meet those values, adding that “as part of that we entered the awards in two categories”.

Carol Miller, co-director of the awards, gave an insight into some of the environmentally sustainable initiatives highlighted in the CREST21 Awards in May this year: “The entries come from small enterprises to large international businesses that work in the county.

“The commercial world has a very important part to play in leading environmental sustainability. We are fortunate to be working with the University of Surrey’s CES, which not only helped us to develop the awards but is now working with CREST21 category winners to help them increase their sustainability.”

Cllr Marisa Heath, Surrey County Council Cabinet Member for Environment, said: “We’re delighted to be headline sponsor for the CREST awards again next year. It’s a great initiative to shine a light on the fantastic work Surrey businesses are doing to reduce their carbon footprint. Supporting the green economy in Surrey is an essential part of helping us achieve our aim of being a net zero carbon county by 2050.”

CREST22 Business Awards will be taking place on 19 May 2022 at the WWF UK’s Living Planet Centre in Woking. The scheme will also be showcased at the Surrey Climate Change Delivery Plan launch at the Surrey Hills Area of Natural Outstanding Beauty Symposium 2021 on Wednesday at the University of Surrey, focused on “Our Climate and Biodiversity Emergency” with keynote speaker Dr Tony Juniper, the chairman of Natural England.

* To find out more about CREST Business Awards visit www.crestawardssurrey.co.uk