Categories & Criteria


The awards offer 29 categories, with new categories being introduced for 2024 which provide the business community a new platform to promote their achievements.


Please find the full category list below. 


Click on the arrow to view the full criteria and to enter your chosen category.

Company Categories

Open to any communications, advertising, marketing and/or PR agency that has successfully promoted green businesses and the merits of the UK green economy over the past 18 months. The judges are looking for an organisation that has significantly raised the profile of its clients' green products, services, and/or activities through innovative multi-platform campaigns, while also engaging a wide range of audiences with effective messaging that encourages them to embrace more sustainable products and behaviours. The strongest entries will showcase the agency's approach to communicating green messages, provide clear evidence of the successful campaigns it has orchestrated, and demonstrate how it works to enhance its own environmental performance.

Successful entries should include information on:

- How has the agency promoted green clients and encouraged engagement with the green economy?

- What successful green campaigns has the agency delivered over the past 18 months, how were they developed, and what impact did they have?

- How has the agency worked to build public and stakeholder support for the net zero transition and green economy?

- How has the agency worked to curb its own environmental impacts?

Could you be the UK Green Business Awards’ Communications Agency of the Year?

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The UK Green Business Awards flagship award is open to any business with a UK presence that has embodied the values and advanced the cause of the green economy and the net zero transition over the past 18 months. The judges are not looking for perfection, but they do want to hear from organisations that are genuinely committed to developing new and more sustainable ways of doing business, and can demonstrate tangible progress towards ambitious environmental and sustainable development goals. The best entries will provide detailed evidence of the initiatives they are undertaking to reduce their environmental impacts; develop new clean technologies, products, and services; instil an environmentally-engaged working culture; and promote the wider green economy.

Successful entries should include information on:

- How has the company embodied the values of the green economy?

- What examples can the company provide of successful green projects and innovations?

- How has the company worked with employees other and stakeholders to promote more sustainable business models and green practices?

- How has the organisation supported the development of the wider green economy?

- What can others learn from its work?

Do you work for the inaugural UK Green Business Awards’ Company of the Year?

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Open to any consultancy or advisory firm that has helped UK organisations deliver substantial and quantifiable improvements in their environmental performance over the past year. The judges are looking for innovative approaches and a commitment to promoting fundamental changes in business models that help clients prepare for the technological and economic transformations that define the green economy. The category is open to consultancies of any size, but all successful entries will show how firms have helped clients navigate emerging trends and embrace the new technologies and techniques that drive improvements in environmental performance and help organisations tackle environmental risks and challenges.

Successful entries should include information on:

- How has the consultancy helped clients curb their environmental impacts and transition towards more sustainable business models?

- What examples can the consultancy provide of successful projects that have enhanced clients’ environmental and commercial performance?

- How has the consultancy innovated to drive forward the development of the green economy?

- How has the consultancy worked to curb its own environmental impacts?

Could you be the 2024's UK Green Business Awards’ Consultancy of the Year?

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Open to any bank, fund, asset manager or pension firm that is successfully taking proactive steps to enhance its environmental, social, and governance (ESG) products and credentials, this award will celebrate those institutional investors that are pioneering a new and genuinely sustainable approach to investment. The judges are looking for investors that are both mobilising support for greener industries and reducing exposure to unsustainable and polluting business practices. The best entries will provide evidence of how the firm has strengthened its ESG policies and investment strategy, providing a template for others to follow while also delivering attractive returns for clients. They will also provide a clear explanation of the company's ESG strategy and activities, evidence of how effective the strategy has proven, and an insight into how the investor has helped to drive greener business practices and improved climate risk management across its portfolio.

Successful entries should include information on:

- How would you summarise the firm's ESG investment strategy?

- How has the strategy delivered both commercial and environmental gains?

- What challenges has the strategy had to overcome?

- How has the firm helped advance the wider ESG investment trend?

- How has the strategy been received by clients and other stakeholders?

Could you be the 2024 UK Green Business Awards’ ESG Investor of the Year?

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Clean tech and green business innovation is critical to the success of the net zero transition. But innovators need investment, and as such this award is looking to celebrate the early-stage investors that are helping to accelerate the development of environmental and climate solutions. Open to any angel, early stage, venture capital, or private equity investors that are successfully mobilising investments in start-up and scale-up green businesses, this award aims to recognise those investors that are working to turbocharge the green economy’s innovation ecosystem. The judges are looking for firms that have a highly effective approach for selecting and nurturing early-stage green firms and a strong track record of helping companies to deliver on their promise.

Successful entries should include information on:

- How would you summarise the firm's green investment strategy?

- How has the strategy delivered both commercial and environmental gains?

- What challenges has the strategy had to overcome?

- How has the firm helped early-stage green businesses deliver on their goals?

- How has the strategy been received by clients and other stakeholders?

Could you be the UK Green Business Awards’ Early-Stage Investor of the Year?

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If national and international climate goals are to be met the green economy needs to grow, and fast. This award is for those green companies that are expanding at a rapid clip and disrupting their sectors in pursuing of both environmental and commercial gains. Open to any company enjoying revenue growth of over 50 per cent a year, the award is looking to honour businesses that are not just growing fast, but are delivering innovative green products and business models that can help accelerate the wider net zero transition. The judges want to hear from green businesses with an impressive track record, innovative approach, and ambitious plans to sustain their recent growth.

Successful entries should include information on:

- How did the business come to focus on environmental issues?

- How rapidly is the business growing and how is it working to sustain that growth?

- What challenges has the business had to overcome?

- How is it supporting the net zero transition and the development of the green economy?

- How is it engaging employees, customers, and other stakeholders in its environmental efforts?

- How have the company's environmental efforts been received?

Could you be the 2024 UK Green Business Awards’ Fast Track Company of the Year?

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The hospitality sector has placed itself at the cutting edge of efforts to develop more sustainable business models, and as such the UK Green Business Awards wants to celebrate the many pioneering restaurants, bars, hotels, and hospitality firms that are taking meaningful steps to slash their environmental impacts. The judges are looking for firms that are embracing new products and approaches that can curb their environmental footprint, working with suppliers to develop lower impact products, and promoting more sustainable behaviours to customers. The award is open to hospitality firms of any size and from any sector that can show they are adopting innovative green practices and working towards ambitious environmental goals.

- How did the business develop its sustainability strategy?

- What steps has it taken to reduce its environmental impacts?

- How is it communicating its sustainability credentials to customers?

- How is it working with suppliers to reduce its carbon emissions and wider environmental impacts?

- What has the response been to the company's environmental efforts?

Could you be the inaugural UK Green Business Awards’ Hospitality Firm of the Year?

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How can retailers help enable the drive the net zero transition and a shift towards more sustainable consumption patterns? The UK Green Business Awards wants to hear from retailers that are pioneering efforts to slash environmental impacts and promote greener products and behaviours right across their value chain. The judges are looking for companies that are embracing innovative practices and technologies that can deliver a greener and more sustainable retail industry. The award is open to retailers of any size that can demonstrate how they are curbing environmental impacts and driving the adoption of best practices through their supply chains, operations, and/or products and marketing.

Successful entries should include information on:

- How has the business taken steps to curb its environmental impacts?

- How is the business working to decarbonise the retail sector and advance the net zero transition?

- How has the business prioritised its green initiatives and where it has deployed best practices and clean technologies to reduce its impacts?

- How has the business promoted its environmental efforts and/or green products?

- What has the response been to the company's environmental efforts?

Could you be the2024 UK Green Business Awards’ Retailer of the Year?

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This award is open to any business employing fewer than 100 people that is committed to playing a leading role in the green economy through the development of new products and services and/or the pioneering of sustainable business models. The judges are looking for UK small and medium-sized entities that have over the past year curbed their environmental impacts and successfully promoted the importance of greener products, services, and business models. Successful entrants will showcase their environmental credentials, detail the steps they have taken to improve their environmental performance, provide clear evidence of their success, and explain how they are working to drive green progress across the wider economy.

Successful entries should include information on:

- How did the business come to focus on environmental issues?

- How has the business taken steps to reduce its environmental impacts?

- How is it supporting the net zero transition and the development of the green economy?

- How is it engaging employees, customers, and other stakeholders in its environmental efforts?

- How have the company's environmental efforts been received?

Could you be the 2024 UK Green Business Awards’ Small Business of the Year?

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Is your company one of the UK’s top green manufacturers? Are you delivering green products or pioneering efforts to slash the environmental footprint of your existing products? In which case, the UK Green Business Awards want to hear from you. Open to manufacturers that are working to reduce their environmental impacts and support the transition to a greener economy, this award will celebrate those innovative organisations that are pioneering the adoption of green manufacturing best practices and clean technologies. The judges are looking for manufacturers who have taken proactive steps to enhance the efficiency and/or improve the environmental performance of their operations, while embracing new clean technologies or approaches. The best entries will include a clear explanation of the steps your organisation has taken in the past year to bolster its green credentials, an insight into the rationale for its green measures, and detailed information and/or data on the environmental gains that have resulted.

Successful entries should include information on:

- How has the business taken steps to curb its environmental impacts?

- How is the business working to decarbonise the manufacturing sector and advance the net zero transition?

- How has the businesses embraced green best practices and clean technologies?

- How has the business promoted its environmental efforts and/or green products?

- What has the response been to the company's environmental efforts?

Could you be the UK Green Business Awards’ Manufacturer of the Year?

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Project Categories

Open to any campaign that has sought to shift public or employee behaviours in support of environmental goals over the past year. The judges are looking for ambitious, innovative, and effective programmes and campaigns that have raised awareness of environmental issues and demonstrably led to environmental performance improvements. Entries will explain how the campaign was developed, who it targeted, and what it aimed to achieve; demonstrate how barriers to behaviour change were overcome; and show how support for green best practices was secured and maintained.

Successful entries should include information on:

- What did the campaign aim to achieve and how did it deliver on its goals?

- Who did the campaign target?

- What creative approaches did the campaign take to deliver effective messaging?

- What evidence is there of the campaign's success?

- How was the campaign received by its target audience and wider stakeholders?

Did you work on the UK Green Business Awards’ Behaviour Change Campaign of the Year?

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Open to any project or organisation that has advanced the understanding and adoption of circular economy business models and enabled a more circular flow of resources. The judges are looking for genuinely innovative and exciting projects from across the UK that have curbed waste levels and enhanced resource security by enabling the extended use, avoided use, re-use, and/or recycling of products and materials. Entries should demonstrate not only how they have enabled more circular resource flows, but also how they have developed scalable and commercially viable circular economy business models that can deliver environmental and financial benefits, enhance resource security, and reduce waste levels.

Successful entries should include information on:

- How does the project support the development of a circular economy?

- How has the project enhanced resource efficiency and delivered material savings?

- What innovations has the project demonstrated?

- What challenges did the project have to overcome?

- How has the project been received by customers and stakeholders?

Did you deliver the UK Green Business Awards’ Circular Economy Project of the Year?

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Open to any carbon intensive firm that has taken innovative steps over the past 18 months to curb its carbon footprint and deploy new clean technologies. Whether the project involves deploying carbon capture, hydrogen, alternative fuel, electrification, and/or energy efficiency technologies, the judges are looking for high impact and scalable projects that can help slash emissions from the UK’s ‘hard to abate’ industries while enhancing long term competitiveness.

- How was project instigated and delivered?

- How was the business case for the project developed?

- What challenges did the project have to overcome?

- How has the project been received by stakeholders?

- What can others learn from the project and the way it was delivered?

Could your entry be the inaugural UK Green Business Awards’ Low Carbon Industrial Project of the Year?

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Did your organisation deliver one of the most inspiring and impactful green marketing or advertising campaign of the past year? In which case, the UK Green Business Awards wants to hear from you. The Marketing/Advertising Campaign of the Year Award is open to any organisation that has delivered a campaign that successfully promoted green products, services, achievements, or causes to its target audience. The judges are looking for innovative and effective green messaging that avoids marketing clichés and identifies new approaches for driving either demand for green businesses or awareness of environmental issues. The best entries will provide an insight into the campaign's backstory, clearly set out what the campaign was trying to achieve and the techniques it used to deliver on its goals, while provide compelling data to demonstrate its effectiveness.

Successful entries should include information on:

- What did the campaign aim to achieve and how did it deliver on its goals?

- What creative approaches did the campaign take to deliver effective messaging?

- What evidence is there of the campaign's success?

- How was the campaign received by its target audience and wider stakeholders?

Did you deliver the 2024 UK Green Business Awards’ Marketing/Advertising Campaign of the Year?

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Open to any business-backed project that aims to protect and enhance nature. Whether the project is part of a CSR programme, a sustainable supply chain initiative, a regenerative agriculture strategy, or a credible carbon offset scheme, the judges are looking for innovative projects that deliver effective environmental gains, boost biodiversity, and bolster natural capital. The best entries will include a clear overview of how and why the project was developed, the business' role within it, how it overcome some of the complex challenges facing nature recovery initiatives, and how it has helped raise awareness of the critical importance of nature.

Successful entries should include information on:

- What did the campaign aim to achieve and how did it deliver on its goals?

- How was the project developed and delivered?

- How did the organisation work with partners and other stakeholders to deliver the project?

- What challenges did the project have to overcome and how did it maximise its impact?

- What evidence is there of the project's success?

- What can others learn from the project and how cold it be replicated more widely?

Could your project be named as the 2024 UK Green Business Awards’ Nature-Based Project of the Year?

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Ever more businesses have net zero targets and strategies in place, and this award aims to recognise the UK’s best decarbonisation plans. The Net Zero Strategy of the Year Award is open to any business that has adopted or strengthened its emission reduction strategy in the past 18 months in support of the UK's wider net zero goals. The judges are looking for plans that incorporate clear, ambitious, and credible emissions reduction targets, and an innovative and comprehensive strategy for moving the business onto a net zero emission decarbonisation trajectory. We are not looking for a strategy that necessarily has all the answers on how to decarbonise the business, but the best entries will showcase how the organisation is striving to cut its emissions and working on ambitious plans to overcome the various barriers faced by the net zero transition.

Successful entries should include information on:

- How were your net zero targets set and how have you ensured they are credible and ambitious?

- How was the wider net zero strategy developed?

- What steps have been taken to deliver on the strategy?

- How will progress against the targets be monitored?

- How does the strategy support the economy-wide net zero emissions goal?

Did your organisation deliver the UK Green Business Awards’ Net Zero Strategy of the Year?

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Open to any UK project that is working to boost recycling rates be it through new technologies, infrastructure, services, or behaviour change. The judges are looking for genuinely innovative, high-impact projects that have demonstrably reduced waste levels and boosted recycling rates. Entries should demonstrate how the project was developed and how it delivered on its goals. The judges are particularly interested in seeing scalable solutions that can help drive up national recycling rates that have flatlined in recent years.

Successful entries should include information on:

- How was the project instigated and what did it aim to achieve?

- How did the project deliver on its goals?

- What barriers did the project have to overcome?

- How was the project received by stakeholders?

Could your entry be the UK Green Business Awards’ Recycling Project of the Year?

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Did your organisation deliver one of the UK’s most innovative and impactful renewable energy projects over the past year? Renewable energy is the lifeblood of the green economy and we’re looking to celebrate the projects that represent the very best of the fast-expanding sector. The award is open to any UK renewable energy project delivered over the past year that can demonstrate environmental and economic benefits, be it a large scale infrastructure project, community scale development, or micro-generation onsite project. The judges are looking for projects that deliver technical innovation, effective community and stakeholder engagement, green jobs, and clean energy that contributes to the UK’s climate and energy security goals. The best entries will provide a clear picture of how the project was developed and delivered, metrics on its performance, and a sense of how the project can act as an exemplar for future developments.

Successful entries should include information on:

- How was the project instigated and delivered?

- What environmental and economic benefits has the project resulted in?

- How were steps taken to minimise environmental impacts and maximise benefits?

- What challenges did the project have to overcome?

- How was the project received by stakeholders?

- What lessons can other projects learn from the initiative?

Did you work on the UK Green Business Awards’ Renewable Energy Project of the Year?

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Decarbonising supply chains remains one of the most acute challenges for companies working to deliver on their climate goals. This award will recognise organisations that are embracing pioneering approaches for slashing emissions and environmental impacts from their supply chains and associated logistics. The judges are looking for innovative projects that are successfully curbing supply chain impacts and advancing corporate net zero strategies. Projects could include everything from targeted initiatives to enhance the sustainability of a certain part of the supply chain to full supply chain or logistics transformation projects.

Successful entries should include information on:

- How the project identified challenges to address and what it aimed to achieve?

- How the project delivered on its goals?

- What barriers did the project have to overcome?

- How was the project received by suppliers, partners, and other stakeholders?

Did you deliver the UK Green Business Awards’ Supply Chain and Logistics Project of the Year?

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Open to any UK project that has successfully curbed the environmental impact of transport activities and/or promoted the adoption of more sustainable forms of mobility. The award will recognise innovative and effective green mobility projects that have delivered new technologies or ways of travelling to successfully tackle the environmental and social costs associated with transport activities or infrastructure. The judges are looking for innovative projects that provide clear evidence of environmental savings and can demonstrate how the wider mobility and transport sector across the UK could build on the project's success.

Successful entries should include information on:

- How was the project instigated and delivered? What challenges did the project seek to address?

- What challenges did the project overcome?

- What environmental and wider economic and social benefits has the project delivered?

- How has the project been received by stakeholders?

- What can others learn from the project and the way it was delivered?

Could your entry be the UK Green Business Awards’ Transport Project of the Year?

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The building industry is the source of some of the most inspiring and innovative green projects in the UK, as it strives to demonstrate how low impact and sustainable buildings can be delivered in a way that slashes emissions and costs while enhancing well-being and productivity. The 2024 UK Green Business Awards’ Green Building Project of the Year will recognise genuinely cutting-edge green building projects that have pioneered new designs, techniques, and technologies in pursuit of improved environmental performance. The judges are looking for highly innovative buildings delivered over the past 18 months that demonstrate how the highest environmental credentials can serve to boost a building's efficiency, performance, and attractiveness. The category is open to refurbishment, retrofit, and new build projects that have delivered significant environmental gains and can provide a template for others to follow.

Successful entries should include information on:

- How was the project instigated and what did it aim to achieve?

- What green building innovations were deployed as part of the project?

- How were barriers to the project overcome?

- What measurable environmental and commercial benefits have resulted from the project?

- How has the project been received by customers and stakeholders?

Did you deliver the UK Green Business Awards’ Green Building Project of the Year?

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Decarbonising heat remains one of the most challenging aspects of the net zero transition. However, numerous projects across the UK are working to slash emissions from domestic, commercial, and industrial heating systems. This award will recognise some of the most innovative green heat projects in the UK and celebrate the innovative developers who are demonstrating that low and zero emission heating is possible. The judges are looking for cutting edge projects that deploy green heat technologies to slash emissions and provide a template for other projects to follow. The category is open for any form of low or zero carbon heating technology.

Successful entries should include information on:

- How was the project instigated and what did it aim to achieve?

- What technology was deployed and how was it selected?

- What barriers did the project have to overcome?

- How is the technology performing? What environmental and financial benefits have resulted from the project?

- How was the project received by stakeholders?

Did you work on the UK Green Business Awards’ Green Heat Project of the Year?

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The IT sector continues to play a critical role in driving the net zero transition and this award aim to recognise some of the UK’s most innovative green IT projects as they strive to drive down environmental impacts and catalyse emissions reductions efforts across the economy. Open to any IT project that either reduces direct emissions or enables wider emissions savings, the award aims to showcase scalable projects that can boost productivity while curbing environmental footprints.

- What challenges was the project aiming to address?

- How was the business case for the project developed?

- What challenges did it have to overcome?

- What were the results and how was the project received?

- What can other organisations learn from the project?

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The UK Green Business Awards Innovation of the Year is open to any project or product that has demonstrated genuine innovation in the pursuit of environmental goals over the past year. The judges are looking for a technology, service, or business model that promises to deliver significant environmental gains, be it through deep cuts in greenhouse emissions, energy use, water consumption, waste levels, biodiversity impacts, and/or other improvements. The strongest entries will showcase a genuinely unique technology, service and/or business model that challenges current thinking, promises tangible benefits, and has clear potential to tackle a pressing environmental challenge. They will also explain how the technology, service and/or business model was developed, detail how it is being used, and provide information on plans for its future deployment at scale.

Successful entries should include information on:

- What does the innovation entail and how was it delivered?

- How does the innovation differ from existing approaches in the market?

- What was the impact of the innovation and how is it delivering environmental benefits?

- What challenges has the innovation had to overcome?

- How much potential does the innovation have for wider adoption?

Did you deliver the inaugural UK Green Business Awards’ Innovation of the Year?

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Individual Categories

Who should be named the 2024 UK Green Business Awards Leader of the Year. We are seeking nominations for a CEO or senior executive who has driven the development and adoption of more sustainable business models and/or cutting-edge environmental initiatives that are serving to accelerate the development of the UK’s green economy. The judges are looking to commend an inspiring leader who has not only been instrumental in driving positive environmental change at their organisation, but has also helped to make the wider case for the net zero transition. The strongest contenders will provide clear evidence of the successful initiatives and programmes they have led, provide an impression of their commitment to and understanding of green business issues, and demonstrate how they have helped colleagues and peers embrace green business models and policies.

Successful entries should include information on:

- How did the nominee's leadership help deliver on environmental and commercial goals for their organisation?

- What leadership qualities did the nominee demonstrate?

- What successes have they enjoyed over the past 18 months their role?

- How have they worked with colleagues and partners to deliver on their green goals?

- How have they supported the development of the wider green economy?

- What can others learn from their work?

Could you be the UK Green Business Awards’ Leader of the Year?

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This special award will go to an inspirational leader who has worked to advance the cause of the green economy throughout their entire career. The winner of the award will be selected by the BusinessGreen team with input from our judging panel. However, if you would like to nominate a green business figure who you think is particularly deserving of the BusinessGreen Lifetime Achievement Award then comments on their merits will be taken into consideration.

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This special award will go to the politician who has done the most to advance the cause of the green economy in the past year. The winner of the award will be selected by the BusinessGreen team with input from our judging panel. However, if you would like to nominate a politician who you think is particularly deserving of the title of the UK Green Business Awards’ Politician of the Year then comments on their merits will be taken into consideration.

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Open to any professional that has been working in the green economy for less than six years, but is already tipped by their colleagues and peers as a leader of the future. This award is looking for innovative thinkers who have served to raise the profile of green issues, developed exciting new ideas to tackle environmental problems, and are on track to play a high-profile role in the future development of the low carbon economy. Leading entrants will highlight their main green achievements in their role, demonstrate how they have made an invaluable contribution to their organisation, and showcase how they are helping to drive wider progress across the green economy as a whole.

Successful entries should include information on:

- How the nominee came to work in the green economy and what they have achieved in their role over the past 18 months?

- How have they worked with colleagues and partners to deliver on green goals?

- How have they supported the development of the wider green economy?

- What can others learn from their work?

Are you the UK Green Business Awards’ Rising Star of the Year?

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The Sustainability Leader of the Year aims to recognise the sustainability executives or green entrepreneurs who have made exceptional progress in advance the cause of the green economy over the past 18 months. Open to any executive working to promote and deliver corporate sustainability improvements and drive the development of the green economy, the award aims to celebrate the individuals who are at the heart of efforts to deliver truly sustainable business models and green business innovation. The judges are looking for entrants who have led the delivery of successful corporate sustainability strategy or green business innovations, working closely with colleagues and partners to develop and execute effective environmental initiatives. Leading entrants will provide an overview of their role and responsibilities, detail how they instigated and executed sustainability initiatives over the past year, and explore how they are contributing to the development of the wider green economy.

Successful entries should include information on:

- What does the nominee's role entail and how have they gone about delivering on it over the past 18 months?

- What successes have they enjoyed in their role?

- How have they worked with colleagues and partners to deliver on their green goals?

- How have they supported the development of the wider green economy?

- What can others learn from their work?

Could you be the 2024 UK Green Business Awards’ Sustainability Leader the Year?

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