Whitbread scoops the ASDA Environmental Leadership Award at the Business in the Community’s Responsible Business Awards 2016
- Whitbread wins theASDA Environmental Leadership Award at Business in the Community’s Responsible Business Awards, attended by HRH The Prince of Wales
- Responsible Business Award winners in 11 categories showcase businesses driving positive change and tackling major global and local issues.
Whitbread was named winner of the ASDA Environmental Leadership Award at Business in the Community’s 2016 Annual Responsible Business Gala in London last night.
The event at the O2 arena was the culmination of the 2016 Responsible Business Awards, run by The Prince of Wales’s charity Business in the Community to celebrate the innovative ways that businesses in the UK and abroad are making a sustained difference and transforming communities.
Whitbread’s award winning initiative with an innovative approach to integrating sustainable technologies and construction techniques in the design and build of the Costa Eco-Pod and hub by Premier Inn, St Martin’s Lane, has delivered outstanding results. hub by Premier Inn is the first hotel in the world to achieve the BREEAM ‘Outstanding’ rating and the Costa Eco-Pod is the UK’s first zero energy retail unit.
The pioneering sustainability efforts of both Premier Inn and Costa are tackling climate change and saving energy through these two trail-blazing environmental projects. hub by Premier Inn on St. Martin’s Lane in London has achieved 40% less water usage and 30% less energy usage than building regulations require, whilst 100% renewable energy supplies the site. The Costa Eco-Pod in Telford achieves neutral energy consumption, with renewable energy created on site balancing out the cost of energy consumed. Both models are replicable at scale and are great testing grounds for pushing innovation and seeing what can be done by combining technologies together.
Commenting on the award Alison Brittain, CEO at Whitbread of said:
“Whitbread’s challenge is to ensure that, as we open new hotels and coffee shops we manage our carbon footprint and minimise our energy usage, water consumption and production of waste. I’m delighted that we’ve won this award which recognises the innovative and tremendous work our teams are doing to build a more sustainable business and set a standard of environmental leadership for the hospitality sector.”
Almost 300 companies entered the 2016 Responsible Business Awards. The winners represent the varied ways that businesses can make a sustained difference, tackling a breadth of issues from youth unemployment, mental health and wellbeing to international disaster relief and the Ebola crisis.
Stephen Howard, Chief Executive, Business in the Community said:
“The Responsible Business Awards provide the proof that from the largest global multinational to the smallest local firm, business is a powerful force for good in society. This year we have seen some profound examples of what business can achieve when it puts responsibility at the heart of its operations. I congratulate Whitbread for the practical action it has taken to build a fairer world and more sustainable future.”
Over 1,600 senior guests, from SME owners to the CEOs of global brands attended the Annual Responsible Business Gala which was supported by 2015 Responsible Business of the Year, Fujitsu. The event was hosted by Sky News and Sports presenter Sarah-Jane Mee, and Jason Bradbury who fronts Channel Five’s The Gadget Show.
To find out more about Whitbread’s award entry, along with the full list of 2016 winners visit www.responsiblebusinessawards.org.uk.
