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Sustainable Innovation Award

This award aims to reward and celebrate outstanding advances by Yorkshire & Humber businesses in environmental sustainability through the development and marketing of innovative products, processes and services. This award can also recognise organisations that have introduced innovative management of natural, manufactured and human resources, for the long-term benefit of their staff, shareholders, customers, suppliers, the environment and the wider community.

What do we mean by ‘sustainable innovation?’

All sustainable development is by definition innovative since it introduces a new way of meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising the needs of future generations. It is concerned with living within the planet’s environmental limits, ensuring natural resources remain unimpaired for future generations, and using sound science responsibly in order to achieve a sustainable economy. Quite simply, using responsible business practices and sustainable innovation to achieve performance improvements and cost savings makes sound business sense.

The Yorkshire and Humber Innovation Awards are looking for businesses that can demonstrate commitment to minimising their impact on the environment, and success in reducing their carbon footprint, whilst achieving significant economic, commercial and business benefits from their actions.

There are two ways in which businesses can demonstrate their commitment to sustainability for the Awards:

Market Innovation (Option A)

Applicants may have developed and introduced to the market an innovative technology, product, process or service which significantly reduces the use of scarce natural resources, increases the use of renewable and recycled materials and energy sources, or reduces the production of harmful wastes (a market innovation)

OR

Performance Innovation (Option B)

Applicants may have introduced innovative technologies, products, processes or practices into their own business which improve its use of materials, energy and other natural resources resulting in significant efficiency and cost benefits, reductions in waste and emissions and major improvements in business performance (a performance innovation).

Entrants need to decide which type of sustainability option they are appropriate for, and complete the appropriate application form.

Typical projects might involve:
 

• Installation or construction of state-of-the-art energy efficient buildings and processes
• Development of new low-carbon or renewable technologies or products based on those technologies
• Reductions in the use of emission of greenhouse gases in core business operations
• Introduction of organisation-wide and cost-reducing systems to reduce food, packaging, energy, material or other wastes, or to increase usage of recycled and renewable materials
• Design and development of new products and technologies incorporating eco-friendly, recyclable or sustainable materials and process
• Re-design of products resulting in significantly reduced packaging, transportation, storage or other costs in its production and distribution
• Introduction of novel services or business models which have a positive impact on carbon footprint
• Working with suppliers and customers to increase the use of sustainable or environmentally-friendly raw materials, or minimise the energy required to manufacture or use them.

Eligibility criteria:

1. For market innovations, the technology, product, process or service must have been developed in the Yorkshire and Humber region.
2. For performance innovations, the innovative technology, product, process, service or practice introduced must be new to the region and/or the industry sector.
3. The innovation must be new, evolved or significantly improved products, processes, services or business models that are ground-breaking in their sector, industry or market.
4. The innovation must result in significant economic and/or commercial benefits for the business.

The Sustainable Innovation application will be available in two versions: the Market Innovation and the Performance Innovation. All entries will be judged and scored against all other entries in the Sustainable Innovation category, resulting in one overall winner. However, the different judging criteria will ensure that all entries will be judged equally.