From Arran to Brighton: the UK shines at Ethical Awards

Observer columnist and awards chair, Lucy Siegle, with celebrity campaigner of the year Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, and the night's compere Marcus Brigstocke

This year’s Observer Ethical Awards recognised pioneering ethical heroes from the length and breadth of the UK.

Presented at the Hempel Hotel on June 5th in London, the awards – for which New Consumer was a media partner – celebrated the best in ethical and environmental campaigning and business. Winners were as far spread as Brighton and the Isle of Arran, with a surprise celebrity appearance from singer and eco-endorser Annie Lennox.

New Consumer’s sponsored prize, Best Supermarket/ Online Retailer Initiative of the Year, was carried away for the third year running by innovative online store Natural Collection. Their new ReBox scheme, which reuses cardboard boxes for every delivery, was recognised by Observer ethical columnist and Awards organiser Lucy Siegle as leading the way in packaging.

Al Tepper, head of marketing at Natural Collection, said: “Winning the popular vote for best Online Retailer three years in a row is a fantastic boost to all our team as it tells us that we are sticking to our principals and that that is what customers value more than anything else.

“The ReBox scheme is a simple idea in itself: at least 75% of all Natural Collection orders sent out in boxes now go out in a reused box that we have collected locally. The importance of ReBox is that it shows how easy it is for any business to think about how they can make a positive impact on both their bottom line and the environment.

“I guess we think this makes us special as we have been running innovative initiatives since day one back in 1999 and are always looking at ways to be, as the late and wonderful Dame Anita Roddick put it, Business as Unusual.”

A Brighton primary school was recognised for the Ethical Kids Award, after making a hard-hitting and humorous film about the danger of plastic bags. Balfour Junior School, who unfortunately couldn’t make it to the ceremony itself, were excited to win the gong and the £2,000 prize money. They intend to set up a film network in Brighton to encourage environmental film making across the South East – so watch this space!

The Hempel Hotel garden saw a bit of a Scottish theme, too, as Aberdeen-born singer Annie Lennox made a surprise appearance to present the Aveda conservation project of the year to the Community of Arran Seabed Trust (COAST).

Tom Vella-Boyle, who picked up the award for COAST, expressed his delight at the recognition. “I hope this will help to give us that last push to create our marine no take zone in Lamlash Bay,” he told New Consumer. The campaign aims to create a no-fishing zone in a popular bay of the coast of the Isle of Arran – and despite widespread support, is still to hear whether this will go ahead.

Other winners were:

Celebrity Campaigner of the Year: Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall In 2008 Hugh initiated a high profile campaign to support the welfare of chickens and encourage purchases of free-range chickens.

Grassroots Campaigner of the Year: Anna Heywood Founder of the NUS Sound Impact Awards to encourage environmental thinking across UK universities.

Politician of the Year: Ken Livingstone Despite being defeated in this year’s mayoral election Ken has been at the forefront of green issues in London, initiating the congestion charge and supporting other green transport measures. His political link with the Green Party has reinforced his ethical standpoint.

Best Local Retailer: Warren Evans This London based bed and mattress manufacturer is the only bed maker to be certified by the Forest Stewardship Council. They produce all beds using FSC certified wood, provide environmentally friendly packaging and offer organic mattresses.

The Do-it-Yourself Award: Carshalton Grove Eco Renovation Demonstration Project Russell Smith embarked on a challenging eco-renovation of a Victorian House. The house was deliberately chosen as being particularly hard to convert with no cavity walls and no south facing roofs making insulation and solar harvesting extremely difficult. Russell incorporated a number of energy saving measures, resulting in a targeted 70 per cent reduction of CO2 emissions and a 60 per cent reduction in water use - monitoring systems are in place to assess these reductions.

The Big Idea Award sponsored by Jupiter Asset Management: EWGECO The EWGECO is a utility monitoring unit for homes and businesses. It can monitor electricity, gas and water usage, is portable and can even link up to your PC.

Ethical Business of the Year, sponsored by Triodos Bank: Divine Chocolate Ltd. Divine Is a fair trade chocolate company co-owned by the cocoa farmers co-operative in Ghana, who not only receive a fair price for their cocoa but also share in the company’s profit.

Best Fashion & Accessories: Finisterre From their base in Cornwall, Finisterre create stylish and affordable sportswear with excellent ethical credentials. They have conducted in depth research into fabrics and use recyclable materials with the strength required for surfers and minimal environmental impact.

For more, go the Observer's website here