Cornwall & The Isles of Scilly Sustainability Awards 2025

Entrants for this category will demonstrate best practice for the benefit of the environment, their employees and the wider community. Entrants will show how they have addressed some or all of the following:

• Energy: Do you reduce energy consumption, maximise energy efficiency and/ or generate energy from renewable sources?
• Pollution: Do you take measures to minimise air, water, land, noise and/ or light pollution?
• Waste & resource management: Do you take measures to reduce excessive consumption of resources and reduce waste?
• Water: Do you take measures to reduce water consumption?
• Transport: Do you take measures to minimise the transport impacts associated with your business & those of your staff & any visitors you may have?
• Purchasing and the local economy: Do you purchase in a sustainable way, e.g. buying locally to help the local economy, buying re-used and / or recycled products?
• Buildings and land use: Are your buildings constructed in a sustainable manner and are they, and any land you have, managed sustainably?
• Community participation: Do you support the local community in any way?
• Employment practices (including equality and diversity): Do you increase the skills & education of your workforce and raise staff awareness of sustainability issues?
• Environmental management: Do you have an environmental policy or policies?

This category has two separate awards (with one winner and one runner up each). One award for farmer and landholder plantings and one for communities and groups. Projects would be celebrated as being the most innovative or impactful in their planting goals.

Award One: Farmers and Landholders
Entrants for this category must demonstrate one or more of the following, (with the proviso that new tree planting needs to have been carried out in the last year):

• New tree planting including projects such as orchards, hedgerows, in field trees, agroforestry and planting on all scales.
• Additional planting and improvement to existing woodland to include the restoration of natural habitats, natural regeneration, improving connectivity, biodiversity and wildlife benefits.
• Tree planting to protect and improve water courses to increase buffering, support flood prevention, increase amenity and wildlife benefit.

Award Two: Communities and Groups
Entrants for this category must demonstrate one or more of the following:

• New tree planting – this includes community or local group projects such as orchards, hedgerows, schools, and planting on all scales.
• Creation of a new tree nursery – and supporting local enterprise (either commercial or community based).
• Tree planting projects in urban areas – this includes street trees, parks and green open spaces.
• Additional planting and improvement to existing woodland to include the restoration of natural habitats, natural regeneration, improving connectivity, biodiversity and wildlife benefits.
• Tree planting to protect and improve water courses to increase buffering, support flood prevention, increase amenity and wildlife benefit.

Entrants for this category will have demonstrated one or more of the following:

• Reducing carbon emissions from households, businesses or organisations
• Promoting low carbon choices and behaviour change, e.g. energy usage (heat & power), transport choices
• Reducing emissions from transportation including people and goods
• Creating new opportunities for renewable energy
• Promoting the removal of carbon from the atmosphere through nature-based solutions
• A carbon footprint / inventory and a related carbon reduction action plan

Entrants for this category will have demonstrated one or more of the following:

• Circular product design and innovation
• Repair, re-manufacturing, re-purposing or re-use of products
• Innovative business management models
• Efficient supply chain and/or cross-sector collaboration
• The re-use of material waste, heat or energy
• Impact reporting if available

Applications will be compared in terms of space (amount of land), people (number of employees) and turnover. Entrants for this category will have demonstrated one or more of the following:

• Creation or restoration to wildlife habitat- e.g. orchards, ponds, wildflower meadows/verges, native hedges, street trees or woodlands
• Environmental improvements to buildings or ground e.g. installation of bee bricks, bug hotels, swift boxes, nest boxes, tree planting etc. If applicable, please show anything you are doing for biodiversity net gain, particularly going above the legal requirement of 10% BNG
• Sustainable land management such as agri-food, nature recovery, tree planting, water management and nature-based solutions to climate change such as flood alleviation
• Schemes to reduce invasive species, litter, noise or light pollution in the environment (including coastal and marine areas)
• Initiatives to help people connect with their environment, encouraging them to grow nature and increase public understanding and enjoyment of wildlife- e.g. Forest schools, ecotourism, training programmes
• New environmental products and services

Entrants for this category will have demonstrated how they are growing produce in a sustainable way and managing the land for food and biodiversity by meeting one or more of the following:

• Undertaking regenerative arable, horticulture and livestock farming practices to boost biodiversity through nature recovery and nature rich buffer zones
• Increasing the quality of food produced
• Improving soil structure
• Reducing reliance on pesticides & artificial fertilisers
• Mitigating flooding
• Increasing carbon sequestration

This category recognises businesses, producers or organisations within Cornwall that demonstrate outstanding commitment to sustainable practices. This includes everything from food sourcing and production to packaging, waste reduction, community engagement, and climate action.

It is open to food and drink producers, organisations, retailers, hospitality businesses, and supply chain operating in Cornwall or the Isles of Scilly, working to make our food system more sustainable: Good Food for One and All!

By sustainable food system we mean food and drink actions or products that are good for people, planet, nature and non-human species in Cornwall & the Isles of Scilly in line with the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Food Charter.

Candidates must demonstrate how your food / drink activities and/or production help:

• Improve the health of people (and/or non-people)
• Contribute to a thriving economy of resilient food enterprises
• Nature recovery and mitigation / adaptation to the climate emergency
• Strengthen connections between people, food, land and sea

Also, explain how your work delivers in one or more of the following areas:

Sustainable Sourcing:

• Use of locally sourced, responsibly grown seasonal ingredients
• Ethical procurement practices (e.g. Fair Trade, FSC, MSC, organic, regenerative etc)
• Support for local farmers, growers, fishers, and suppliers

Planetary Impact:

• Effective reduction of carbon emissions, energy consumption, and nature depletion
• Responsible waste management (e.g., composting, recycling, food waste reduction, water conservation, packaging reduction)
• Adapting to and/or mitigating the climate emergency e, g. through novel crops, diversification, and responsible practices

Circular Economy & Innovation:

• Initiatives that reuse, repurpose, or regenerate resources
• Creative business models that minimise waste and extend product life cycles
• Partnerships or collaborations that enhance sustainability outcomes

Community Engagement & Social Value:

• Contribution to local food security, education, and community initiatives
• Inclusive and fair employment practices (e.g., through recruitment, training, pay, and progression)
• Transparency and communication around sustainability efforts

The winner of this trophy is chosen, at the judge’s discretion, from all the entrants. There are no specific criteria. The winner is usually an emerging / progressive leader and an organisation that is advocating others and leading the way beyond Cornwall (local to global) with innovation and vision.