Global Good Awards Announces 2023 Finalists

The 2023 Global Good Awards, sponsored by Barley Communications, today announces the finalists for its ninth annual ceremony. Companies and organisations including Fair for You & Iceland Foods, ITV & eBay and KPMG & National Numeracy have all been shortlisted for the awards, which recognise leaders who are achieving practical, real-world impact for people and planet that is both scalable and replicable – and who have inspiring stories to tell.

Finalists include:

•          Small charity Sal’s Shoes has been shortlisted in the Waste Reduction and Minimisation category for Finding New Feet, saving outgrown shoes from landfill and delivering them straight to those in need in 59 countries.

•          Zero Petroleum is a finalist in the Game Changing Innovation of the Year category for manufacturing carbon-neutral synthetic fuels by taking CO2 from air, converting water into hydrogen and combining them to make hydrocarbon fuel.

•          In the Best Product of the Year category, Mr Bug is a pioneering Devon insect farm breeding sustainable, nutrient-dense mealworms to create dog treats and ultimately introduce insect protein bars and shakes to consumer markets.

The full list of finalists is available to view here: https://globalgoodawards.co.uk/2023-gga-finalists/

This year’s awards have seen the highest number of entries from the widest global spread of entrants in the award’s eight-year history, highlighting that organisations across the globe are striving to have a more sustainable outlook and impact as we edge closer to net zero. Finalists have the chance to win Gold, Silver or Bronze Awards, while some entries may be recognised as a ‘One to Watch’ if they stand out as being excellent projects but have not yet had enough time to develop the measurable impact needed to fully meet the criteria.

The judging panel was highly impressed with the quality of entries, with some of the in-depth debates lasting hours longer than anticipated before the shortlist was agreed. As action on social and environmental change becomes more and more crucial, the judges were stricter as part of the judging process to ensure winners can truly make and demonstrate an impact.

Award categories include: – Global Good Company of the Year, SME of the Year, Start-up Enterprise, Individual Leader of the Year, Community Partnership, Educational Excellence, Environmental Behaviour Change, Game Changing Innovation, Best Product and Campaign of the Year and Technology for Good. There is also the Canon Young Champion of the Year category, which recognises a young person who has shown outstanding leadership in campaigning for a good cause around a social or environmental issue.

This year, a new award for Ukraine Crisis Champions has been added, with a minimum of 10% of the category’s entry fees to be donated to Goods for Good.

In addition to the donations to Goods for Good, £5 or £10 (depending on an organisation’s size) from every award entry will be donated to GGA’s charity partner, Cool Earth to help protect a tree or plant an Inga Bean. This year donations are expected to total £4k – doubling last year’s contribution.

Winners will be announced at a free virtual ceremony for all on 12th July. This will then be followed by The Purpose Summit in October, a jam-packed day of purpose-led content happening in person, in collaboration with sustainability event experts, The Crowd. At the event, Global Good Award winners will share their insights, challenges, and best practices, to help other organisations make a positive impact. The Purpose Summit will be open to all, with discounted tickets for entrants for 2023.

Karen Sutton, Founder of the Global Good Awards commented: “We’ve witnessed a remarkable surge in submissions this year and have been so impressed by the work people and organisations are doing to create a more sustainable future for our planet.

As ever, we’re extremely grateful to our panel of 42 judges, each a specialist in their respective categories, who have meticulously assessed the entries to select the standout organisations and individuals who are true sustainability trailblazers.  We’re really excited to announce the winners in July and even more excited to hear from gold winners at our brand-new Purpose Summit in October at our long-term venue partner, BMA House. We’re looking forward to seeing past, present, and future entrants there.”

The Global Good Awards take great care to ‘walk the talk’ across all areas of sustainability. In 2018, they were the first awards scheme in the world to be accredited as ‘Outstanding’ by the Awards Trust Mark, retaining it every year since. The rating reflected the Global Good Awards’ commitment to running a scheme with the highest standards of ethical behaviour and transparency. Meanwhile, the Awards’ commitments to sustainability include a fully plant-based menu since 2018, a no-fly policy and a pre-loved dress code.

Sponsors for the 2023 Awards include Barley Communications as the new Platinum headline sponsor, Illumina as first-time Gold sponsor and a new Silver sponsor of the Game Changing Innovation of the Year, Water Plus. Canon EMEA returns for the fourth year as sponsor of the Young Champion of the Year Award, while other fourth-time sponsor Planet Mark is supporting the Climate Action: Race to Net Zero Award. Brandpie is sponsoring the Employee Engagement and Wellbeing Award for a second year and EcoOnline (formerly Alcumus) is also returning for a second year to sponsor the Company of the Year category.

To enter in 2024 and for more information on the awards please visit the website on https://globalgoodawards.co.uk/ and to learn more about Purpose Summit and the current schedule of events please visit www.purposesummit.co.uk.