Keep Scotland Beautiful has given Scotmid Co-operative a gold National Award for Environmental Excellence.
The award – designed as a business standard for organisation to benchmark their environmental performance – saw charity conduct a series of audits of the society, set against five criteria.
It recognises Scotmid’s efforts in maintaining a clean, clear and welcoming head office as well as supporting local groups and charities. The society was praised for its environmental practices, including electric vehicle charging points for staff and the public, and the use of solar panels.
Maurissa Fergusson, Scotmid’s head of property and development, said: “We’re really pleased to be presented with this award and to reach the gold standard is an achievement that we can all be proud of.
“We’ve made a real effort to improve how our collective behaviour can be more environmentally friendly and small gestures such as the introduction of reusable coffee cups has already made a noticeable difference.”
The award scheme is open to companies and organisations throughout Scotland. All entrants are assessed by Keep Scotland Beautiful’s local environmental quality team and can be awarded bronze, silver or gold.
Pete Leonard, operations director at Keep Scotland Beautiful, said: “Keep Scotland Beautiful is working to engage businesses and organisations across Scotland, helping them to recognise that they can address environmental impact and supporting them in taking direct action. The awards provide an exciting opportunity to assess and recognise their efforts.
“The achievements of Scotmid are outstanding. Achieving a gold award on its first ever audit is a fantastic feat. We hope that we can help many more in the sector meet such high standards.”
