Midcounties Co-operative is among the shortlisted organisations in the Environmental Sustainability category at this year’s Business in the Community (BITC) Responsible Business Awards.
Midcounties was nominated for its Sustainable Communities programme and commitment to energy saving and waste reduction; this follows a nomination for the society in the same category last year.
The society has cut energy consumption by more than 15% since 2010 and increased recycling levels to 99% from 21%, achieving £1 million a year savings.
The Sustainable Communities Programme has engaged with more than 200,000 members across its 20 regional communities. Midcounties has also partnered with 50 schools, running educational workshops and activities to engage young people in combatting climate change and reducing plastic waste.
The judging panel praised Co-op Energy, owned by Midcounties, for being the UK’s leading supporter of community-generated energy, sourcing renewable power from 80 different community-led schemes across the country. Co-op Energy helps people who have grouped together to set up projects like solar farms or hydro generators to power their own homes and to also sell electricity back to the grid.
In March 2018 Co-op Energy switched to 100% renewable electricity as standard across all its tariffs, enabling members and customers to reduce their own energy usage. Through its User Chooser tariff, Co-op Energy gives customers the chance to choose where their energy comes from.
Mike Pickering, CSR manager at Midcounties, said: “Protecting the environment is a core value for us, and we believe that by educating the minds of the future, we can have a massive, positive impact on the planet.
“On top of this, we’re also committed to raising awareness in the communities in which we operate, to encourage others to live sustainably where they can. We’re proud to have been nominated for this award and will continue to educate people about how to make greener choices.”
Amanda Mackenzie, chief executive of Business in the Community, said: “Organisations which acknowledge their responsibility to society by evolving their business to be a sustainable one for the long term should be recognised and celebrated.
The other finalists in the Environmental Sustainability category are CitySprint, James Cropper PLC, Morrisons, Sky and the Pure Option.
The award winners will be announced on 9 July.
