Suffolk Business Awards 2024: Is your business a model of sustainability?

The Suffolk Business Awards 2024 will award the Environmental & Sustainability Award to a company that promotes a green agenda. Judge Will Wright from Lovell Partnerships explains what he will be watching out for.

What made you want to participate in the Business Awards?

We have been involved in Archant’s awards for Norfolk for many years. Lovell in East Anglia has present and future Suffolk sites. We want to celebrate success in Suffolk businesses and help deserving ones shout about it.

What can you contribute to the judging process?

We are a housebuilder, and we have committed to sustainability and reducing carbon in the supply chain. I fully support that commitment, and I am thrilled to recognize local businesses leading the charge.

Will Wright, land- and partnership manager at Lovell Homes Credit: Lovell

Will Wright, land and partnership manager at Lovell Homes – Credit: Lovell

How have you viewed judging in the past?

Our team enjoyed judging awards in the past, including the Green Business of the year category at the Norfolk Business Awards last year. It was amazing to see the complex work businesses put into becoming more sustainable.

What motivates you in business?

People: Being part of a team that works hard and makes the business successful is proud of.

Lovell has a great team of young people passionate about instilling the next generation in the construction industry.

Change inspires me as well. The green agenda is forcing us to rethink everything, from how we manage our business to how we build homes.

What are you looking for in a winner?

I will be looking for evidence and credentials that demonstrate a commitment to sustainability and innovative people who care deeply about the environment.

Employers must recognize and encourage their employees to embrace the green agenda and reward those who do.

What advice would your business give to a company entering the market?

It’s not enough to talk about sustainability. It would help if you embraced it, lived it, and made it a core part of your business. It would help if you always looked for ways to reduce your environmental impact. We all can do more.

AWARD CRITERIA

Judges will look for businesses that can demonstrate a commitment towards reducing carbon footprint by using innovative and sustainable practices. They also want to encourage others to learn from their experiences and push the transition to a green economy.

Businesses entering the market will have to show how they have improved their environmental performance and promoted greener business models in the past 18 months. They also need details about their plans for sustainability.