The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise are aimed at recognising and celebrating business excellence across the UK. As winners in the Sustainable Development category, St Austell Brewery demonstrated “outstanding results” in terms of its sustainable development and will now hold the accreditation for the next five years.
The brewery’s CEO James Staughton described winning the award as “an enormous honour”.
“St Austell Brewery is a company made up of many different functions including brewing, logistics and pubs,” he said. “The Queen’s Award recognises the efforts of everyone at all levels across the business and that makes the award unique and very special.
The highest accolade
“Winning the Queen’s Award is an enormous honour for all of us as it is the highest accolade that any business in the UK can aspire to but the exacting criteria of the awards process, especially in the field of sustainable development.
“We really are doing as much as we possibly can to make our operations as sustainable and environmentally friendly as possible.”
Initiatives that led to the Cornish brewery receiving the award include setting up the Cornish Barley Growers’ Initiative to reintroduce barley as a staple crop into the county, pledging commitment to healthy seas and sustainable fisheries by joining Cornwall Wildlife Trust’s Cornwall Good Seafood Guide and reducing water consumption through investments in research and development.
Some 98% of the company’s waste is now diverted from landfill, and it uses local, ethical suppliers.
Career opportunities
The brewery also nurtures talent and provides career opportunities through schools, colleges and apprenticeship schemes. And, having set up its own charitable trust in 2003, it has helped raise more than £700,000 for local charities, organisations and individuals in need.
St Austell Brewery has also undertaken a multimillion-pound investment in state-of-the-art technology for the new Bath Ales brewery at Hare House in Warmley, ensuring that operations there are as sustainable as possible to tie in with the brewery’s wider ethos.
Staughton added: “To us, sustainability is now second nature, as it should be with any organisation and this award isn’t just about the honour and prestige; just as important is the added insight it can offer towards the future-proofing of your business.”