We’d love to keep sharing our exciting developments in the Global Good community with you, but you’ll need to ‘opt-in’ to our communications. Read more about how we protect your data here >>
The GGAs: Back With a Bang in 2022
It has felt a long three years since the last in-person Global Good Awards ceremony. But we are back, bigger and bolder than ever!
At our first ever hybrid event last night we celebrated everyone from youth campaigners to ground-breaking litter campaigns by charities and social enterprises and educational programmes and sustainability strategies of big business. We also congratulated Hubbub for winning the Best Campaign Award for Neat Streets, a record-breaking sixth time on the podium!
Despite two years of virtual events during the pandemic, the Global Good Awards continue to receive more entries each year with a jump in the number of international applications in 2022. In fact, about 40% of applications were from international entries, with half of those from the USA.
BUSINESS LEADING THE WAY
Whether large companies or small organisations making a big impact, Award winners or runners up, we never cease to be inspired by the commitment of businesses and individuals to make the world a better place. And thanks to them and others in this space, sustainability is now mainstream.
Business is leading the way with a growing number of companies, such as our Company of the Year gold winner and wealth management firm, St James’s Place, understanding their responsibility and developing strategies that put sustainability at the heart of their decision making. Another great example is our SME of the Year winner, JPA Workspaces. By refurbishing and rehoming unwanted office furniture in the UK, the company has diverted over 25,000 items from landfill and saved clients over £1.5m by reconfiguring and refreshing existing furniture.
A YEAR OF ‘FIRSTS’
We feel we are breaking new ground every year with the inspiring innovators and change makers we meet among those entering the awards programme. To date, we have celebrated over 300 businesses, social enterprises, charities and individuals for their actions. In fact, 40% of the scores are awarded for actions.
New in 2022:
- We continually strive to be the most sustainable sustainability awards programme so at our first hybrid event we only invited our overseas finalists to connect with us virtually rather than make the carbon-heavy journeys to the UK.
- More award entries have required a larger judging panel so this year we welcomed 39 to the Global Good Awards, including 11 new judges:
- First time judge, Louisa Harris, Head of Sustainability and System Change at Brandpie, sponsor of the Employee Engagement & Wellbeing Award, joined Global Good veteran, Martin Wright, on stage to host our ceremony.
- This year we teamed up with the Diana Award to invite one of their legacy award winners, Ally Zlatar, to judge the Canon Young Champion of the Year Award. Ally is also our youngest Global Good judge.
- We have had two consecutive Canon Young Champion under 16 winners from Dubai. Netra Venkatesh is the founder of SpunkGo, a social media platform that organises free life skill webinars for young women in Africa and Asia and follows in the footsteps of siblings Mir and Mishal Faraz who won last year.
- For the first time, our Individual Leader of the Year Award winner is from the USA. Rachel Hodgdon, CEO of the International WELL Building Institute, following her bronze award in 2021, is leading a movement to advance human health through better buildings, more vibrant communities and more equitable organisations.Rachel is helping companies develop a new rating to improve their progress against diversity, equity and inclusion.
GOING FORWARD
The Global Good Awards are forever evolving to reflect the times and lead by example in the sustainability awards space.
This will be the last year we include a COVID Crisis Champions Award category. News of a new addition to the programme will be announced in due course as well as how we plan to adapt the awards ceremony to reduce our carbon footprint even more in 2023 and beyond.
We strongly believe that democratising sustainability is the key to driving change. We already reward those who share their successes and the challenges they overcame with competitors, peers, and the wider population for the greater good of society but this belief will feature more centrally to the application process in future as we celebrate business as a force for good.
SPECIAL MENTIONS
Finally, a heartfelt thank you to all our judges, sponsors, partners and all the individuals behind the scenes without whom the ceremony would not be the triumph that it is, but a special mention to:
- BMA House , our event hosts – we’ve been supporting each other’s sustainability journeys since 2018.
- Prospect Arts who have supported us for 5 years doing all our video recording pro
- Canon EMEA for supporting the Young Champion Award for a third year.
Entries for the 2023 Global Good Awards open on 1 February but you can register your interest now.
The Global Good Awards 2022 are now closed for entries. You can now register your interest for 2023.
You can read the full line up of 2022 winners here.
