Sustainable Small Business Stories

Back in June, Enterprise Nation and partners launched the Sustainable Small Business Awards to celebrate those small businesses that are making an effort to be more sustainable.

The awards formed part of Plan it with Purpose, a programme that supports small and medium-sized businesses to better understand environmental and social issues in the UK. After a large number of impressive entries, the winners were selected.

In this webinar, the award-winners share their experiences of how they've embedded sustainability in their businesses. They also talk about their ideas of best practice and some of the business challenges they've been able to overcome.

More about the winners

Y.O.U Underwear: Winner of the Sustainable Scale-up Award

Y.O.U Underwear's mission is to prove that business – and fashion – can be a force for good. They make soft, stylish, organic cotton underwear for men, women and girls that lets you look good, feel good and do good.

It's an award-winning sustainable fashion brand with a difference – a goal of improving access to education for women and girls by donating underwear.

Find out more about the business

Fashion for Future: Winner of the Sustainable Next Generation Award

Fashion for Future takes old clothes and gives customers tokens to shop for new ones. It also hosts free and affordable workshops from local creatives, and educates the public on how to mend and rework clothes.

Last but not least, it partners with charities to give tokens to those in need to provide them with the benefit of choice and anonymity.

Find out more about the business

Linwater Caravan Park: Winner of the Sustainable Business Transition Award

Linwater Caravan Park is a small family-run caravan park based in the rural suburbs of Edinburgh. It offers pitches for touring caravans, motorhomes and tents, plus a range of self-catering static caravans and lodges.

The site has a play park, dog-walking area, small shop and a camper's kitchen, and backs onto beautiful countryside walks that lead to the Almondell and Calderwood country park and the Union Canal.

Find out more about the business

Red Planet Farms: Winner of the Sustainable Start-up Award

Red Planet Farms is Manchester's first vertical farming start-up. It focuses on sustainability and innovation to offer a better solution to UK customers who are looking for affordable, healthy and locally-grown produce.

The company also aims to become the first to grow food on Mars for human off-world colonies of the future.

Find out more about the business

Sue Tonks of HydroVeg Kits: Winner of the Sustainable Changemaker Award

Sue Tonks invented HydroVeg Kits as a way of growing vegetables in her small garden without all the difficulties of digging, weeding, constant watering and space-saving.

She isn't a gardener or engineer: she simply had an idea and developed it to help people, families and schools to grow veg sustainably, and to feed families across the developing world.

Find out more about the business

Plan it with Purpose

A programme designed to help owners of small and medium-sized businesses develop a better understanding of environmental and social issues in the UK. Visit the Plan it with Purpose hub