An organisation from Crickhowell has made it through to the finals of the Sustainable Wales Awards. Natural Weigh, Wales’ first zero waste shop, is a finalist in the Sustainable Business category in the new Sustainable Wales Awards, which celebrate excellence, innovation and leadership in the sustainability and green energy sectors in Wales.
Natural Weigh Ltd is a zero waste shop in Crickhowell selling high quality dried foods, cleaning products and lifestyle products to help people on their zero waste journey. Its mission is to reduce single use plastic by offering customers a chance to shop without packaging. Customers bring in reusable containers to fill with products from the shop. Everything is sold by weight, which means people can buy as much or as little as they like. It also works towards making the business as sustainable as possible. It is powered by Ecotricity which use entirely renewable energy, and the only waste sent to landfill is the sellotape from packing boxes. It supports over 10 other small independent businesses based in the UK, with many of them within Wales. This keeps its carbon emissions low and keeps money in the local community. Its aim is to have as little environmental impact as possible.
It operates in the bustling rural town of Crickhowell, which is a haven for small independent shops offering local people (and those from further afield) the chance to shop on their high street rather that at a supermarket.
Natural Weigh will now go up against Aria Bridal and Jaspels Anglesey Craft Cider and the Anglesey Cider Project in a public vote, which runs until Friday 26 October. People can cast their votes for Natural Weigh at www.sustainableacademy.wales Winners will be announced at an awards lunch on Thursday 29 November in the Principality Stadium, Cardiff.
The Sustainable Academy Awards are organised by Cynnal Cymru and RenewableUK Cymru and recognise the work being done by individuals, community groups and the public sector, as well as small and large businesses. The headline sponsor of the Awards is Wales & West Utilities with Arup, EDF, Natural Resources Wales and Welsh Government sponsoring some of the categories. Civil engineering company, Knights Brown is sponsoring the pre-lunch drinks reception and Enterprise is the sponsor of the celebratory drinks reception.
Robin Masefield of Natural Weigh said: “We are absolutely delighted to be finalists for this award and to have the work we do to keep the environmental impact of our business to a minimum recognised. The devastating impact of plastic pollution is an issue which has recently gained increasing public awareness and we hope that only continues to grow. We would be over the moon if we won this award”
Mari Arthur, Director of Cynnal Cymru, said: “The Sustainable Academy is an exciting new initiative, founded by Cynnal Cymru and RenewableUK Cymru to bring together expertise from across the sustainability and green energy sectors in Wales. The Awards are my favourite event each year as we recognise the contribution being made by different sectors to make Wales a sustainable nation, working as one to deliver on the Well-being of the Future Generations and Environment Acts.”
David Clubb, Director of RenewableUK Cymru and one of the judges, said: “We are delighted with the standard of entries for the first year of these awards. It is clear there is a lot going on in the sustainability and green energy sectors in Wales and it is fitting that these awards have been created to celebrate and recognise the achievements of so many. It was a hard job choosing the final three in each category and I hope people will get behind their local projects and show their support in the public vote.”
The eight categories in the Sustainable Academy Awards are:
- Sustainability Champion sponsored by Natural Resources Wales
- Outstanding Renewable Energy Project sponsored by Welsh Government
- Sustainable Space
- Sustainable Business
- Sustainable Community sponsored by EDF
- Innovation in Sustainable Procurement or Supply Chain sponsored by Arup
- Outstanding Social Enterprise
- Sustainable Education or Training
For more details about the Sustainable Academy Awards, including the other finalists, please visit www.sustainableacademy.wales where tickets are also available starting from £48.