Crystal Doors is delighted to become the first ever company to be crowned Small Business of the Year at the edie Sustainability Leaders Awards, a prestigious national awards scheme that celebrates the individuals and organisations who are leading the way on sustainability.

edie is one of the most highly respected business media organisations in the environmental field, with a website read by more than 100,000 sustainability, energy and environmental professionals in the UK and worldwide. The annual Sustainability Leaders Awards has been running for 14 years and is judged by top industry leaders and thinkers.

This year’s awards saw 189 finalists shortlisted across 25 categories – including 10 finalists for the inaugural Small Business of the Year award.

Commenting on our winning entry, the judges said:

Crystal Doors is a shining example of what’s possible for all SMEs, through a well thought through and fully integrated sustainability plan. The business achieved an impressive reduction in CO2 this year after making a climate emergency declaration and setting a bold target to become carbon-neutral by 2022. A very deserved winner in what was one of the strongest categories of this year’s awards.

Crystal Doors’ Managing Director, Richard Hagan, said:

Wow. We were proud beyond belief to have been chosen as a finalist alongside nine inspiring organisations who are clearly way ahead of the curve, so just being shortlisted was testament to the rapid progress we’ve made as a company over the last few years. Since first discovering edie in 2016, every year I have investigated each finalist to learn more about the incredible sustainability improvements leading companies have made. We had already achieved our goal to become finalists, so to be named Business of the Year is amazing.

In 2020 we began to accelerate every investment programme and action possible because we need to act – scientists have shown that we are only a few years of inaction away from Earth’s tipping point to climate disaster. Winning this award isn’t about collecting a prize, it’s about showing that any SME can adapt within years and race to net zero when they put their hearts and minds to it. Getting recognition from judges who have so much knowledge and experience gives me the confidence to continue pushing forwards and do even more.

I enjoy a huge amount of support from an incredible network of people and organisations, particularly GC Business Growth Hub who were the springboard for so much of what we’ve achieved. We’ll continue to collaborate with our growing network to show others the way. Together we can beat the climate crisis.

You can read more about our award entry in the ‘Meet the Winners’ booklet here.