Dynamic innovation powering UK green jobs is revealed in the 2022 Ashden Awards shortlists.
Later this year, climate solutions charity Ashden will announce UK winners in three award categories – Greening All Work, Low Carbon Skills and Energy Innovation. Business, social enterprises and the public sector all feature in the shortlists.
Ashden CEO Harriet Lamb said: “From businesses making low-carbon beer and film sets to companies saving mountains of batteries and wind turbine parts from landfill, the pioneers of the UK’s low carbon future are creating jobs across the country.
“Amid these stories of innovation, the importance of green skills couldn’t be clearer. Among organisations addressing low carbon skills, for instance, we see how training can be delivered at speed and scale, matched with the demands of employers, and targeted at our most marginalised communities.
“Government, the education sector, communities and businesses all have a part to play in building up the UK’s green skills capacity. If we replicate and scale the work of our pioneers right across society, we can tackle the UK’s green skills drought.”
This year, Ashden is also running three awards focused on climate innovation in low-income countries. Shortlisted organisations in all six categories will undergo a rigorous assessment and judging from Ashden and sector experts. The 2022 Ashden Award winners will be announced in Autumn.
Winners receive grants and business support – while all shortlisted organisations benefit from publicity and connection to investment and partnership opportunities.
The shortlists
Ashden Award for Greening All Work
Supported by LinkedIn
Kent
Lower carbon brewing, with beer made from surplus bread.
VECTAR Sets
Greater Manchester
Helping the film and TV industry go green, with flat-pack film sets made from sustainable paper and cardboard.
Kent
Sustainable luxury accessories – including bags and belts made from recycled fire hoses.
Oxfordshire
Inspiring and educating for a greener farming future.
Ashden Award for Low Carbon Skills
Supported by Garfield Weston Foundation
Greater Manchester
Ambitious partnership from the North West Skills Academy, upgrading thousands of homes for a carbon neutral future.
Powys
Teaching the skills to regenerate our natural environment.
Oxfordshire
Inspiring and educating for a greener farming future.
Greater Manchester
Training disadvantaged people and creating warm, energy-efficient homes.
Ashden Award for Energy Innovation
Supported by Impax Asset Management
Newcastle Upon Tyne
A new life for electric vehicle batteries.
Oxfordshire
Agile, affordable low-carbon delivery vehicles.
Buckinghamshire
Energy-efficient ventilation lowers emissions and protects health in schools.
Argyll
Refurbishing wind turbine parts – cutting waste and boosting the green economy.
Since launching in 2001, the annual Ashden Awards have boosted 245 outstanding organisations in the UK and around the world. Past winners include Ecotricity, Abundance and the Centre for Alternative Technology.
