News on Surrey's Greener Future

Surrey County Council are proud to have been headline sponsors for CREST 21, Surrey's first sustainable business awards which took place on 20th May. The awards were organised by Woking News & Mail in association with the University of Surrey’s Centre for Environment & Sustainability.

A young mum who started her business at her kitchen table bested an impressive array of national and international businesses to win the title of Sustainability Hero 2021.

Bare + Fair, the zero-waste retail business that Mel Hemmings started just over a year ago from her home in Woking, made her the Judges’ Choice for the Sustainability Hero Award it was revealed at the hybrid event, live-streamed from The Lightbox in Woking.

Mel wins the star prize of the event which is a place on one of the University of Surrey’s week-long masters level modules through its highly prestigious Centre for Environment and Sustainability. The other category winners, who represented a wide cross-section of enterprises that are either based or work in Surrey, will receive the chance of a highly prized complimentary sustainability consultation session with one of the Centre’s leading experts.

Bare + Fair was inspired by the Zero Waste movement and launched off the back Mel’s efforts to reduce her family’s plastic use and live more sustainably. Frustrated finding viable eco-friendly alternatives locally she set up her own zero waste retail business.

She swiftly moved from her kitchen table to a stall at Woking Market, and in lockdown was running a free local bicycle home delivery service of refills. Support from the local community helped her to create a zero-waste pop-up shop to keep going during the coronavirus pandemic and it has now expanded into a permanent shop in the town.

In a spin off from the pandemic, the business teamed up with a local dressmaker to offer locally-made cotton face masks with at least 50% of profits from the sales going to a local charity. Mel has also worked with schools and local community and business groups to give talks and presentations sharing information on what zero waste means.

Postponed last year because of the pandemic, the News & Mail and CES teams took the opportunity to rebuild the event in a hybrid format, drawing a wide audience with speakers who included Joanna Yarrow, former Head of Sustainable & Healthy Living at IKEA, Ian Christie, senior lecturer at the CES and Ruth Nic Aoidh an Executive Director at McLaren Automotive.

All category winners are listed below.

Winners and Commendations for CREST21 Sustainable Business Awards

Sustainability Hero Award

Sponsored by the Chambers Group

Winner: Bare + Fair

Commended finalists: Plant Passion, Pennypot Day Nursery, Binary Botanicals

Efficiency Champion Award

Sponsored by Holdsway

Winner: Pennypot Day Nursery

Commended finalists: Tannery Studios, Mesh Energy

Sustainability Impact Award

Sponsored by Kier

Winner: Mesh Energy

Commended finalists: Red Box, Pennypot Day Nursery

Transforming Food Award

Sponsored by Planet Woking

Winner: Binary Botanical

Commended finalists: Eden Greens - Urban Farm, HOP

Going Circular Award

Sponsored by Kier

Winner: Silent Pool Distillers

Commended finalists: Instantswim, Bare + Fair

Resilience in Crisis Award

Sponsored by Woking News & Mail and University of Surrey’s Centre for Environment & Sustainability

Winner: Silent Pool Distillers

Commended finalists: Plant Passion, Surrey Care Trust

CREST21 Sustainable Business Awards Sponsors:

As Headline Sponsor Surrey County Council’s Environment Commissioning Group Manager, Katie Sargent, was among the six judges and said: “I was so impressed with the calibre of entries, it was really great to see all of the different initiatives that local businesses have been undertaking in order to reduce their impact on the environment.”

For further information please visit https://crestawardssurrey.co.uk/awards-event-2021/ .