Woolworths wins gold at Banksia Awards

Woolworths Group has won the Gold Banksia Award at the 34th Banksia National Sustainability Awards held on 23 March – Australia’s longest running and most prestigious sustainability awards.

The winners range from Australia’s largest retailer, serving 22 million customers per week across 1400 stores, to government agencies, community leaders, non-profit organisations and small businesses from across Australia.

Woolworths won the Gold Banksia Award and Large Business Sustainable Leadership Award for its work in driving “one of the deepest transformational programs” seen in an Australian company in recent years.

Another notable winner is the Queensland non-profit, Reef and Rainforest Research Centre, which picked up both the Biodiversity Award and the Agriculture & Regional Development Award for pest management on the Great Barrier Reef.

Other award winners include:

• A Victorian movement with more than 80 volunteers providing warm, tasty meals for homeless and disadvantaged youth;
• An Indigenous-owned and led for-purpose organisation in Western Australia offering software to protect Indigenous culture and manage country;
• A Sydney lawyer-turned human rights adviser who has transformed the role of procurement to be a powerful force for good;
• A private Tasmanian forest manager leading the way in natural capital reporting;
• A Sydney-based organisation turning carbon dioxide into building materials and other valuable products.

The winners of 15 awards were announced at a gala event, attended by more than 350 guests, finalists and winners at the Melbourne Convention and Entertainment Centre on Thursday, 23 March.

Banksia Foundation CEO Graz van Egmond says the winners were drawn from a record number of entries, demonstrating optimism and hope for a brighter future despite fears for the economy in the short term.

“These are Australia’s brightest leaders, changemakers and innovators who are making a positive impact on our world,” Ms van Egmond said.

Established 34 years ago, the Banksia National Sustainability Awards recognise individuals, communities, businesses and government for their innovation and excellence in environmental and social stewardship.

Woolworths Group Chief Sustainability Officer Alex Holt comments, “As Australia’s largest retailer we know that the changes we make today can create a better tomorrow for generations to come, and we’re humbled to see our efforts recognised by the Banksia awards.

“Our teams work hard to deliver quality products and value for our customers, and we want to make sustainability intrinsic to how we do that,” she said.

“Thank you to all our suppliers, partners, team members and customers whose everyday actions are helping to make grocery shopping more sustainable.

“Many of the things we’re doing have been made possible thanks to the ingenuity of individuals and small businesses who are leading this technological and cultural revolution.

“We’d like to celebrate all the projects and individuals recognised by the Banksia awards for driving positive change – from Indigenous land management, to natural capital reporting and carbon capture technology,” Ms Holt said.

Winners