Alara has been named as the Green Business of the Year at the Fast Growth Business Awards 2008! It's an absolutely fantastic feeling to win this award and means so much to our business. We've worked really hard to make Alara as environmentally, socially and financially sustainable as possible and it's very rewarding to know that our achievements have been recognised. Winning the award shows that running a successful business and being "green" are not mutually exclusive - you can do both!

The glittering, black tie award ceremony was held last night at the London Marriott Hotel in Grosvenor Square and was presented by Kate Silverton of BBC News. Over 400 companies entered the competition across 13 categories. Also shortlisted in the Green Business of the Year category were Paper Round, Sharps Brewery and The Phone Co-op, all of who put in very strong entries for their green initiatives.

Our award entry highlighted all the green initiatives we have been implementing including launching our Sustainable range of muesli’s in lightweight paper bags instead of cardboard boxes, which reduced the amount of packaging used per pack by an amazing 68%. In the last year, we have cut the amount of waste that is sent to landfill from our factory by approximately 75% by introducing systems for reusing and recycling cardboard boxes, paper sacks, office paper, plastic film, toner cartridges and fluorescent tubes. In addition to this, food waste from our kitchen is composted in bins and wormeries found in the permaculture forest garden behind our factory. We planted 80 fruit bearing trees and shrubs in the garden, transforming what was once a derelict space into a haven for local wildlife and biodiversity. By switching to a 100% renewable energy tariff for electricity, Alara has also reduced CO2 emissions by 52 tonnes per year. The judges were impressed that our green solutions are not just a passing fad but an everyday consideration.

For more details about the awards please visit the fgba website.

To watch a video of Alex Smith and Joanna Southernwood being interviewed after the awards click here