We enjoyed a night to remember at the 2023 South Yorkshire Sustainability awards which saw us walk away winners of the Best Hospitality or Retail Sustainability Initiative category.
The black-tie event, held at Magna in Rotherham, was a fantastic opportunity to recognise and reward the businesses, organisations and individuals that are leading the way in the race for net zero across South Yorkshire.
And we were delighted to pick up an award for all our efforts over the last 12 months which has seen us truly put sustainability at the heart of everything we do and minimise the environmental impact of the centre.
We were commended for our sustainability strategy and the results it has achieved, the plans we have to accelerate achieving net zero and/or reducing impacts further and how we used our improved efficiency to attract customers who are looking for environmentally and socially responsible products and services.
Projects we’ve been involved in include our Lakeside Village Green Zone – an area in the Guest Services area of the centre where customers and centre visitors can donate and drop-off used and unwanted items for recycling and reuse. As well as the investment we’ve put into the centre’s landscape to welcome in nature with more wildflowers and our herb garden boxes.
We’ve also teamed up with Refood – the UK’s number one food waste recycler – to turn food waste from the centre into fertiliser for crops.
In addition, there are lots of exciting plans ahead including installing new electric vehicle chargers, some of which will be fast charging, at the centre and exploring solar power options with the aim of generating enough power to run the management office and CCTV systems within five years.
Lyndsey Parry, deputy centre manager at Lakeside Village, said:
“We are so proud to say that Lakeside Village Outlet Shopping has sustainability at its heart, with a number of innovative Green initiatives in place. From recycling initiatives to green clauses in new store contracts, every element of our business is focused on creating a net zero centre by 2030 and increasing our site waste recycling level to 80 percent, sending no waste to landfill. To be recognised at these awards is a real credit to the work of our team who are all really committed to doing as much as they can to reduce our impact on the environment. But for us this is only the start, there is most definitely lots more to come! We were up against some really strong entries on the night so we’re thrilled to win and I just want to congratulate everyone nominated across the awards for all they are doing to be as sustainable as possible. It was a great evening to celebrate what is being achieved in South Yorkshire. Finally, I want to thank all our staff and customers who have been so supportive of the initiatives we have put in place, we really couldn’t have come as far as we have without them.”
