Sustainable produce transport pioneer Lowhub is using its two environmental awards, scooped at a recent London ceremony, to drive the supply chain towards sensible transport options.
The delivery firm, which uses vans powered by discarded restaurant oil, landed the Sustainable City Award for Traffic Reduction & Transport Management and another for Leadership in Sustainability at the City of London Corporation’s Sustainability Awards last week.
The biofuel-driven transport business, which operates between wholesalers and restaurants across the capital, has already scooped the Wandsworth Green Business Award for Innovation in November and wants restaurants to heed their success and think about efficiency.
Kevin Tullett, director at Lowhub, told FPJ: “It was a big surprise and obviously we are very proud. There were some big names across every category but it shows in some respect that smaller businesses are doing the right thing and that best practice should be employed. It shows that a cumulative effect would be massive.
“To win the category was a big thing and just to be in there was an honour. We’ve had an awful lot of support and recognition of the awards and we are going to try and use it to target other business.
“On some levels what we do is very basic, taking produce from A to B, but we gave a presentation to the Duke of Cambridge with East Anglia Food Link in December to try and create a hub between restaurants and suppliers to save vehicles time and energy.
“Since then, I already know several restaurants that have teamed up and begun to co-ordinate delivery to save deliveries. We’re not taking the credit for this, but maybe they looked at Lowhub to give them the spark, and it may well give all parties cost savings too.
“At the moment, just identifying the specific problems in the supply chain would be a good step and we are not going to do it all - but putting the idea in people’s heads is a good start.
“I think buyers have got a little more power than they think and can demand things, within reason, to help. But the buyers and suppliers are seeing that relaxing the rules would be a sensible and efficient thing.”
The 8th annual awards ceremony took place at the Lord Mayor’s Mansion House in London and Lowhub picked up the prize in a field which included construction companies Green Structures and Skanska, and Vacherin caterers of Bloomsbury, among others.
Emma Bara, sustainability co-ordinator, City of London Corporation, said: “The nine winning organisations, which include global businesses and local firms, were singled out for their sustainable excellence. The awards given out this year prove that all organisations, whether large or small, can make important changes that are beneficial for the environment, while also making business savings.”
No comments yet