Top 10: Sustainability Awards

Reporting on the sustainability sector means we get to learn about some of the exciting projects making an impact today. 

Often, much of the work goes unnoticed. But awards, prizes and recognitions provide an opportunity to celebrate the individuals and businesses making the biggest positive impact on the planet. 

Here, we examine 10 of the world's most prestigious and influential sustainability awards, and highlight some recent winners.

10. The King's Awards for Enterprise

Award founded: 1999
Recent winner: Tridos Bank UK
CEO: Mark Clayton

First launched in 1966, The King’s Awards for Enterprise marks 60 years of recognising UK business achievements, having acknowledged over 8,000 firms for strength, innovation and ambition.

Triodos Bank UK won a 2025 King's Award for Enterprise in Sustainability. The Dutch-owned ethical bank has received the award four times, including the Queen’s Award in 2004, 2010 and 2020. It is recognised for its sustainable ethos, transparency and for demonstrating banking as a force for good.

9. The Ashden Awards

Award founded: 2001
Recent winner: Sosai Renewable Energies
CEO: Habiba Ali

The Ashden Awards reward climate innovators in the UK and the Global South, and showcase their solutions to focused and engaged audiences. Ashden provides a package of support for organisations after they win their awards.

Recent winner Sosai, a women-led renewable energy firm in northern Nigeria, was founded by Habiba Ali in 2010 after seeing families depend on harmful kerosene lamps. Initially, it provided solar lamps and cookstoves to cut indoor air pollution. By 2022, Sosai expanded to include solar minigrids.  

8. CDP Corporate A List

Award founded: 2015
Recent winner: Danone
CEO: Antoine de Saint-Affrique

An annual list of companies, cities, states and regions that demonstrate environmental leadership, transparency and action in climate change, water security or deforestation. For 2025, 23 companies of the 877 listed were awarded a 'Triple A' rating across all three areas.

Triple-A-designee French food manufacturer Danone aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, with a particular focus on reducing methane emissions in its fresh milk sourcing and on working with farmers to strengthen the resilience of its dairy supply chain.

7. The Goldman Environmental Prize

Award founded: 1989
Recent winner: Alannah Acaq Hurley, Executive Director for the United Tribes of Bristol Bay (UTBB)

The Goldman Prize believes that a strong environmental movement requires diverse talents, perspectives and leadership. The Prize honours the achievements and leadership of grassroots environmental heroes, each of whom represents the world’s six inhabited regions. 

Yup’ik leader Alannah Acaq Hurley led a campaign that stopped the proposed mining megaproject in Alaska's Bristol Bay. Her broad coalition achieved a historic EPA veto in January 2023. This victory protects Bristol Bay and its 25 million-acre watershed from what would have been North America's largest open-pit mine.

6. Corporate Knights Global 100

Award founded: 2005
Recent winner: ERG S.p.A.
CEO: Paolo Luigi Merli

Corporate Knights ranks the world's 100 most sustainable public corporations with over US$1bn in revenue. Companies are assessed on three sustainable economy indicators, but are disqualified for activities such as thermal coal, blocking of climate policy or deforestation.

Italian renewables producer ERG was named the world's most sustainable corporation in 2026, the only company to receive an A+ grade. Most of ERG's revenue is derived from environmentally sustainable products and services. Its decarbonisation strategy is approved by SBTi, and it scored highly in ESG.

5. Zayed Sustainability Prize

Award founded: 2008
Recent winner: BASE Foundation
CEO: Daniel Magallón

The UAE's Zayed Sustainability Prize recognises SMEs, non-profits and global high schools for impactful, innovative and inspiring sustainable solutions. It has awarded 139 winners across five organisational categories. 

BASE Foundation is a Swiss non-profit that has developed a cooling-as-a-service model, making clean cooling technologies more accessible through a pay-per-use approach. IT has benefited 160,000 people, created 2,500 jobs and removed more than 81,000 tonnes of CO₂ across 68 countries.

4. RE100 Leadership Awards

Award founded: 2020
Recent winner: Mars
CEO: Poul Weihrauch

Launched by the Climate Group, the RE100 Leadership Awards celebrate member companies that demonstrate climate leadership by achieving 100% renewable electricity. These awards specifically recognise the efforts of Climate Group members in accelerating the global transition to 100% renewable electricity across five categories.

The Mars Renewable Acceleration programme secured the Market Trailblazer category award. The programme's goal was to accelerate the transition from fossil fuels to clean energy, encompassing not only Mars-owned sites and direct operations but also the company's entire value chain.

3. UN SDG Action Awards

Award founded: 2019
Recent winner: Smartel
CEO: Israel Smart

The UN SDG Action Awards celebrate the individuals and organisations pursuing the Sustainable Development Goals. It highlights initiatives that promote sustainable and inclusive societies, often focusing on concepts such as "Hope in Action" and emphasising creativity, innovation and mobilisation.

Smartel, winner in the 2025 Creativity category, proves food can grow anywhere. Its modular hydroponic system allows for soil-free farming, growing crops in nutrient-enriched water. It is also dedicated to generating new economic opportunities and livelihoods for women, youth and smallholder farmers.

2. The Earthshot Prize

Award founded: 2021
Recent winner: High Seas Treaty
CEO: Rebecca Hubbard, Director of High Seas Alliance

The Earthshot Prize rewards innovators who take on five challenges – the "Earthshots" – designed to repair the planet by 2030, before irreversible damage occurs. Developed with leading environmental experts, the prize recognises those who transform innovative ideas into tangible planetary solutions. Each year, five winners are selected from a shortlist of 15 finalists, with one prize awarded for each Earthshot: Protect and Restore Nature, Clean Our Air, Revive Our Oceans, Build A Waste-free World and Fix Our Climate.

The High Seas Alliance, a coalition of civil society, stakeholders, and scientists, won the 2025 Oceans Earthshot. Formed to support the High Seas Treaty, it formalised efforts to protect biodiversity in international waters and aims to safeguard 30% of the ocean by 2030. Championed by nations like Palau, the campaign quickly gained political momentum, securing over 60 ratifications in two years. Currently, over 145 countries have signed the Treaty, and more than 70 have formally ratified it.

1. The Global Sustainability Awards

Award founded: 2025
Recent winner: Aston Martin
CEO: Adrian Hallmark

The Global Sustainability Awards are for senior executives driving climate and ESG transformation. The awards feature eight categories, recognising innovation, leadership, and measurable impact. The event offers a powerful platform to celebrate success stories, inspire the wider industry, and reinforce the role of sustainability at every level. 

At the Global Sustainability Awards 2025, Aston Martin was recognised as the Enterprise Company of the Year Award. It was rewarded for its “Racing.Green.” strategy, an enterprise-wide initiative that embeds ESG principles into every part of the business. From supply chain management and production processes to workforce inclusion and community engagement, the strategy connects sustainability with long-term commercial value. Under this framework, the company has reduced overall resource consumption, eliminated waste to landfill and enhanced local biodiversity around its manufacturing sites.