News

27 June 2019

AB Sugar’s Head of Sustainability receives national recognition at prestigious Green Business Awards

AB Sugar, one of the world’s leading sugar businesses, has today confirmed that its Head of Advocacy and Sustainability, Katharine Teague, has been awarded Sustainability Executive of the Year at the UK’s most prestigious Green Business Awards.

The Sustainability Executive of the Year accolade, which celebrates the individuals who are at the heart of efforts to deliver sustainable business models, was presented to Katharine at the BusinessGreen Leaders Awards last night in recognition of her work to further evolve AB Sugar’s approach to sustainability.

Katharine is guiding efforts to reduce AB Sugar’s environmental footprint and was a key driving force behind the group’s decision in 2018 to announce its inaugural sustainability commitments for 2030. These include commitments to reduce C0₂ emissions and water use by 30% and ensure all its plastic packaging is reusable, recyclable, biodegradable or compostable. They form part of AB Sugar’s wider sustainability framework, ‘Global Mind, Local Champions’ (GMLC).

Teague established the GMLC framework and led the development of the commitments, working closely with AB Sugar’s six international business to secure their buy-in and support. She has also led the development of AB Sugar’s first dedicated modern slavery statement which more closely reflects tackling challenges within AB Sugar’s substantial agriculture and manufacturing footprint.

Since 2018, AB Sugar has reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by 11% and total water abstraction by 13% across its business[1]. While this performance is largely due to the work of the group’s businesses, Katharine has played an invaluable role in supporting these businesses to think differently about sustainability and embed the ‘Global Mind, Local Champions’ framework in their operations. 

Commenting on her award win, Katharine said: “The BusinessGreen Leaders Awards provide a fantastic platform to celebrate the inspiring sustainability work and innovation from individuals and businesses across all industries. I am immensely honoured to have won this award - it is extremely rewarding to have our sustainability performance recognised and a real testament to the work of all our businesses in reducing AB Sugar’s environmental footprint.

“I am looking forward to continuing to improve our sustainability performance and that of our supply chain over the next decade to help achieve our 2030 commitments.”

Dr Mark Carr, CEO, AB Sugar, said: “This is a fantastic achievement for Katharine and our businesses and is well-deserved recognition for her work in evolving AB Sugar’s sustainability approach.

“In the space of just four years, Katharine has overseen and implemented a new sustainability framework, led the creation of our 2030 commitments, and championed the sustainability of our businesses to key stakeholders. She truly goes above and beyond to help us realise our long-term vision as a business.”

If you have any questions regarding this press release or for more information, please contact Helena Shadbolt on Helena.Shadbolt@mhpc.com or 020 3128 8799