Wightlink is celebrating winning The News Business Excellence Award for Sustainability 2022.
The achievement recognises the successful introduction of Wightlink’s new flagship Victoria of Wight, England’s first large ferry powered by hybrid energy, and the ferry company’s campaigns to cut carbon emissions and operate as sustainably as possible. Initiatives include improving recycling, installing EV charging points for electric vehicles, buying from local suppliers and promoting a range of environmental projects. Wightlink supports partners to re-establish oysters in the Solent, support crucial seagrass beds in Ryde and re-introduce white-tailed eagles to the Isle of Wight.
The trophy for the Sustainable Business of the Year was presented at a ceremony at Portsmouth Guildhall by Professor Jeremy Howells, Dean of the University of Portsmouth’s Faculty of Business and Law. Another Award for sustainability went to the Package Free Larder, Portsmouth’s first plastic-free supermarket.
Chief Executive Keith Greenfield says: “Wightlink is proud to sail through some of the most beautiful coastal waters in the UK, if not the world. As we cross the Solent 364 days a year, we are always conscious of our responsibility to protect the land, sea and air around us. Our next ambition is to commission and operate an all-electric ferry.”
Editor of The News, Mark Waldron, says: “Each year we celebrate local business success whatever the challenges – and this year’s awards are extra-special after all that we’ve been through with Covid-19. Now restrictions have been lifted and society returns to a new normality, it is a good moment to reflect on and celebrate how much has been achieved, even in the face of adversity.”
