The 2016 Green Wholesaler Award has been won by Kentish Match, a retail wholesaler from Orpington, Kent. This year’s judge, David Hilton, an expert in sustainable building and energy efficiency services and a sustainable building expert to Grand Designs Live Shows visited 4 finalists and has reported on his findings below.

Finalists:
• Kentish Match
• Foodspeed
• Woods Foodservice
• Lansdell Soft Drinks

The process of visiting and evaluating the finalists of the Confex Green Wholesaler Awards was not easy. Given the very different business types, sizes and operational profiles it was impossible to compare like for like. I had to tackle the task from a different perspective.

Firstly I wanted to see how each business managed compliance with relevant legislation and guidance as well as the application of waste reduction and renewable energy opportunities. I then wanted to see what 'little extras' they were doing within the context of their business sector, and operation, as well as the sustainability of the business as a whole.

All the finalists showed unexpectedly high standards with regards to energy efficiency and waste reduction. I found that there were some areas where they were not even aware how good they were, which leads me to firmly believe that there are many more businesses out there that could be worthy contenders for future awards.

The winners (Kentish Match) have not only maximised the running efficiency of their warehouse but they also continually react to customer requirements and adjust operational methods and product ranges to maximise delivery volumes. They have also networked with local businesses to recycle waste, reuse boxes and packaging, and share waste delivery to recycling centres, which is included in normal delivery runs, in order to reduce costs and minimise traffic on their already congested business park.

As a relatively small business they have put in an extraordinary amount of time and effort into the sustainability of the business, warehouse stock management and their personal, and community, recycling and waste management.

"We are delighted to have won this award. It proves that making lots of small environment-friendly changes add-up and collectively make a big impact. We are always striving to find other ways to improve our green credentials in all areas of the business" commented Matthew Moare, Operations Manager, Kentish Match

 Better Wholsaling Sept 2016

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