WIREDGOV

Scotland's most environmentally-friendly businesses were crowned at a prestigious award ceremony in Edinburgh last night.

Eight companies saw off stiff competition from the cream of Scotland's green businesses to take winners titles at the 2009 Vision in Business for the Environment of Scotland (VIBES) Awards - which are celebrating their ten-year anniversary this year.

The winners are:

Best Management award

• Large company category (more than 250 employees): Robert Wiseman Dairies, procurer of Scotland's iconic milk brand and supermarket favourites 'freshnlow' and 'The One', based in Bellshill.
• Medium (between 50 and 250 employees): Manufacturer of window and door units, CMS Enviro Systems Ltd, of Cumbernauld.
• Small (less than 50 employees): Edinburgh-based Rabbie's Trail Burners Ltd - a highland group tour company, operating luxury fuel-efficient mini-coaches with driver guides.

Product award

• TWMA of Peterhead - an industry leader in the handling and treatment of hydrocarbon-contaminated drill cuttings and waste materials, for its unique product, TCC Rotomill, which processes drill cuttings from oil-based Drilling Mud.

Service award

• The Linwood base of recycling and waste management company William Tracey Ltd.

Process award

• Local bus operator Stagecoach West Scotland, based in Ayr for using the UK's first Bio-buses which run on 100 per cent bio-fuel.

International co-operation award

• The UK's largest developer of onshore windfarms Glasgow-based ScottishPower Renewables, in a joint venture with the Norwegian organisation, Hammerfest Strom UK Ltd, to commercialise tidal stream technology and pursue tidal energy projects in the UK.

Best micro company

• H20logy Ltd from Selkirk collects, manages, redistributes and treats water. For its ATS (Advanced Treatment Station) for the treatment and decontamination of road water.

In addition, seven companies will be awarded special commended prizes. The East Kilbride depot of Robert Wiseman Dairies and FMC Technologies Ltd in Dunfermline, a provider of technology solutions for the energy industry will receive the accolade in the best management large category. Livingston-based oatcake and shortbread manufacturer Paterson Arran Ltd picks up a commendation in the medium-size best management category and commended in the best management small category is Kingdom Shopping Centre in Glenrothes. For the service award both Keenan Recycling Ltd in Turriff and Cupar's The ReCyclists will receive commendations while Paton Plant Ltd (Portakabin Scottish Division), of Hamilton, will take home the product commendation.

Now in its tenth year of operation, VIBES recognises and rewards the efforts of Scottish businesses to become more efficient and competitive through improving environmental performance and benefiting a company's bottom-line.

Presenting the awards, Minister for Environment Roseanna Cunningham said:

"Many Scottish businesses, including those recognised at the VIBES Awards, are becoming increasingly aware that tackling their environmental impact can also deliver major economic benefits - both through cutting costs and attracting new business.

"Scotland is of course very well-placed to capitalise on the greener business revolution and become a world leader when it comes to providing green technologies of the future such as wave and tidal energy and offshore wind.

"Throw into the mix our climate change legislation - the most ambitious in the world - and our vision for a low carbon, zero waste Scotland, and it's clear that there is much work to do.

"Of course we cannot complete that journey on our own, and I was delighted to meet and congratulate representatives from some of Scotland's most environmentally-friendly businesses who can act as a source of inspiration to others."

VIBES chair Alan Farquhar commented: "All of the VIBES finalists recognised today are leading the way in their commitment to reducing their businesses' environmental impact. In what is the tenth year of VIBES, the judges were once again impressed by the winners' outstanding achievements - both in terms of their business savings and their environmental improvements and they deserve to be be praised."

VIBES is a partnership between: Scottish Environment Protection Agency, Scottish Government, Scottish Enterprise, Environmental Protection UK, Envirowise and NetRegs. With support from Business Environment Partnership, CBI Scotland, Energy Saving Trust, Federation of Small Businesses Scotland and Forward Scotland.

The VIBES awards ceremony is sponsored by Chivas Brothers-Pernod Ricard. John Fender, safety, health and environment specialist for Chivas Brothers-Pernod Ricard said: "Competitive-edge is paramount in the current economic climate, whether it's to assure legal compliance or optimising cost-base.

"VIBES participants have once again demonstrated their efforts to reduce their environmental impact - from electricity use and reducing the amount of waste sent to landfill to embracing new methods for recycling. Their efforts show a significant commitment to the environment.

"Chivas Brothers - Pernod Ricard congratulate all participants and winners of VIBES Awards and encourage them to continue with the endeavour to minimise the environmental impact that business creates."

By winning a VIBES award, finalists are eligible to enter the European Business Awards for the Environment 2012, which attract around 200 entries per year from the cream of Europe's most environmentally positive businesses. VIBES is the only award scheme in Scotland that feeds into these prestigious European awards.