Together For Our Planet campaign announces Wales’s award-winning green small business

• Onesta, Welsh sustainable lifestyle brand, celebrated as a Hero of Net Zero at COP26 awards ceremony
• Micro business celebrated for original and creative actions taken to cut their own greenhouse gas emissions 
• The company urges other businesses to commit to net zero at UK Climate Hub 

Clothing business Onesta will be highly commended in the Heroes of Net Zero competition today at a special awards ceremony hosted by Intuit at the COP26 international climate change summit in Glasgow. 

More than 160 businesses entered the competition, making a commitment at the UK Business Climate Hub to achieve net zero by 2050, in line with the government’s own climate commitment. 

The lifestyle brand, based in Carmarthenshire, Wales, were highly commended in the micro business category for demonstrating a range of measures taken on their journey to net zero, including sourcing eco-friendly materials locally, removing toxic chemicals used in manufacturing and re-purposing fabric scraps to make sustainable products for Surfers against Sewage. 

Gabriella Diana, CEO and Founder of Onesta, said:

“It feels great to be part of a group of like-minded businesses that have come together for the good of the planet. The community and resources make a difficult challenge seem attainable. 

“Saying you will do something is the easy part but joining together and making those changes, holding ourselves accountable, is what makes a Hero of Net Zero. We are honoured and incredibly grateful to be selected as a finalist and honoured to be invited to the awards ceremony at the COP26.”

 Onesta won over the competition judges for their actions taking great strides in limiting waste in their business using circular economy principles and for reducing their carbon footprint by a tangible amount.

The business provides high quality, timeless clothing for men and women. Onesta meaning honesty represents their transparent approach to work; from the way they source and make clothing to protecting workers, the environment and upholding animal welfare. 

The Heroes of Net Zero competition is part of the government’s Together for Our Planet campaign, run by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.  The competition was supported by BT, SSE and NatWest Group, who contributed a prize package worth £4,500 for the winners in the micro business category, PPE manufacturer Design Abled, of Stanmore, in Harrow.

The panel of expert judges included the government’s Net Zero Business Champion Andrew Griffith. He is today due to present Onesta and other Heroes of Net Zero finalists with awards and celebrate their green achievements at COP26 at the Scottish Event Campus. The event will be live streamed from 11.45am on the UK government’s YouTube channel.  

UK Net Zero Business Champion, Andrew Griffith said: 

“I am delighted to be celebrating The Heroes of Net Zero today at our special COP26 event. Representing a diverse range of industries and locations, the finalists spotlight the actions that UK businesses of any size can take to cut their own emissions and help us build back better.” 

Chris Leahy, Global Corporate Affairs Leader at Intuit QuickBooks said: 

“UK small businesses will continue to play a critical role in building a more climate-positive future and we are proud to have sponsored these awards to showcase the winners’ great achievements.  We will continue to work closely with SMEs, to support them as they commit to carbon reduction through our partnership with Together for Our Planet.”

Gabrielle Ginér, Head of Environmental Sustainability at BT said: 

“I am very pleased to see that so many small businesses have signed up to net zero targets. The winners showcased innovative and inspiring ways of reducing their impact on the climate and environment. I hope they will serve as exemplars for many more small businesses to take climate action.”  

Nikki Flanders, Managing Director of Energy Customer Solutions at SSE said:

“The Heroes of Net Zero competition has been a great opportunity to celebrate success and inspire businesses across the UK to take action. We’re excited to work with winners Design Abled and VMI.TV, helping them to further accelerate their journeys to net zero with our Energy Manager consultancy.”

James Close, Head of Climate at NatWest Group said: 

“It is inspiring to see small and medium size enterprises doing so much to commit to a net zero future. Not only is it good for their businesses, it’s also good for their customers and the planet and sets a great example to others.”