- RSPCA awards recognise companies supporting animal welfare -UK companies from across the country were rewarded last night for leading the way in good animal welfare practice at the RSPCA Good Business Awards.
The glamorous awards ceremony, held at London’s Natural History Museum and hosted by TV presenter Matthew Wright, revealed the country’s top achievers when it comes to the treatment of animals in the cosmetics, fashion and food industries. Entries were judged by independentexperts1, based on criteria set by the world’s oldest and largest animal welfare charity.
M&S (Fashion); Lush (Cosmetics Retailer) Essential Care (Cosmetics small company) M&S Food (Food Supermarket) Norfolk’s Samphire (Small Food retailer) and Devon’s ‘Owl and the Pussycat’ (restaurant) won the highest accolades of the night for each of their industry categories. Topshop was recognised in the fashion category for making steps to improving animal welfare, and M&S was recognised in the cosmetics category as the most progressive cosmetics company in 2006. Abel and Cole was also recognised in the small food retailer category for their commitment to improving animal welfare.
The RSPCA launched the Good Business Awards last year to encourage companies to adopt welfare-friendly policies to reflect the wishes of their consumers and in turn reap financial and moral benefits.
Designer Wayne Hemingway, who was one of the judges, said: ‘All the winning companies should be highly praised for what they have achieved in terms of setting a benchmark for animal welfare in business, and for blazing a bright trail for others to follow. After all, ethical consumerism is high on the public agenda – it can only make sense for other companies to take notice and make improvements.’
Jackie Ballard, RSPCA Director General, said: 'It is very heartening to see such a high calibre of entries this year. It proves that more and more companies are taking animal welfare seriously, and rightly so as animal welfare matters to their customers, and ethical consumerism is now worth a staggering £25.8 billion a year2.
“This year's winning entries deserve credit and recognition for their robust policies in promoting greater animal welfare in business. I hope that their success encourages other companies to follow suit and enter the awards next year. "
