Wednesday 3rd June marked our seventh annual Carbon Literate Organisation (CLO) Awards. This year, we celebrated 101 new organisations achieving CLO accreditation across a diverse range of sectors!
Bringing Awardees Together
Following an incredible year of achievements, we wanted to create more opportunities for organisations to connect, learn from one another, and celebrate together. To do this, we hosted the inaugural CLO Workshop in the afternoon, bringing together members of the 2026 cohort to hear from our established Gold and Platinum CLOs. The workshop provided valuable insights into scaling Carbon Literacy and engaging supply chains in climate action, with representatives from Bobst, Manchester Metropolitan University, Autotrader and Manchester City Council joining panel discussions chaired by our Co-Founder, Phil Korbel and Director of Advocacy, Natalia Phipps.
Bronze Awards
The awards ceremony began by recognising 59 organisations that achieved Bronze CLO status. Some particularly impressive achievements from our Bronze CLOs included:
- Huddersfield Town Football Club: which has embedded sustainability into everyone’s job descriptions, their club code of conduct, and individual work objectives.
- The Clancy Group: which has increased its usage of HVO fuel, saving 2500 tonnes of C02 emissions in the last year.
- Gravesham Borough Council: which has increased its housing stock EPC ratings from 58% to 84% since 2019, and decreased its own operational emissions by 29%, as well as a 24% decrease in overall borough emissions.
Silver Awards
This year, 35 organisations took the next step in their Carbon Literacy journey by achieving Silver CLO status. Highlights from our Silver Awardees included:
- British Antarctic Survey: which recently delivered its first Carbon Literacy courses in Antarctic research stations. By raising awareness of the environmental impact of operating in Antarctica—where emissions can average around 0.5 tCO₂e per person, per day—they have helped drive more efficient planning and decision-making.
- NHS London Procurement Partnership: where over half of staff are now certified Carbon Literate. The actions pledged through the training are estimated to reduce emissions by more than 13,500 kgCO₂e annually.
- Palatine: the first private equity firm in the UK to achieve CLO status and a founding supporter of Manchester’s Carbon Literate City initiative.
- Red Oak Consulting: an independent high-performance computing and cloud consultancy, which has now delivered a Digital and Tech-focused Carbon Literacy course across the entire company.
Gold Awards
Next, we celebrated the achievements of our five new Gold CLOs. Notable highlights included:
- Ecosurety: which developed its own Carbon Literacy course tailored specifically for the packaging industry and has now trained people from 39 packaging producers.
- Fife Council: which partnered with Climate Action Fife and Greener Kirkcaldy to launch Fife Climate Knowhow, an accredited Carbon Literacy training programme available to council employees, elected members and local public service partners. Since launching in August 2021, the programme has reached more than 423 staff members.
One of the most rewarding aspects of the CLO Awards is hearing the stories behind each organisation’s journey and the impact Carbon Literacy is having. Throughout the evening, we heard from some of our most valued collaborators within the CLO community through live Q&A sessions and recorded video messages. Contributors included Autotrader, a Platinum CLO and long-standing Platinum Partner of the Project, and Beechfield Brands, our founding sponsor, which continues to support us because by doing so, they can have much greater impact than they could make alone. If you are interested in finding out how you can support us while advancing your own CLO journey, please explore our Sponsorship Opportunities and how you could Become a Partner.
Platinum Awards
The final awards of the evening recognised our two new Platinum Carbon Literate Organisations: Bobst Ltd and Groundwork Greater Manchester. Achieving Platinum status demonstrates a commitment not only to embedding Carbon Literacy internally, but also to leading climate engagement across wider sectors and communities.
- Bobst began delivering Carbon Literacy training in June 2024, running three face-to-face, one-day training sessions that reached 52 colleagues from departments ranging from electrical engineering to accounting. This led to the formation of a sustainability committee within Bobst Manchester. Since then, several initiatives have been implemented, including replacing lighting across office and shop-floor areas with motion-sensor LED systems and beginning the transition from diesel and petrol vehicles to electric alternatives.
- Groundwork Greater Manchester delivers Carbon Literacy training to a diverse range of audiences, including businesses, community groups, young people not in employment, and those serving prison sentences. In March 2025, the organisation hit a milestone, having trained more than 1,000 people. Over 73% of its staff team, as well as its Board of Trustees, have also completed Carbon Literacy training.
Whether through organisational and behavioural change, engaging the wider industry, or impressive measurable emissions reductions, witnessing what is possible through Carbon Literacy and the action it inspires is as galvanising for us as it is for all the awardees.
A huge thank you to Sustainable Ventures, ARMR and Sister for their support and contributions in helping make the event such a memorable evening.
Want to secure your spot at next year’s CLO Awards? Find out more about Carbon Literate Organisation accreditation.
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