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GreenZone has won the Private Sector Leadership award at this week’s Social Value Portal awards ceremony hosted by Church House, Westminster.
The Social Value Awards champion social value creation and community wellbeing and are the awards to win for any organisation concerned with doing more good.
Steve Trew, Managing Director at GreenZone said: “We were truly humbled, thrilled, just to be nominated for this esteemed award, facing tough competition from the other nominees. The GreenZone team are overwhelmed to have actually won, honoured to have received this external recognition for the work supporting communities within, and outside of our business. The caring culture we passionately created right from day one runs through the veins of our team, ensuring the ethos for social value is nurtured in all that we do.”
Established in 2010, GreenZone Cleaning & Support Services set out to revolutionise the commercial cleaning industry by delivering a truly social, environmental, and economically sustainable service. Its aim since inception has been to achieve new benchmarks in sustainability and social value, inspire behavioural change, and minimise the environmental impact of their operations. Committed to minimising the use of the planet’s resources, GreenZone aims to ensure the business leaves a positive, beneficial legacy. It prides itself on ensuring its values of People, Sustainability, Excellence and Innovation are at the core of how the organisation functions. Social Value (SV) has, and always will be, an integral part of GreenZone’s daily operations.
A multiple channel approach to SV is taken, delivering initiatives across a broad range of the themes including people, community and volunteering, donations, sustainable procurement, and environmental impacts.
GreenZone recognises that monitoring, measuring and externally validating business activities – which takes place through the Social Value Portal – is crucial to ensure independent accountability of operations. This validation confirms GreenZone’s commitment to contributing to society incrementally year-on-year, something that acts as a key differentiator in the marketplace and that it is extremely proud of, and passionate about.
GreenZone reports on 20 Social and Local Economic Value measures with the top three contributors being employing local staff, local supply chain and investment in initiatives to benefit employees.
Since implementing the measurement of social value in 2018, in excess of £6.5 million has been delivered by its Head Office function.
Key SV activities recorded include:
People
With a 950+ strong workforce, GreenZone recognises that within the cleaning industry, there is traditionally a transient workforce. The company challenges this “norm”, recognising its most important asset is its staff. Investing in people – ensuring they receive comprehensive training, supportive management, career development opportunities and feel a valued member of the GreenZone ‘family’ – pays back in a loyal, productive workforce, stability, enthusiasm, and pride.
Community & Volunteering
GreenZone takes responsibility for the impacts that arise through the provision of its services upon society and the environment. It participates in many activities to support local communities and the environment, naming just a few examples;
- Provision of long-term work placements for Future First, a charity which help people in care get into employment
- Careers advice given to students at local schools by Directors
- Action on Disability placements
- Being a Social Enterprise UK Supporter Member and integrating Social Enterprises into their supply chain
- Litter picking and tree planting in local recreational spaces
- Participating in charity fundraising activities, including donating to a number of food banks
Donations
Since measuring SV began in 2018, GreenZone has supported in excess of 50 different charities with cash donations or in-kind contributions.
