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Under embargo: 20:00 Thursday 7 June 2007

THE OBSERVER ETHICAL AWARDS IN ASSOCIATION WITH ECOVER –

WINNERS REVEALED

REWARDING THOSE DOING THEIR PART FOR THE PLANET

The winners of the second Observer ethical awards, supported by Ecover,

manufacturer of effective ecological washing and cleaning products, are revealed
today. All of the winners demonstrate a clear understanding and commitment to
increasing environmental and social justice. Readers of The Observer voted Al
Gore, Campaigner of the Year; Caroline Lucas, Politician of the Year;
Sainsbury’s: packaging that turns into compost, Best Supermarket Initiative
of the Year; Natural Collection, Best Online Retailer (supported by The
Ecologist) and Infinity Foods, Best Local Retailer (supported by The Ecologist).

A celebrity panel, which included Alastair MacGowan, David James and Emily
Eavis selected Carshalton Lavender as, Conservation Project of the Year;
Jonathan Sear and Paul Speight, who created eco-friendly social housing, were
awarded The Do-It-Yourself Award; BioRegional Minimills (UK) Ltd, receive
Invention of the Year for their unique initiative that turns straw into paper;
Stratherrick Primary School win, The Ecover Award for Young Campaigners
of the Year and Terra Plana recieve, Ethical Fashion Product of the Year
(sponsored by Jupiter Assset Management) for their shoes.

Following on from the success of the inaugural awards in 2006, which saw the
Make Poverty History coalition win Campaign of the Year, the awards were
inundated with thousands of nominations and votes. The entrants were judged by
a combination of reader votes and by a celebrity panel.

The winners will be presented with their awards at a ceremony, this evening, at
The Hospital members club in central London, hosted by TV presenter, Simon
Amstell. The winners will also feature in a special ethical issue of The Observer
Magazine, this Sunday 10 June.

The judging took place in April at The Hospital in London and the panel also
included: Julian Rhind-Tutt of Channel 4’s Green Wing; Peter Duncan, chief scout
and former Blue Peter presenter; Krishnan Guru-Murthy, news presenter; Michael
Bremans, managing director of Ecover; Allan Jenkins, editor of Observer Magazine
and Lucy Siegle, The Observer’s ethical living columnist.

The winners of each category will win a hamper of Ecover products and a
specially designed trophy. The winner of the do-it-yourself award will receive
£1,000 worth of eco building vouchers and the winner of the conservation award
will win £1,000 toward the project. Ecover will provide the winner of the young
campaigner category with £2,000 per year, for three years, towards their
campaign.
Observer.co.uk/ethicalawards

-ends-

For more information contact:

Diane Heath, The Observer, 020 7239 993

Becky Cross, Bray Leino, representing Ecover 0117 9731173

Note to editors
For over 25 years, Ecover has been producing only ecological products from plant and mineral based
ingredients. These products harness the power of nature and help you to maintain a healthy home, family and
environment. Ecover’s aim is to provide effective sustainable alternatives to be used everyday by like-minded
people the world over. Ecover offers a broad range of domestic cleaning products, each based on pioneering
ecologically sound principles and created from natural plant and mineral ingredients. www.ecover.com

Categories voted for by Observer Readers

Campaigner of the Year
Al Gore
Former US presidential candidate, Gore has taken global warming to Hollywood with his
Academy Award winning documentary An Inconvenient Truth. It is difficult to imagine that
there would be much of a debate on environmental destruction without him. His
campaigning continues with the series of Live Earth concerts this July.
Best on-line retailer sponsored by The Ecologist
Natural Collection
This is the second year that Natural Collection have scooped the award for their ethical
website and mail-order business. This August they will launch a new fashion range for
which they’ve called in Allanna McAspurn of the Ethical Fashion Forum to source their
products.

Best local retailer sponsored by The Ecologist

Infinity Foods
One of the country’s leading organic produce wholesalers, Infinity’s own shop, in
Brighton, stocks a huge range of fairtrade and organic produce, sourced from some of the
most ethical co-operatives in the world.

Politician of the Year

Caroline Lucas
Caroline Lucas, Green Party MEP, has spent the last 20 years campaigning on ethical
issues, from GM, climate change and localised food production to mobile-phone safety.

Best Supermarket Initiative of the Year

Sainsbury’s- Packaging that turns to compost
Sainsbury’s has replaced 150m plastic containers with ‘compostable packaging’ made
from maize, sugar cane or starch, which can naturally break down in a compost heap at
home.

Categories voted for by celebrity judging panel

Invention of the Year
Bioregional Mini Mill
Minimills have the capacity to make paper from straw. The judges were impressed by a
series of innovations developed over ten years which led to the construction of the
working model. Funding has now been secured to take the project forward to a
commercial mill. The Minimill has revolutionary implications for paper production.

The Ecover Award for Young Campaigner of the Year

Stratherrick School
The judges were charmed by Stratherrick’s eco campaign and in awe of the level of
commitment shown by the pupils. In every available space in the school there is a
sustainable initiative in progress, from water butts to the wildlife garden. After collecting
six month’s worth of plastic bottles, the children attended a week-long, on-site workshop
given by the Sustainable Education Trust and ended up building an impressive 6ft
greenhouse made from 1,500 used bottles.

The Do-It-Yourself Award

Jonathan Sear and Paul Speight
Eco property developers, Jonathan Sear and Paul Speight, chose to eco-refit a run-down
ex-council estate home - housing stock that is pretty much ignored by most sustainable
projects. The house included solar water heating, a kitchen floor made of recycled trainer
sole off–cuts and internal insulation of the sloping ceilings. They have formed the
Lancaster Cohousing Company to create a 24-home scheme in the city, built on
ecological values.

Ethical Fashion Product of the Year, sponsored by Jupiter Asset Management

Terra Plana
Terra Plana are an innovative, sustainable and fashionable shoe manufacturer based in
Bermondsey, south London. Their shoes are made from chrome-free leather and use a
signature stitching design that cuts down on the need for solvent glues and other sources
of pollution.

Conservation Project of the Year

Carshalton Lavender
The project has seen the re-introduction of three acres of lavender fields to an area of
south London. Carshalton lavender mixes conservation ideals with nostalgia, recreating,
on a much smaller scale, what was once a very important local industry. It also educates
younger residents on the benefits of preserving the local eco system.