Scottish social enterprise celebrates prestigious Queen’s Award

An Edinburgh social enterprise is celebrating being among 12 other Scottish winners of one of the UK’s most prestigious business awards.

Thirteen firms were among the 232 winners announced in The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise on Thursday, with the Edinburgh Remakery winning the award for sustainable development.

Elaine Brown, chief executive of the Leith-based business which teaches and adopts sustainable practices around repair and reuse to prevent valuable materials and resources from going to waste, said it was an “amazing achievement” to be given the award.

”We’re delighted to receive this recognition for our work in sustainability, and it is a great testament to the role of social enterprises in creating positive change in our communities,” she said.

“Putting people and planet first is at the heart of our operations, and this award is a triumph for the circular economy and its vital role in helping Edinburgh and the UK hit their ambitious net zero targets, ending waste and pollution, and helping people to waste less, live more.”

Last year, the Edinburgh Remakery collected 39 tonnes of electronic waste from across the UK, 352 people were taught repair and reuse skills, and hundreds of free electronic devices were handed out across the Scottish capital to help tackle digital poverty and isolation.

The social enterprise will now be able to use the Queen’s Award emblem for the next five years, and the team from the Edinburgh Remakery will head to Buckingham Palace next month to formally receive their Queen’s Award for Enterprise.

Other winners include Aberdeen-based manufacturer Kaseum Technology, which won an innovation prize for its pioneering tools created for the oil and gas sector.

WoodBlockX, which was set up in 2012 and is based in Dingwall, won an international trade award in recognition of its overseas growth in the last three years.

And Glasgow-based contractor IQA Operations Group, which now employs more than 300 people in the electrical, telecommunications and multi-utility sector, also won a international trade prize after it saw its overseas business boom.

Paul Scully, the UK Government’s small business minister, said: “The Edinburgh Remakery is serving as an inspiration to businesses across the UK with the way in which it is championing sustainability.”

And Iain Stewart, the UK Government minister for Scotland, said: “From The TEFL Org equipping tutors to teach English from their base in Inverness to the Bladnoch independent distillery making world-class whisky in Dumfries and Galloway, these firms showcase the excellence Scottish business is renowned for.

“I’d like to congratulate all the winners of this most prestigious award. Their innovation, contribution to sustainable development and achievements in trade prove once again that Scotland is a major player on the global business stage.”

The awards were set up following the recommendation chaired by the Duke of Edinburgh in 1965. The first awards, known as The Queen’s Awards to Industry, were made the following year.

Applications for the 2023 Queen’s Awards for Enterprise will open on May 1.