The Irish Made Awards will feature a special category to honour sustainable Irish businesses
Sustainability is a topic we are passionate about at Irish Country Magazine, and we have brought that conversation into every issue with our Sustainable Spotlight feature and Jo Linehan’s insightful column. We care about sharing ways people can live with a lower impact, and that couldn’t happen without the brilliant work of makers who are creating products that are kind to the planet.
If your business has introduced exciting new innovations and creations that will take great strides in terms of sustainability, we want to celebrate you. This award is for those that are changing the game in exciting, ground-breaking ways that will make a lasting difference.
We are delighted to announce MyWaste.ie as our new sponsor of the Sustainability category for the Irish Made Awards 2025.
Mywaste.ie is Ireland’s official guide to waste and promotes circularity through waste prevention and management. The main website has practical advice and information around bin use, waste material types, legislation, facility locations and free assets to help all walks on their sustainability journey. The social pages (@MyWasteIreland) share upcoming events to do with circularity, relevant news items, ideas for engaging with sustainability at various levels and are a great place for people to comment and discuss their questions. Mywaste.ie is an initiative by the Regional Waste Management Offices on behalf of the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment.
Speaking of their involvement in the Irish Made Awards, Will Mitchell of MyWaste said:
“MyWaste.ie is delighted to be sponsoring the Irish Made Awards’ Sustainability category, it’s exactly what we are here to help everybody with so it’s a great fit! We can’t wait to see all of the innovation and efforts happening across the country through these Irish businesses, exemplifying how being greener is an economic advantage.”
For details on how to enter the Irish Made Awards, see the Awards page, and FAQs here.
Meet the past Sustainability winners and runners-up of the Irish Made Awards:
2024 Winner – Hanna’s Bees
Rooted in the deep heritage of Irish beekeeping, Hanna’s Bees, led by Hanna Bäckmo, is a hive-to-home business built on sustainability and respect for nature. Each product is carefully handcrafted in Cork, embodying a true commitment to preserving the environment.
2024 Runner Up – Ceadogán Rugmakers
In the 30 years since Denis Kenny and Fiona Gilboy have been at the helm Ceadogán Rugmakers, the company has gone from a small hearth rug business to a leading maker of fine bespoke rugs and wall hangings. With a strong commitment to sustainability, no detail has been left unconsidered and even the buttons in Ceadogán’s new range of cushion covers are hand made on site from local wind fallen hornbeam.
2023 Winner – The Bearded Candle Makers
These candles are telling stories through scent. They are hand poured using soy wax and also bees wax with organic cotton tapers that give off a very soft honey scent. By developing its own scent blending profiles and studying the science of candle making, the team believes their candles will always smell amazing and last longer than their counter parts.
2023 Runner Up – BiaSol
BiaSol is a family-run company in the heart of Ireland creating a range of innovative food solutions that launched in 2020. Its mission is to make highly nutritious, zero-waste food products easily accessible in Ireland.
2022 winner – Nunaia: Mindfully manufactured on the shores of Lough Derg in Co Tipperary, Nunaïa creates skincare rituals designed to nourish the skin and soul. Founder Nicola Connolly worked as a sustainability consultant for over a decade, and the brand’s sustainability initiatives go across the whole supply chain. The 100% plant-based ingredients are farmed using regenerative agricultural practices that leave the land richer and more biodiverse and the products are fully biodegradable and safe for our water systems. Nunaïa is the first company in Ireland to use zero waste packaging made from mycelium which is the root structure of mushrooms and upcycled hemp waste.
Our runner-up for this award last year was Ethos CBD. Conceived with the mission of providing quality organic CBD and hemp products to improve people’s lives, Ethos pioneers a new form of health, achieved naturally. The brand, created by Amy O’Flaherty and Fergus Kerrigan, endeavours to grow and create products with a perpetual focus on sustainability. As a business, they are leading the way on supporting farms, the environment and communities to thrive. Ethos prides itself on delivering the health and wellbeing needs of each customer through innovative product ranges, supported always by science.
Please note the Sustainability category is not for individual entry – if you would like to enter this category, please first select your category from the choices in the drop-down menu, and then tick the Sustainable box within the form. An entry box will appear where you can then enter your details on sustainable practises within your business. The Sustainability Shortlist will be comprised of the top-scoring entrants in the field of sustainability across the categories.
