Sustainability Award for Booker Flowers and Gifts
Booker Flowers and Gifts in Liverpool are proud to have been recognised nationally as a business who cares for the environment and community in which they operate.
As The Good Small Business Award winner in Industry Champion in the Retail and Wholesale Category it's recognition of the continued work they are doing to reduce the environmental impact of their business and the active participation they have in their community.
The Good Small Business awards is the UK's first national sustainability awards exclusively for small businesses. Now in their second year they say “We celebrate the work of small businesses doing the right things for people and the planet – sometimes in small but highly effective ways. The way business leaders run their businesses creates impact; good and bad. A good business is one that focuses on the good and takes conscious and ongoing steps to ensure that not only does it reduce harmful impacts, but that this impact is good – for people, for communities, for the planet. The Good Small Business Awards have a judging model based upon rigour, quality, impartiality and transparency, and the finalists were assessed for best practice across the sustainability pillars of Planet, People, Profit and Purpose.
On receiving the award, Booker’s owner Gemma Wakerley said: “It is such an honour to have won this award, it means so much to myself and my team, we strive every day to balance what is best for the business and the environment and the community local as well as our fellow floristry community. At Booker Flowers and Gifts being eco-friendly, community minded and buying responsibly is part of what we do, and to be recognised for this is the cherry on top, it was a delight to celebrate with the team.
The awards ceremony was a celebration of the work that small businesses do for the planet and people not because they are obliged to but because they believe in it and its part of their sense of purpose, this is recognised by The Good Small Business Awards with their slogan 'saving the planet one small business at a time'.
When asked about what business can do to be greener Gemma said: "Going green is about making small, easy changes, and building from there. It is progress not perfection - we need lots of small businesses doing what they can rather than one doing everything perfectly. Together we can make a big impact. I am delighted that now green issues are on the agenda for the Government, it is a lot easier to access help and support.
In 2023 I worked with a Liverpool John Moores University student to help develop a system that has allowed the shop to go paperless whilst also improving productivity and customer service. The student and I are now business partners in a new company called Digital Florists to take this system to market. This will help us, and other florists be more environmentally friendly whilst also being more efficient and saving money in the process.
Pictured below: Gemma and Lewis at the recent Fleurex exhibition where they showcased the Digital Florists system
