SPECIALIST Somerset fabric firm Nonwovenn has won global recognition for efforts to adopt sustainable business practices.

The firm, which employs hundreds of workers at a site in Bridgwater, has been awarded a gold medal from EcoVadis, which ranks supply chains on their resilience and sustainability.

The award puts Nonwovenn in the top 5% of firms rated by EcoVadis around the world each year.

Nonwovenn makes innovative specialist fabrics, with the gold medal recognising the firm’s “commitment to integrating sustainable practices into its business operations, through environmental stewardship, social responsibility and ethical practices”.

READ MORE: Business news from your Somerset Leveller
READ MORE: Environment news from the Leveller

Nonwovenn was congratulated by Somerset Council cabinet member, Mike Rigby, who said: “What I find thrilling about Nonwovenn is how one of Somerset’s fastest growing firms is combining business success, social purpose and going green.

“It now employs 248 people who deliver products which reduce harm including protective suits for the security forces and products that help smokers quit.

“On top of that it has a mission for reducing its environmental footprint and now sends nothing to landfill.”

The company achieved an impressive score in the Ecovadis evaluation, placing it in the 97th percentile among global companies measured by its metrics.

Prabhat Mishra, sustainability director at Nonwovenn

Prabhat Mishra, a board member and sustainability director at the firm, said: “We are deeply honoured to receive the EcoVadis Gold Medal, a testament to Nonwovenn’s unwavering commitment to sustainability.

“It reflects our purpose-driven approach to business, which focuses on sustainable harm reduction in all our activities”, he added.

“It also highlights our team’s dedication to implementing sustainable practices and continuously improving our environmental and social impact.

“Long term, our commitment is not just to strive for excellence in sustainability but, as a business leader in Somerset, to share best practise and support others to do the same.”

Last year, the company was recognised at the International Green Apple Environmental Awards 2024 at Kensington Palace, with a citation praising how it had raised its recycling rate from 1.7% to 66%.