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10.10.08

Ethically minded companies are coveting their prizes after being selected as recipients of this year's RSPCA Good Business Awards for animal welfare.

The awards, presented last night at a chic ceremony at the Natural History Museum in London, were judged by independent panels of industry experts based on criteria set out by the charity.

The biggest accolades of the night went to:

• Bulldog
  Best small cosmetics company
  The first male grooming company to be nominated for an RSPCA award, proving that it's not just women who want to look after themselves using cruelty free cosmetics.
  
  
• The Body Shop
  Best large cosmetics company
  Chosen for the first time since 2005 for its sustained commitment to animal welfare, great staff motivation and an impressive forward thinking attitude.
  
  
• Izzy Lane
  Best small fashion retailer
  Highly praised for its beautiful knitwear collection, which combines a passion for fashion with an ongoing commitment to good animal husbandry and sustainability - its sheep sanctuary saved 500 sheep in 2006/2007.
  
  
• Marks and Spencer
  Best large fashion retailer
  Chosen for the fourth year running for setting higher animal welfare standards on the high street through its traceability, its longstanding policy against the use of fur in any of its products, and its continued commitment to ethical sourcing.
  
  
• McDonald's
  Best restaurant chain
  Praised for the milestones it has reached this year, including an extension of its commitment to use free-range eggs in restaurants across Europe, and for its strong support of research into animal welfare improvements across the whole industry through funding the Food Animal Initiative (FAI).
  
  
• The Norway Inn in Truro, Cornwall
  Best independent restaurant
  Selected for displaying a commitment to higher welfare through a strong traceability policy - all farmers who supply the animal produce for the restaurant are highlighted on the menu.
  
  
• Marks and Spencer
  Best supermarket
  Regaining its crown in this category for its clear and evidence-based animal welfare audit, and its commitment to ensuring the welfare credentials of its processed pork products, such as parma ham.
  
  
• Pepperfield Farm in Dalton-on-Tees, Yorkshire
  Best independent food retailer
  Chosen for its humane rearing and slaughter policies, and its continuing drive to educate customers from farm to fork by running informative opening days.
  

Innovation and commitment to change
The following companies were also recognised either for innovation in certain fields or commitment to change.

Marks and Spencer in the cosmetics category.

Natural Collection in the fashion category.

Restaurant Alimentum in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, in the restaurant category.

Asda in the supermarket category.

Lifetime achievement award
The Co-operative (Co-op) was given a one-of-a-kind lifetime achievement award for its longstanding commitment to animal welfare, from sourcing and labelling, through to its recent high welfare turkey initiative.

David Bowles, RSPCA head of external affairs, said: "We congratulate all the winners for setting a higher standard for animal welfare in their respective industries, and flying the flag for what is ethically right.

"The RSPCA now wants to see their examples being followed by other companies in the UK. Consumers are now more demanding than ever about the provenance of the products they buy, and companies need to shape up to meet these demands."

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Find out more about the RSPCA Good Business Awards and this year's winners at: www.rspcagoodbusinessawards.com

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photo © RSPCA