2025 NSW Sustainability Award Winners Announced at the National Maritime Museum
Sydney, NSW – A teen climate visionary inspiring global action through music and storytelling, community groups cooling cities with miniature forests, and innovators turning old solar panels into road-grade asphalt were celebrated today at the 2025 NSW Sustainability Awards at the Australian National Maritime Museum.
Presented in partnership with the NSW Government through the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW), and conducted by the Banksia Foundation, the awards honour leaders driving meaningful sustainability progress across NSW, from passionate young advocates to major industry pioneers.
“Tonight’s winners show that climate action is powered by creativity, community, and courage,” said Graz van Egmond, CEO of the Banksia Foundation. “Their work is bold, measurable and deeply inspiring.”
The Minister’s Young Climate Champion
Ruby Rodgers — A Powerful New Voice for a Generation Demanding Change
This year’s Minister’s Young Climate Champion Award celebrates Ruby Rodgers, a remarkable young advocate who is redefining how climate leadership looks — and sounds.
Ruby has taken climate anxiety and transformed it into action, artistry, and global influence. Through her original music, documentary compositions, spoken-word performances and youth-led campaigns, she is reaching audiences in a way that cuts through noise and nurtures hope.
Her work has travelled from school halls to international stages, including the United Nations. She is galvanising youth councils across the world, empowering communities to understand climate responsibility, and building intergenerational resilience at a time when it’s needed most.
Ruby’s message is clear, compelling and disarmingly honest:
young people aren’t waiting for permission to shape the future — they’re doing it now.
Meet the 2025 Winners Driving a Better Future for NSW
Biodiversity Award – The Groundswell Collective
Creating ‘Tiny Forests’ that cool local areas by up to 5°C, this team is demonstrating how small-scale, community-driven ecosystems can deliver rapid biodiversity gains.
Circular Economy Award (Joint Winners)
John Holland’s M7–M12 Integration Project pioneered Australia’s first solar-panel-glass asphalt, redefining how infrastructure embraces circularity.
Winning Group continues to shift consumer culture with free recycling programs for appliances, mattresses and packaging, keeping more than 80,000 tonnes of materials in circulation.
Climate Technology Impact Award – Green Gravity
Repurposing legacy mine shafts into renewable-energy storage hubs, offering a long-life, modular alternative to batteries and supporting the transition of former coal regions.
Large Business Sustainable Leadership Award – Alsco Uniforms
Embedding circularity, recycling innovation and social inclusion into the core of its textile rental operations, driving industry-wide change.
Marketing and Communications for Impact Award – Return and Earn (Exchange for Change)
Over 14 billion containers returned through a program that’s transformed NSW recycling habits and delivered significant social impact.
Net Zero Action Award – Property & Development NSW
Operating 1.1 million m² of NSW’s largest government property portfolio at net zero emissions, setting a blueprint for public sector climate action.
Placemaking Award – Wagonga Inlet Living Shoreline (Eurobodalla Shire Council)
A nature-based coastal restoration model that regenerates vital ecosystems, honours Indigenous knowledge, and strengthens community resilience.
Primary Industries & Regional Development Award – Ferrero Australia
A sustainability-forward regional manufacturer investing in energy innovation and long-term community resilience at its Lithgow site.
SME Sustainable Leadership Award – Pablo & Rusty’s Coffee Roasters
A triple-accredited sustainability leader championing circular packaging, carbon-neutral roasting and community impact.
Sustainable Tourism Award – Region X & The Oyster Shed
Delivering meaningful eco-adventures that support local economies while celebrating culture, nature and sustainable marine stewardship.
The NSW Sustainability Awards took place at the Australian National Maritime Museum on Tuesday 9th December.
Banksia Foundation and the NSW Government proudly stand behind these extraordinary 2025 winners, innovators turning ideas into action, communities reshaping their environments, and young leaders like Ruby Rodgers proving that the future is already being built.
These award recipients are not only imagining a better world — they’re delivering it.
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