SBI Press release

Renewaball is the world's first circular tennis ball, made from old tennis balls. Renewaball collects old tennis balls from tennis clubs and gives them a second life by recycling them. The rubber is reused and the polyester and nylon (microplastics that get into the ground every time you hit them) are taken off and 100% organic felt is put back on, which consists of sheep wool from Europe. A Renewaball has 30% less CO2 emissions than an ordinary tennis ball due to local production. An ordinary tennis ball travels 80,000 km before reaching Europe. They are therefore very harmful to the environment. In the Netherlands, we use 5.5 million of them every year. And they almost all end up in the incinerator.

Renewaball manages to raise awareness for this unknown problem, with a story that makes sense on all sides, according to the jury. The jury is very impressed by the innovative power of the Renewaball and firmly believes in the scalability of Renewaball. The jury therefore finds Renewaball the 'SBI initiative of the year 2022'.

The second prize is for Karma Kebab

Karma Kebab is vegetable and sustainable kebab made from Dutch celeriac and grains. The founders would like to convince people to eat less meat and to ignore those cheap boxes of shawarma and kebab from the supermarket. Not by pointing a finger at the bad consequences of meat consumption or continuously communicating about the sustainable aspects of their own product, but by reinventing the kebab sandwich and simply making an incredibly tasty product that is even better than the original . This combined with a brand that has a large dose of (festival) fun and brings a smile to people's faces.

According to the jury, the guys from Karma Kebab have done an excellent job of linking 'taste', 'party' and 'fun' to their product in a high-quality way, with strong branding and naming. Therefore, the jury believes that Karma Kebab can become the largest kebab brand in the world.

Organic dairy from Plus wins third prize

PLUS Supermarkets has taken a unique step in the dairy shelf in 2021: all milk, buttermilk and yogurt of the private label has been converted to standard organic dairy. The customer continues to pay the same price and the farmers receive the additional price that is appropriate for organic. PLUS makes up for the difference itself. About a thousand organic cows provide PLUS with more than 7.8 million liters of more sustainable milk every year.
The jury finds this decision commendable. Plus has really taken the lead on this. With this decision, the supermarket has appealed to a large group of Dutch people, in addition to its own customers, and the jury finds this admirable. 

Interface receives the oeuvre prize

Interface, operating worldwide in flooring, was one of the first companies to focus entirely on sustainability. Since 1994 she has shown that things can be fundamentally different from making a positive contribution to the living environment, on the basis of the 'Mission Zero' strategy. Now that this ambition has been achieved in 2019, Interface is moving forward. Interface's Climate Take Back™ mission invites other companies to join them. Interface wants to ensure that their business is restorative for the earth and that it creates a favorable environment for life. The Embodied Beauty™ carpet collection is the first to offer CO2-negative products, inspired by Japanese aesthetics to be in harmony with nature.

The jury is full of praise for the hopeful perspective that Interface offers, it is about taking the long view and persevering. Interface is an inspiring example for many and the jury awards the SBI Initiative of the Year Award to Interface.

Background SBI Jury Prize Initiative of the Year

In 2014, the trade award was introduced in Sweden by SB Insight, the company behind Europe's largest brand research focused on sustainability, Sustainable Brand Index. The prize is awarded annually during the presentation of the Sustainable Brand awards. The award is intended to encourage sustainability work that makes a difference to people, society or the environment.

The 2022 jury of the SBI Initiative of the Year election consists of professionals who deal with sustainability, branding and/or communication on a daily basis within the sector.

  • Leontine Gast – CEO The Terrace
  • Maurits Groen – Co-founder WakaWaka, Kipster, Wholy Greens and Ignite
  • Roderick Mirande – Editor of Adformation
  • Arthur Herpel –Managing Partner Bright Green
  • Ewa Skotnicki – Head of Brand Fairphone
  • Annemarije Tillema – Country Director SBI NL

The 6 finalists

From the beginning of December 2021, everyone had the opportunity to nominate a company, a campaign, a launch or a specific product. An independent jury then assessed which of the initiatives best met the criteria underlying the prize. These criteria are:

INNOVATION – does the initiative test something new and/or challenge existing standards within the industry in which it operates?
ENGAGEMENT – does the initiative create consumer engagement and/or encourage more sustainable behaviour?
IMPACT – does the initiative have the potential to create lasting positive change?
CREATIVITY – does the initiative distinguish itself through its creative execution, e.g. design, branding or communication?

From the 49 initiatives submitted, 6 finalists remained:

  • Renewaball, the world's first circular tennis ball
  • Karma Kebab
  • Organic dairy from PLUS
  • Embodied Beauty™, Interface
  • Fairtrade Original coffee: on the way to a living income
  • RESALE, Zeeman & Het Goed