Levy UK + Ireland has been named Sustainable Business of the Year at The Cateys 2026, one of the hospitality industry’s most prestigious awards.
Held last night (7th July) in London, The Cateys, often described as the ‘Oscars of hospitality’, celebrate the sector’s strongest performers, most inspirational brands and highest achievers.
Sustainability Director Kevin Watson and members of Levy’s Sustainability team picked up the award for the most innovative and effective steps to minimise its environmental impact, with judges lauding Levy’s sustainability strategy as “great work at scale” and highlighting work to champion wild venison on menus.
The awards, hosted by The Caterer and in partnership with Square, took place at London’s JW Marriott Grosvenor House and were attended by more than 1,000 of the UK’s leading hospitality professionals.
Levy, which published its first Climate Impact Report in September last year, was lauded for a five-year transformation strategy with sustainability embedded into every operational decision, “at scale and with measurable impact”.
Working in partnership with Foodsteps, Levy has transformed its menus and supply chain, delivering significant emissions reductions through initiatives such as its 50:50 beef and mushroom burger and increased use of regenerative ingredients.
Between FY2019 and FY2024, Levy achieved a 71.5% reduction in emissions from its beef burgers, alongside reductions in meat and dairy emissions. Levy has also expanded plant-based menu options, introduced 8.4 million reusable cups, reduced paper usage through digitalisation and strengthened sustainability standards across its supply chain.
Judges of the Sustainable Business Award, sponsored by UNOX, included Juliette Caillouette-Noble of the Sustainable Restaurant Association, Mark Chapman from the Zero Carbon Forum, Sue Williams from Positive Hospitality and Gareth Rhodes from FarmEd.
Judge Sue Williams called Levy’s entry “great work at scale” adding that it was “a mature, well-structured submission that is a masterclass in food and packaging emissions reduction.”
Judge Gareth Rhodes said: “Helping people understand the pluses of using venison is fantastic, and it was good to see an understanding of regenerative agriculture.”
Judge Juliane Caillouette-Noble said: “Love to see the innovation happening at Levy, with a particular highlight being their work with venison. Rather than waiting around for the customer to change, it is taking action on menus anyway.”
"This award is a fantastic recognition of the ambition and commitment of our teams across the business. Sustainability is embedded into the decisions we make every day, from the food we serve and the suppliers we work with, to how we engage and educate our teams. We are incredibly proud of the progress we've made across our core values of people and planet and remain committed to driving positive change across the hospitality sector."
— Kevin Watson, Sustainability Director for Levy
Others on the shortlist for the Sustainable Business Award were Houston & Hawkes, The catering team, Liverpool FC, Montcalm Collection, Royal Lancaster London and The catering team, the University of Manchester.
