Calling Kildare's sustainability leaders – 2026 Repak Resource Awards now open for entries
Kildare winners from 2025 include Jason Carolan of Aldi, from Athy
The 2026 Repak Resource Awards, Ireland’s national environmental awards, have officially opened for entries.
Businesses, community groups, schools and organisations in Kildare are invited to enter and showcase the initiatives, innovations and people driving progress towards a more circular economy.
The Awards celebrate Kildare organisations and businesses delivering real impact through waste prevention, recycling, resource efficiency, packaging innovation, reuse and refill initiatives, and circular economy solutions.
Kildare winners from 2025 include Jason Carolan of Aldi, from Athy, who was awarded the ESG leader award for leading Aldi’s Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) strategy in packaging, resource management, and operational sustainability since 2023.
Winning a Repak Resource Award provides national recognition, positioning recipients as dynamic and innovative leaders in sustainability.
The Awards recognise best-in-class achievements that are making a tangible difference to businesses, communities and Ireland's sustainable future.
New award categories have been introduced to celebrate innovation in prevention, reduction, reuse and refill, recognising the organisations and initiatives developing practical solutions to reduce environmental impact and accelerate Ireland's circular economy.
By expanding the focus beyond traditional recycling, the Repak Resource Awards aim to capture the full spectrum of circular innovation happening across the country. New categories include:
- Sustainability Team of the Year, celebrating teams across Ireland that are embedding sustainability throughout their organisations.
- Best Recovery Operator Innovation, celebrating innovation within Ireland's waste recovery sector.
- Innovation in Sustainable Packaging Design, recognising packaging solutions that reduce environmental impact.
- Innovation in SUP Reduction/Removal, highlighting initiatives that eliminate or reduce single-use plastics and promote prevention, reuse and refill.
The Awards are free to enter and recognise excellence in innovation, prevention, reduction, reuse, refill and recycling.
Entries close on Monday, August 31 2026. Finalists will be announced in September, with winners revealed at the awards ceremony at The Mansion House, Dublin, on Friday, 23 October 2026.
Commenting on the launch of the Awards, Zoe Kavanagh, CEO of Repak, said:
"We encourage businesses, organisations, schools, community groups and individuals in Kildare to enter the 2026 Repak Resource Awards and showcase the incredible work they are doing. We are delighted to introduce new award categories this year that celebrate the innovation driving Ireland's transition to a more circular economy, with a particular focus on prevention, reduction, reuse and refill.
"The Repak Resource Awards ceremony is a fantastic celebration of Ireland’s sustainability champions, bringing together the very best ideas, projects and people from across the country. It’s an opportunity to recognise outstanding achievements, celebrate success with peers and be part of an inspiring evening dedicated to those who are best in class in sustainability and packaging innovation."
The straightforward and free online application process makes it easy for entrants to showcase the impact of their initiatives, with guidance and previous winning entries available to support submissions.
The 2026 Repak Resource Awards categories are proudly sponsored by ERP, the Environmental Protection Agency, Producer Register Limited, the Local Authorities of Ireland, Panda, the Irish Waste Management Association, DNV, AMCS, the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment (DCEE), Re-turn, Circol ELT, Dublin Waste to Energy and WEEE Ireland.
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