A national print industry award has recognised efforts to promote environmental change.

A4 Labels, headquartered in Fishersgate, received the Environmental Company of the Year title at the Printweek Awards 2026, gaining nationwide acknowledgment for its eco-conscious accomplishments.

The prize highlights the firm’s sustained dedication to sustainability, encompassing environmentally responsible materials and ethical business practices.

Charlie Hawker, the company’s managing director, stated that the organisation has long maintained that enterprises ought to conduct operations in a manner that safeguards the natural world, and this accolade confirms the validity of years of thoughtful selections regarding supplies, operations and collaborations.

The firm additionally secured the position of Highly Commended Runner-Up in the SME of the Year division.

Judges lauded its green measures, noting that they surpass considerably what they would typically anticipate from any printing business.

A4 Labels contributes one percent of total revenue to the environmental organisation Seven Clean Seas, which assists with eliminating plastic pollution from oceans worldwide.

The enterprise has also backed Portslade Cricket Club for two years, undertaking to clear one kilogramme of marine plastic for every twenty runs notched throughout the cricket season.

In 2025, the initiative resulted in clearing 409 kilogrammes of plastic, restoring 4,396 metres of shoreline and providing compensation for 62 hours of properly paid work for cleanup staff members.

Mr Hawker noted that this represents an excellent method for connecting with local residents, supporting community sport and achieving tangible improvements to ocean wellbeing simultaneously.

A4 Labels was established in 2010 by Colin Hawker after spotting opportunity in a discarded sheet of labels.

The venture has expanded from a modest Sussex undertaking into an internationally respected producer, now directed by his offspring Charlie Hawker.

It provides products to prominent companies such as Lush, The Card Factory, Nando’s, Warner Brothers and Five Guys.

During the coronavirus outbreak, A4 Labels manufactured approximately four million label sheets each week for United Kingdom testing kit distribution.

Mr Hawker observed that progressing from launching the company in a spare bedroom to securing a national sector prize has constituted quite an expedition.

He expressed tremendous pride in how much ground has been covered and in the committed workforce whose daily efforts continue to lessen the company’s environmental footprint.