TUI Sustainability Impact Awards 2025: Partnerships for the sustainable transformation

Sunday, Mar 16, 2025 0

Winners DHL, Propack and Cleaner Seas Group show: Ideas and technologies drive sustainable transformation
TUI CEO Sebastian Ebel: “The TUI Sustainability Impact Awards demonstrate the innovative strength of our suppliers – and their commitment to integrating sustainability into their own processes and products.”

TUI Group has announced the winners of the TUI Sustainability Impact Awards 2025. The prizes, presented for the first time, recognize outstanding sustainability initiatives by TUI suppliers in the fields of technology, indirect purchasing, cruises and airlines. The winners DHL, Propack and Cleaner Seas Group show that ideas and technologies are driving the sustainable transformation. Almost 100 submissions were reviewed and evaluated in the four business areas. An internal jury chaired by TUI CEO Sebastian Ebel selected the three winners from the shortlist in each category. Due to the high quality of the applications, two companies, PPDS and NuServe, also received special praise from the jury for their contributions.

“Sustainability is an integral part of our corporate strategy. The TUI Sustainability Impact Awards stand for our suppliers’ ability to innovate – and their commitment to integrating sustainability into their own processes and products. They strengthen our shared goal of making tourism more sustainable. This year’s winners are representative of the breadth of sustainability– and once again underline the holistic approach that TUI pursues,” said Sebastian Ebel, CEO of TUI Group.

The TUI Sustainability Impact Awards are presented in the categories “People”, “Planet” and “Progress” and are thus based on the pillars of TUI Sustainability Agenda. After honoring sustainability initiatives by suppliers in the technology sector over the past two years, TUI has expanded the successful concept to other areas of the company for the first time this year. The aim is to build a community of pioneers within TUI suppliers and work together on sustainable solutions for tourism. The winners will be invited to share their solutions with TUI employees, thus providing impetus for further sustainable developments.

Thomas Ellerbeck, Member of the Group Executive Committee and Chief Sustainability Officer, says: “TUI works with more than 50,000 companies worldwide, from family-run, local providers to global players. The TUI Sustainability Impact Awards underline the importance of these suppliers and service partners: Only together with them can we achieve a sustainable transformation of the tourism industry.”

The winners of the TUI Sustainability Impact Awards 2025:

Category “People”: DHL – London Gatwick Airport has partnered with DHL and the Crawley & Horley Hygiene Bank to rescue confiscated toiletries – items taken at security due to the 100ml rule. Instead of having to be disposed of, these new and unused toiletries are donated to those in need, including homeless individuals, low-income families, schools, and food banks. Since launching in 2023, this initiative has donated over 8.2 tonnes of toiletries.

Category “Planet”: Propack – This initiative by Propack allows customers to create a bespoke, personalized brochure, reducing the need to take multiple brochures. Customers can choose to receive a digital PDF copy or request a printed version that is as environmentally friendly as possible. This initiative has led to a 10% year-on-year reduction in brochure printing, equating to over 160,000 fewer brochures printed.

Category “Progress”: Cleaner Seas Group – Cleaner Seas Group developed a pioneering filtration system that captures synthetic fibers from laundry wastewater. They also incorporate a Return & Recycle scheme back to their world first recycling centre, enabling the easy return of full cartridges from any cruise ship within a completely circular system. Additionally, they have scaled their filter solutions to address multiple grey water sources onboard. Across TUI`s Marella fleet alone, Cleaner Seas’ filtration systems are expected to capture and recycle approximately 2.5 tonnes of microfibres per year.

Special Mentions:

PPDS, the exclusive global provider of Philips Professional Displays, focuses on reducing energy consumption and extending product lifecycles through innovative solutions. Their holistic approach includes R&D for energy-efficient, modular, and repairable designs, as well as take-back schemes to reduce waste and the Philips Wave remote display management platform enabling savings on power, time, and fuel. TUI recognises PPDS for their holistic thinking, from manufacture to packing and product lifecycle.

NuServe supports the circular economy by extending clothing lifecycles, reducing waste, and supporting palliative care for Londoners. We want to give a special mention to NuServe as they are a relatively small cleaning company yet are still making good strides in sustainability. This initiative demonstrates that no action is too small to make a difference, and meaningful change doesn’t always require a big budget.