Ministry of Justice wins top sustainability award

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The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has won a prestigious Guardian Public Services Award. At a ceremony in London last week, the MoJ was rewarded for its innovative and sustainable procurement solution to prison mattress supply and disposal.

The MoJ won the Sustainability award, sponsored by Capgemini, in the Innovation & Progress section. As a result of its new centralised mattress procurement solution, mattresses have a lifespan that is 20% longer, and those that do need to be disposed of are no longer treated as clinical waste and can be fully recycled.

At the awards ceremony in London last week, broadcaster Jeremy Vine, who hosted the event, said: "All three shortlisted entries in this category were very strong; however it was the Ministry of Justice's excellent example of sustainability in practice which impressed the judges. Until recently the equivalent of 30 double decker buses in prison mattresses were going into landfill each year. Now they will be recycled, repurposed or reused."

David Brindle, The Guardian's Public Services Editor, said: "Despite the increasingly tough climate for our public services, standards remain extremely high and are very much worth celebrating. With their innovative, cost effective and sustainable procurement solution, the Ministry of Justice looks set to save £6 million over the next five years."

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