About the Interzoo Sustainability Award
The Interzoo Sustainability Award recognises outstanding initiatives or business solutions within the international pet industry that create a positive impact. It honors achievements that demonstrate strong leadership in integrating sustainability into core business operations, products, or value chains.
From all submissions, the independent jury will select three finalists. These finalists will be invited to present their initiatives live during the Interzoo Sustainability Conference on 11 May 2026.
Following the live pitches, both the conference audience and the award jury will cast their votes to determine the winner. Later that evening, during the exclusive Interzoo Opening Ceremony 2026, the winner will be officially presented with the Interzoo Sustainability Award trophy on stage.
Why participate in the Interzoo Sustainability Award?
The three finalists of the Interzoo Sustainability Award will receive:
- A free ticket to the Interzoo Sustainability Conference, including a four-day trade fair pass to Interzoo 2026.
- The opportunity to present their initiative live on stage at the Interzoo Sustainability Conference, in front of leading industry and research experts.
- An invitation to the exclusive Interzoo Opening Ceremony on the evening of 11 May 2026. The festive evening provides an excellent opportunity to network with high-level guests, exchange ideas, and enjoy food, drinks, and a celebratory atmosphere.
Additionally, the winner of the Interzoo Sustainability Award will receive:
- Recognition as the award winner in the official Interzoo press release and across Interzoo’s social media channels, placing the winning initiative in the spotlight.
- The opportunity to deliver a short thank-you speech during the official award handover at the Interzoo Opening Ceremony.
- A professional winner’s photo for use in marketing and communications activities.
Types of initiatives
The award is intended for strategic initiatives or business solutions that contribute to one or more UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Eligible entries should go beyond routine compliance, local campaigns, or incremental single‑product tweaks, and demonstrate a larger impact through, for example, an organisation‑wide or cross‑value‑chain approach. Initiatives may be led by a single company or a consortium.
Examples of initiatives include (but are not limited to):
PEOPLE
(SDGs 1,2,3,4,5,10)
Large initiatives improving livelihoods, labour conditions, inclusion, education or health across supply chains, workplaces or consumers/pets (e.g., verified living-wage/human-rights programs, sector-scale supplier training, portfolio-wide pet health/nutrition shifts with impact data).
PLANET
(SDGs 6,12,13,14,15)
Major actions reducing environmental footprint and restoring nature at scale (e.g., circular packaging systems across core portfolios, deforestation-free/regenerative/nature-positive sourcing for meaningful volumes, alternative/diversified ingredients scaled commercially, deep decarbonisation or water/waste cuts across sites).
PROSPERITY
(SDGs 7,8,9,11,12)
Transformations that couple sustainability with resilient growth and innovation (e.g., renewable energy/electrification across plants, breakthrough low-impact manufacturing tech, upcycling/zero-waste systems embedded in mainstream product lines, multi-retailer circular infrastructure that scales).
PEACE
(SDG 16)
Sector-leading governance and integrity initiatives (e.g., robust due-diligence and remediation systems, transparent traceability/claims frameworks).
PARTNERSHIP
(SDG 17)
Pre-competitive or multi-stakeholder collaborations that enable broad change (e.g., shared standards, joint traceability/LCA platforms, co-investment in recycling or regenerative sourcing infrastructure).
Who can apply?
The call is open to brands, retailers, manufacturers, ingredients or packaging suppliers, service providers, startups, NGOs, and collaborative consortia active in the pet industry.
Entries must meet the guiding principles below.
Material impact:
Demonstrates quantified sustainability outcomes (environmental and/or social). Entries should also explicitly link their outcomes to one or more UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), explaining how the initiative contributes to those goals.
Strategic relevance:
Embedded in core business activities (not a one‑off CSR initiative), with evidence of senior ownership and long‑term commitment.
Submission Guidelines
Applicants active in the pet industry are invited to submit a three-page summary in English addressing the following. Submissions must demonstrate quantified sustainability results and clearly state the scale of impact.
Executive snapshot – Why is this initiative transformational for the sector?
Aim of the initiative – What sustainability challenge or goal is addressed?
Implementation – How was the initiative conceived and executed? Who was involved?
Effect and impact – What measurable results have been achieved?
Future Outlook & Scalability – How will the initiative evolve?
Learnings for the industry – How can this initiative help drive broader sustainability transformation across the pet industry?
Selection process and recognition
Your roadmap through the submission and selection process
Deadline for submission:
28 February 2026
Jury evaluation of papers:
March 2026
Clarification with shortlisted applicants:
March 2026
Announcement of finalists:
April 2026
Finalists’ award pitches and announcement of winner:
11 May 2026 at the Interzoo Sustainability Conference
Official award presentation:
Evening of 11 May 2026 at the Interzoo Opening Ceremony