Derby-based water conservation and washroom services specialists HSG has been formally presented with The King’s Award for Enterprise in Innovation by HM Lord-Lieutenant of Derbyshire Mrs Elizabeth Fothergill CBE and Deputy Lord-Lieutenant of Derbyshire Mr Tony Walker CBE.
They joined civic dignitaries including The High Sheriff of Derbyshire Mr Ian Morgan OBE and the Mayor of Derby Cllr Ged Potter for the presentation at Derby’s Pride Park Stadium.
Also in attendance were employees from the sales, technical and administration teams at HSG, key customers, representatives from businesses and organisations who have supported the company throughout its 17 years in business, East Midlands Chamber and local charity, Me & Dee, which the company supports.
The guests were officially welcomed to Pride Park by Stephen Pearce, CEO of Derby County Football Club, who thanked the company for their kit sponsorship for the men’s and women’s first teams and the vote of thanks was given by HSG founder and managing director Simon Rice.
Family-owned HSG, based in Pride Park, is one of just 252 organisations nationally to receive the award this year. It recognises the company’s further innovative developments that have been made in its revolutionary washroom innovation technologies that significantly reduce water consumption, save money and help support a more sustainable planet.
HSG originally won The Queen’s Award for Enterprise: Innovation in 2018 for its market-leading Ureco System, comprised of the Ureco urinal sleeve and Uretech water management system. The Ureco System works to save water and money whilst improving the washrooms by eliminating smells and preventing urinal blockages.
Every year, the Ureco System saves over 1 billion litres of water which equates to 500 Olympic-sized swimming pools, across its customer sites which include Tesco, Toyota Manufacturing UK, NEC, Pizza Hut, All England Lawn Tennis Club, Aston Martin and more than 100 NHS sites.
The King’s Award recognises the further innovative technologies that HSG has brought to market alongside the Ureco System:
- The Ureflush which was launched in 2022 and is a low-cost alternative to dual flush. A toilet flush will use 11-13 litres, whereas Ureflush reduces this consumption to as low as 1 litre, depending on the duration the button is held whilst flushing.
- A new version of Uretech enables data capture, remote flush and a real time clock – providing more flexibility for the customer to concentrate the 4 daily flushes at high footfall times.
- The Uretech Plus+ also provides wifi-enabled water management – providing minute-by-minute readings of water usage, leak detection and software that can remotely switch off the water if necessary.
- Since the 2018 Award, an eighth enzyme has been included in the Ureco to enable the breakdown of the protein strain in hair.
Simon Rice explained: “This is the highest and most prestigious award that can be granted to a business in the UK and we are very proud to now be displaying The King’s Award emblem.
“This recognition demonstrates our ongoing commitment to reducing water wastage – enabling our customers to reduce their carbon footprint as well as saving them money and improving the washroom environment.
“Although we are a relatively small company, we certainly punch above our weight in the industry and have some of the most prestigious venues in the country on our client portfolio.
“It is therefore a huge honour to be able to display The King’s Award emblem on all our packaging and marketing materials and to fly the flag outside our offices in Pride Park.”
