The Sustainable Wedding Alliance has today announced that it is the proud recipient of the CLAD Catalyst Award. The unique title, awarded by The Carbon Literacy Project, highlights the Alliance’s dedication to tackling climate change through climate education and action, and for catalysing on the delivery of Carbon Literacy training throughout the wedding industry, and beyond.
The award comes from The Carbon Literacy Project’s annual event, the Carbon Literacy Action Day (CLAD), the world’s largest climate education and action training event of its kind. It offers an opportunity for thousands of people of all ages, backgrounds, and nationalities to undergo a day’s worth of Carbon Literacy training and pledge positive action to reduce carbon emissions and become Carbon Literate.
The fifth annual climate action training day took place on Thursday 13th of November 2025, to coincide with COP30. And so, while world leaders gathered on this day to discuss and negotiate on climate in Belém, Brazil, Carbon Literacy learners across the world took action.
The CLAD Catalyst is a signature award that spotlights three initiatives whose Carbon Literacy training demonstrates outstanding impact and serves as a powerful catalyst for change during the International Carbon Literacy Action Day.
To be awarded as a CLAD Catalyst 2025, the Sustainable Wedding Alliance delivered training at Syrencot, a wedding venue in Wiltshire, for it’s team, alongside local flower farmers, florists as well as industry leaders and SWA team members too!
“Talking more openly around climate change. Previously I would have potentially avoided discussing (apart from Sustainability in the floristry world as that is something I felt far more confident discussing) I felt I was perhaps under informed and the complexity of the issue but I have already begun to approach it in conversations with curiosity, bringing it up through lifestyle or something relatable over politics or making it too heavy.” Sarah Elsey, Featherstone Flower Company
Michelle Miles, Founder & CEO of the Sustainable Wedding Alliance, commented: “Receiving the CLAD Catalyst Award is an incredibly proud moment for the Sustainable Wedding Alliance. Our mission has always been to move beyond talk and focus on tangible action. By bringing together venue teams, flower farmers, and industry leaders at Syrencot for the Action Day, we saw firsthand how education sparks immediate, creative solutions to reduce emissions. This award belongs to every person in the wedding industry who has stepped up to become Carbon Literate, proving that when we are better informed, we are better equipped to protect the planet we all love to celebrate on.”
Carbon Literacy is more than just understanding the science of climate change; it is about empowerment. It provides individuals with the knowledge and, more importantly, the agency to make informed, impactful decisions in their everyday lives and professional roles. For the wedding industry, where complex supply chains and high-impact events are the norm, Carbon Literacy acts as the bridge between “wanting to do good” and “knowing how to do good.” When people understand the true carbon cost of their actions, they move away from eco-anxiety towards climate action, becoming catalysts for change within their own communities and businesses.
Grace Henderson, Carbon Literacy Action Day at The Carbon Literacy Project, said:
“This year’s CLAD Catalyst theme was Connect, Collaborate, Cascade and the Sustainable Wedding Alliance championed this through a strategically planned CLAD training session. We were impressed with how they brought together senior industry figures, venue teams and local suppliers, ensuring that a diverse range of staff in the wedding industry accessed Carbon Literacy. Their digital storytelling showcased the value of Carbon Literacy to those outside of the session. By co-hosting with the venue group, they also demonstrated a scalable model for future events, extending the impact beyond a single event.
Overall, the Sustainable Wedding Alliance have shown a clear commitment to raising standards across the wedding industry, making them a truly deserving winner of the CLAD Catalyst Award.”
For the Sustainable Wedding Alliance, this award is a powerful validation of our commitment to embedding a low-carbon culture within the wedding sector. It signifies that our approach, one rooted in collaboration and education, is working. As we look towards the future, this recognition strengthens our resolve to reach more professionals and venues, ensuring that sustainability isn’t just an “add-on” for weddings, but the very foundation upon which every celebration is built. Our goal remains clear: to create an industry where every business and couple has the literacy to make the best possible choices for our collective future.
