Honda (UK) is to sponsor the newly introduced Environmental Award at this year’s British Nautical Awards

Honda (UK) is to sponsor the newly introduced Environmental Award at this year’s British Nautical Awards, the glamorous annual ceremony in recognition of the UK marine industry’s finest achievements, to be held on Friday 4 January 2002 at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London.

As a new category in the British Nautical Awards, the Honda Environmental Award is set to recognise outstanding environmental contributions within the marine industry for the first time in the event’s three-year history. This year’s inaugural accolade, sponsored by Honda (UK), will be presented to the best environmental product or project other than a complete boat, which has assisted the marine industry in the 12 months since September 1 2000.

Since its entry into the outboard engine market in 1964, Honda has always been at the forefront of technological development in the boating sector. From the outset, Honda realised the importance of environmental protection and recognised that its 4-stroke expertise was the best way of eliminating pollution, reducing fuel consumption and curtailing exhaust emissions.

With engines from 2 to 225 horsepower Honda has the widest range of 4-stroke outboards all of which easily fulfil the world’s most stringent anti-pollution regulations. Honda’s new R&D and manufacturing plant in Hosoe, Japan has become a global benchmark for the “Green Factory” concept. The plant has adopted Honda’s state-of-the-art production technologies, dramatically reducing environmental impact. The result is a 40% reduction in CO2 emissions as well as zero discharge of wastewater from its production processes.

Commenting on the sponsorship of the Environmental Award, Martin Sanders, Honda’s General Manager of Power Equipment, said: “With our support of the British Nautical Awards’ Environmental Award, we hope to encourage the development of more innovative products that will help to protect the planet for current and future generations of boating enthusiasts.”

From the nominations received the British Nautical Awards panel of judges, made up of distinguished men and women from the boating world, will decide upon a worthy short list to be announced on 27 November 2001 and will make the final decision of who will be revealed winner on the night.

The results of the Honda Environmental Award and the other ten categories in the prestigious British Nautical Awards, hailed as the ‘Oscars’ of the British boating scene, will be announced on Friday 4 January 2002 during the Boat Show Ball at The Royal Lancaster Hotel, London.