Graduate activewear founders named Sustainability Entrepreneur of the Year!

Graduates and founders of YANA Active, Sophie and Charlotte Wilson, have been named Sustainability Entrepreneur of the Year 2022 at the Great British Entrepreneur Awards 2022 Grand Final. Founded by the sister-duo, the ambitious Northern-born sisters have created a sisterhood community to encourage the warrior in every woman. Conscious creation is at the heart of the British-born brand, YANA Active with a belief that every brand has a responsibility to support the planet and reduce consumer consumption.

The brand which launched in late 2019, has become a staple for females living every day active lives. YANA’s activewear range uses fabric made from 78-100% recycled materials. 100% of YANA’s technical performance garments, including all of their stretchwear is manufactured locally in a factory in Teesside. The sisters sourced fabrics from mills in The Midlands, supporting small businesses, whilst avoiding Co2 emissions from long haul transportation. A small amount of wholesale pieces are sourced from ethically transparent and vegan-friendly facilities.

The Great British Entrepreneur Awards, in partnership with Starling Bank, recognise the UK’s most inspiring entrepreneurial success stories for a decade and developed a community-oriented network of alumni which grows year on year.

The ceremony was held at Grosvenor House in London and saw 1,400 entrepreneurs and colleagues join to celebrate a collective £2 billion generated in turnover and over 17,000 jobs.

YANA Active co-founder Sophie Wilson said “being recognised for consciously creating an ethical and sustainable business means a great deal to us, sustainability is embedded into our brand ethos and truly is part of YANA’s DNA.”

YANA Active co-founder Charlotte Wilson added “creating an ethical and sustainable brand isn’t easy and it doesn’t happen overnight. Winning this GBEA award makes the challenges we’ve faced over the past three years and the hard work we’ve invested into the business, completely worth it. We know sustainability is immensely important for all businesses, and it confirms to us that YANA is heading in the right direction.”

Great British Entrepreneur Awards founder Francesca James said that the awards’ tenth anniversary was the biggest and best yet: “Celebrating Britain’s ambitious, driven and inspirational entrepreneurs for a decade has been an honour, and we’ve learnt so much from hearing all of their unique stories and perspectives.

“We’d like to congratulate all of our 2022 winners for all of their hard work and achievements - we look forward to following your lead into 2023 and beyond!”

To find out more about YANA Active visit www.yanaactive.co.uk.