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Image credit: Northern Housing Awards

There is growing recognition across the housing sector that decarbonisation is not achievable through technology and retrofit alone. Engaging people, building skills, and transforming culture are equally important to unlocking net zero and maximising its value: meaning more efficient, desirable homes and lower bills.

We are proud to share two recent milestones that reflect this shift.

The Carbon Literacy Project has won the Best Approach to Decarbonisation at the Northern Housing Awards and has been shortlisted in two categories at the 2026 Unlock Net Zero Awards.

Together, this recognition highlights the growing role Carbon Literacy is playing in helping housing associations build climate confidence, engage staff at every level, and turn ambition into practical action.

Northern Housing Awards win

We were delighted that The Carbon Literacy Project won the Best Approach to Decarbonisation category at the Northern Housing Awards last week.

The Northern Housing Awards celebrate housing providers and supply-chain partners working to improve homes and communities in the north. The Best Approach to Decarbonisation award champions those leading the way on sustainability and the green agenda, recognising work that delivers tangible impact and sector leadership.

The judges recognised The Carbon Literacy Project for delivering:

“One of the UK’s most influential culture-change programmes around climate action.”

They highlighted our ability to engage organisations, communities, and individuals at scale while driving meaningful behavioural change, describing Carbon Literacy as an inspiring winning entry.

This recognition reflects something we see consistently across the housing sector: when people are given the knowledge, confidence, and agency to act, climate action becomes more practical, collaborative, achievable, and delivers real results.

That was demonstrated by First Choice Homes Oldham winning the award for Partnership of the Year, alongside The National Trust, for their ‘Greater & Greener project’. First Choice Homes delivers Carbon Literacy training to all colleagues as part of its sustainability roadmap, helping everyone to recognise collaborative opportunities to reduce their environmental impact and improve lives in the process.

Double shortlisting at the Unlock Net Zero Awards

We are also pleased to share that The Carbon Literacy Project has been shortlisted in two categories at this year’s Unlock Net Zero Awards:

• Organisation of the Year: People and Services
• Skills and Training Award

The Unlock Net Zero Awards celebrate the people, projects, and organisations helping lead the transition to a net-zero future across the housing sector, shining a spotlight on innovation, collaboration, and impact.

This year’s recognition is particularly meaningful as it marks the third consecutive year that Carbon Literacy has been recognised through the awards.

Previous years have seen The Carbon Literacy Project celebrated for the impact of our work in housing, including recognition for the Carbon Literacy Social Housing Toolkit and the partnerships helping to embed climate competence across the sector.

Being shortlisted again reflects the continued commitment of housing providers, practitioners, and partners who are using Carbon Literacy to support meaningful and lasting change.

Winners will be announced at Manchester Central on 23 June 2026, and we will be keeping everything crossed.

A collective achievement

These achievements belong to a much wider community. From housing providers and learners to trainers, facilitators, and sector partners, Carbon Literacy in Housing has grown through collaboration and shared commitment.

We would also like to give particular thanks to Sojan, our Housing Coordinator, whose work has been instrumental in supporting and growing Carbon Literacy across the Social Housing and Built Environment sectors. His dedication, relationship-building, and commitment to helping organisations turn climate ambition into action have been central to this progress.

“It is encouraging to see Carbon Literacy recognised in this way by the housing sector. These awards reflect the commitment and leadership shown by housing associations and professionals across the country who are working hard to decarbonise in practical and people-focused ways. Carbon Literacy is helping create the confidence and culture needed to support that transition, and we are proud to be part of that journey.” – Sojan Johny, Housing Coordinator

Supporting the sector to go further

Recognition is great, but what matters most is the continued progress happening across the housing sector.

As more housing associations look to build climate capability and embed sustainability across their teams, Carbon Literacy continues to provide a practical and proven way to support that journey.

The Carbon Literacy Social Housing Toolkit has been developed specifically to help housing organisations engage colleagues, build climate understanding, and support meaningful action towards net zero and wider sustainability goals.

Whether you are beginning your Carbon Literacy journey or looking to scale activity across your organisation, we encourage you to explore how the Toolkit could support your work.

To find out more and access the Social Housing Toolkit, contact housing@carbonliteracy.com.