Express Merchants – Breeze wins Green Operational Excellence Award at Operational Excellence Awards 2026
By Jed Nykolle Harme
August 19, 2026
Express Merchants – Breeze secured the Green Operational Excellence Award at the Operational Excellence Awards 2026, distinguished for demonstrating how sustainability can be embedded directly into operational models, delivering meaningful environmental impact whilst enhancing efficiency, compliance, and commercial performance.
The organisation demonstrated exceptional capability in translating sustainability commitments into operational advantage. By combining digital innovation with local sourcing strategies and governance-led procurement practices, Breeze established operational frameworks delivering measurable environmental outcomes without compromising commercial performance or operational efficiency.
Judges commended Breeze's sustainability approach. "This entrant demonstrated how sustainability can be embedded directly into operational models," the panel stated. "Our panel was impressed by the digital innovation, local sourcing, and governance-led procurement that delivered meaningful environmental impact while enhancing efficiency, compliance, and commercial performance. Practical lean methodologies, clear planning, and strong team collaboration highlight a balanced approach to performance and sustainability, reflecting a mature and forward-thinking operational strategy."
The recognition reflects broader trends in operational excellence, where sustainability increasingly represents a competitive advantage and operational enabler rather than a constraint on performance. Breeze's achievement demonstrates how organisations embedding environmental responsibility into procurement, supply chain, and daily operations can achieve simultaneous improvements across cost management, compliance, and environmental outcomes.
The integration of digital innovation throughout Breeze's operational model highlights how technology enables sustainability at scale. Local sourcing strategies reduce transportation emissions whilst supporting regional supply chains, whilst governance-led procurement ensures environmental standards embed into vendor selection and supplier management.
Practical lean methodologies applied across operations deliver efficiency improvements that reduce waste, energy consumption, and resource intensity. Clear planning frameworks and strong team collaboration demonstrate that sustainability requires the same operational discipline and cross-functional coordination applied to traditional performance improvements.
Heading into the 2027 awards cycle, Breeze's achievement reflects the evolving definition of green operational excellence as organisations delivering material environmental impact through disciplined, technology-enabled operational design that enhances rather than constrains commercial performance. As regulatory requirements tighten and stakeholder expectations shift, organisations demonstrating that sustainability drives operational advantage position themselves as industry leaders navigating the transition to low-carbon business models.
Visit the official Operational Excellence Awards website to explore the full list of 2026 winners and subscribe to the newsletter for exclusive insights and continuing coverage from Ireland's operational excellence community.
