FABLITTLEBAG NAMED INNOVATOR OF THE YEAR AT 2025 INNOVATION EXCELLENCE AWARDS
20 OCTOBER 2025
The winners of the Innovation Excellence Awards 2025 were announced at a packed ceremony and champagne lunch at the historic Stationers’ Hall in London on Friday 17 October.
The prestigious Innovator of the Year award went to FabLittleBag, for its sustainable, discreet and eco-friendly period disposal bags designed to tackle plastic pollution in waterways and end taboos around menstrual waste. The award was presented by Dr Vanessa Lawrence CB, former Director General and CEO of Ordnance Survey and founding Co-Chair of the United Nations Committee on Global Geospatial Information Management.
Now in its 11th year, the Innovation Excellence Awards celebrate outstanding achievements across the UK’s communications and content industries. This year’s judges again sought innovations that demonstrated originality, commercial impact, sustainability, and positive social or environmental benefit.
Dr Vanessa Lawrence CB told attendees:
“Innovation is one of the driving forces of progress. It requires courage, creativity and a willingness to look at the world differently — qualities that every winner here today embodies.”
2025 Category Winners
Business Process – Aura Consultants for e-halo A digital platform helping brands manage and optimise packaging portfolios, providing real-time recyclability, compliance and carbon impact tracking.
Communications, including Marketing – City of London’s Leadenhall Market & Barley Communications for Revitalising a Heritage Brand An imaginative campaign transforming Leadenhall Market into a vibrant weekend destination while celebrating its historic identity.
Customer Experience – Interflex Group Ltd for Quality Street Fully recyclable, paper-based twist wraps for Quality Street chocolates — a breakthrough in sustainable confectionery packaging.
Education Technology – VoxBlock for VoxBlock A screen-free audiobook system supporting literacy and independent listening in children through tactile, child-friendly technology.
Product Design – FabLittleBag for FabLittleBag Sustainably sourced, easy-to-use disposal bags for period products — combining thoughtful design with environmental purpose.
Start-Up – xigxag Ltd for xigxag Digital Audiobook Gift Cards An innovative platform giving physical retailers access to the digital audiobook market through sustainable, subscription-free technology.
Innovator of the Year 2025 – FabLittleBag for FabLittleBag
Martha Silcott, CEO of FabLittlBag, said
‘Highly Commended’ for the Customer Experience category and then winning the coveted Innovation Award against amazing competition, was truly an amazing feeling. To then go on and win the overall Innovator of the Year award was a huge honour! This was then added to by having FabLittleBag’s name inscribed on the Board in Stationers Hall; proud is an understatement. FabLittleBag is here to change the world for women and the aquatic environment and to have its role acknowledged by Stationers Hall is amazing. A humble thank you to The Master and all the judges. I normally talk about ‘Gobsmacked Flushers’ - I was definitely a Gobsmacked Winner!”
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Kate Howell and Vida Barr-Jones, Co-Chairs of the Awards, said:
“This year’s winners show that innovation is not just about technology — it’s about people. The most powerful ideas are those that make life better, fairer and more sustainable. Every one of our winners should be immensely proud of what they’ve achieved.”
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The Innovation Excellence Awards are supported by Picon and Pearson, with additional sponsorship from Hobbs the Printers, Enbecom, and Castelnau.
Through these awards, The Stationers’ Company continues to recognise the vital role of the content and communications industries in the UK economy — a sector worth over £65 billion annually — and to share best practice and inspiration across the profession. Photography: IEA2025
Awards Brochure: TBA
For media enquiries, please contact: Kate Howell 07949 125851