There was a time when the topic of sustainability was deemed a nice gesture but certainly not a serious driver of business strategy and investment capital. The foundational importance of health, well-being and natural abundance is rarely prioritized in the faster, cheaper, more model.

However, thanks to the rising awareness of critical decision makers, transparency is no longer a fashionable buzzword reserved to the radical minority; it is rapidly becoming the norm, lifting the proverbial curtain on organizations that choose to operate with indifference.

Environmental degradation and climate change are now being recognized and cited as top global business risks. The future of everything is reliant on the preservation of existing resources and the creation of alternative solutions.

Businesses that successfully apply and demonstrate a triple bottom line approach to their practice are becoming an increasingly attractive investment prospect.

Janet Ranganathan, takes a closer look in her article Three Reasons Investors Are Beginning To Take Sustainability Seriously.

In celebration of such practice, the winners of the Guardian Sustainable Business Awards 2014, were announced in London yesterday. 11 categories were divided into two sub-categories of innovation and impact.

See the results and learn more about the Guardian Sustainable Business Awards here.