Pioneering product recognised with prestigious award

Published: June 30, 2025

Unity Trust Bank is delighted to have been named ‘Funding Team of the Year’ at the 2025 Unlock Net Zero Awards.

The event celebrates individuals and organisations contributing to a carbon free future for the UK housing sector.

Unity’s award was in recognition of our Retrofit Transition Initiative (RTI) – £50m ringfenced loan funding specifically designed to support housing associations’ retrofit projects.

The judges said ‘This submission shows a clear commitment to achieving sustainable goals through action, with great evidence of impact. We particularly liked the impact-driven approach and demonstration of how this leads to quality homes’.

Matt Conroy, Head of Impact Propositions at Unity, said: “As a social impact bank, we are committed to supporting customers with their own journeys to net zero

“We launched RTI in 2024 to enhance our housing association customers’ ability to decarbonise their properties.

“We provide up to £3m per customer to support their investment in a range of retrofitting activities such as insulation and energy efficient improvements.

“We’re proud that this funding initiative is having such a positive effect and has been recognised with this accolade.”

More than 50 social housing providers bank with Unity.

Last year, Unity supported 1,109 people and households in the UK with affordable homes and the decarbonisation of 931 homes through retrofitting activities.

Liam Marshall, Head of Product at Unity, said: “At Unity we’re constantly looking at how we improve our product offering and address customers’ needs.

“We were really proud to bring the vision of RTI to life as it perfectly aligns with our values as a bank.”

The awards were held at Manchester Central on June 24th as part of a three-day Housing 2025 Exhibition.

Learn more about RTI and how it’s helping housing associations across the UK to decarbonise their properties here

Read about the full social, economic and environmental impact Unity delivered in 2024 here