The Sunday Times has launched the Best Green Companies Awards to encourage, acknowledge and publicise businesses and other organisations, which are striving to improve their environmental performance.

Companies are invited to take part in the Best Green Companies survey, which involves both employers and employees measuring their organisation’s approach to environmental management. The methodology has been co-created with Bureau Veritas, the environmental performance specialists, and the survey will be co-ordinated by Munro Global, the independent research-focused marketing services group.

The employers’ section measures key performance indicators including standard core areas such as energy use and recycling, and also allows organisations to describe their environmental objectives and efforts to increase awareness of green issues in the workplace. The employees’ section seeks to understand the extent to which management strategies are embedded in, understood and acted on, throughout the organisation. To ensure fairness companies will be divided into high, medium or low impact organisations, depending on the environmental effect of their business, and again into large and small enterprises.

To nominate a company, individuals must register on www.timesonline.co.uk/bestgreencompanies before February 29, 2008 and complete the survey in the relevant category. Environmental performance specialists will then assess the entries and the winners will be announced at an awards ceremony and in a Green List supplement to be published with The Sunday Times in May 2008.

Richard Caseby, managing editor of The Sunday Times said: “There is no greater challenge facing UK companies today. We believe that if organisations have taken key steps to address their impact on the environment then they should be recognised and celebrated.”

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