a guide to good pra ct i ce o rganising and spo n s o ring ... · use your award scheme as a ... th...

A Fo rum for Env i ro n m e ntal and Sustainable Deve l o p m e nt Awa rd s

A Guide to Good Pra ct i ce

O rganising and Spo n s o ring Env i ro n m e nt a land Sustainable Deve l o p m e nt Awa rd s

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C O N T E N T S

I nt rod u ct i o n 2

1 Why sponsor or organise an awa rd ? 3

1 . 1 O rg a n i s e r s’ o b j e ct i ve s 3

1 . 2 Spo n s o r s’ o b j e ct i ve s 3

1 . 3 E nt ra nt s’ o b j e ct i ve s 4

2 Wh at are the at t ri b u tes of a successful scheme? 4

2 . 1 I n d e pe n d e n ce 5

2 . 2 Mutual benefits from a partnership appro a c h 5

2 . 3 Ma i ntaining spo n s o r s h i p 5

3 How is a successful scheme org a n i s e d ? 6

The Awa rds Proce d u re Cyc l e 7

4 Wh at detailed arra n g e m e nts do organisers need to make ? 8

4 . 1 Means of ent ry 9

4 . 1 . 1 No m i n at i o n 9

4 . 1 . 2 I nv i t at i o n 9

4 . 1 . 3 Adve rt i s e m e nt 9

4 . 1 . 4 Pu b l i c i ty – public re l at i o n s 10

4 . 2 E n co u raging more ent ri e s 10

4 . 2 . 1 No co m p l i cated fo rm s 1 0

4 . 2 . 2 Bu d dy i n g 1 1

4 . 2 . 3 S u b s i dy 1 1

4 . 2 . 4 I n ce nt i ve s 1 2

4.3 Judging cri te ri a 1 2

4 . 3 . 1 Specific cri te ria for awa rd s 1 3

4 . 3 . 2 Judging arra n g e m e nt s 1 5

4 . 3 . 3 Pu b l i c i ty 1 6

5 Ac c re d i t ation of Awa rd Schemes 1 6

6 Gu i d a n ce on Ente ring for Awa rd s 1 7

No te s 1 7

E nv i ro n m e ntAwa rd s. n e t 1

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W H Y S P O N S O R O R O R G A N I S E A N AWA R D ?

Th e re are many reasons for spo n s o ring or organising awa rds linked to highere nv i ro n m e ntal standards and sustainable deve l o p m e nt . It is not unusual for thei nte rests of the sponsors to be ve ry diffe re nt from those of the organisers and thee nt ra nt s. The best schemes will usually be found where these disparatem o t i vations are co - i n c i d e nt .

The main reasons why people and org a n i s ations are inte re s ted in awa rds are asfo l l ows. These reasons may have diffe re nt pri o rities for diffe re nt people ando rg a n i s ations and it is not there fo re possible to give them in a single pri o ri ty ord e r:

1 . 1 O rg a n i s e r s ’ o b j e c t i ve s

■ To stimulate the adoption of good env i ro n m e ntal pra ct i ce and sustainabled eve l o p m e nt by individuals and pri vate and public org a n i s at i o n s

■ To help pro m o te examples of outstanding and innovat i ve pra ct i ce to a wide audience

■ To re wa rd pri vate and public org a n i s ations engaged in outstanding andi n n ovat i ve env i ro n m e ntal pra ct i ce

■ To raise the public profile of the need for improving e nv i ro n m e ntal pra ct i ce

■ To engage co m m e rce and industry in sustainable deve l o p m e nt as ameans of delive ring be t ter business

■ To engage public sector bodies in sustainable deve l o p m e nt as a means of improving quality of life and the local env i ro n m e nt

■ To enco u rage sustainable deve l o p m e nt as a means of delive ring be t ter serv i ce

■ To cre ate and run a high quality, p restigious and viable awa rds scheme■ To fulfil the org a n i s e r s’ own object i ves (the organiser will need to

d e te rmine these clearly at the outset) in developing and managing theawa rd scheme

1 . 2 S p o n s o r s’ o b j e c t i ve s

■ To po rt ray the sponsor's desire to suppo rt sustainable deve l o p m e nt■ To co nt ri b u te to the sustainable deve l o p m e nt of soc i e ty generally ■ To gain visibility for the sponsors name or prod u ct / s e rv i ce bra n d s■ To deliver co m pe t i t i ve adva nt a g e■ To develop a po s i t i ve image for the spo n s o r, possibly where there have

been negat i ve assoc i ations in the past■ To enco u rage staff, c u s tomers and/or suppliers to feel we l l - d i s posed to

the co m p a ny


1A G U I D E T O G O O D P R A C T I C E

O rganising and Spo n s o ring Env i ro n m e nt and Sustainable Deve l o p m e nt Awa rd sby the Fo rum for Env i ro n m e ntal and Sustainable Deve l o p m e nt Awa rd s

I N T R O D U C T I O N

Awa rd schemes can be ve ry effe ct i ve in stimulating be t ter pra ct i ce and innovat i o n ,in enco u raging people and org a n i s ations to pe rfo rm be t ter and in bringing thosei nvo l ved in the provision of high quality prod u cts and serv i ces to the at te ntion ofa wide public. Schemes are plentiful but their effe ct i veness va ries co n s i d e ra b l y.Some are ve ry well re cognised by a large public and at t ra ct high quality ent ra nt s.Others are barely notice d. Cl e a rly those who invest re s o u rces in suppo rting ando rganising awa rds hope their inve s t m e nt is wo rt h w h i l e. This guide has be e np re p a red as an aid to the provision of exce l l e nt schemes and to getting the be s tf rom the inve s t m e nt of time and money in them.

In pre p a ring the guide, a clear distinction has been drawn be tween awa rds c h e m e s, a c c re d i t ation schemes, and gra nt schemes. Awa rd schemes are thosewhich re wa rd the outstanding pe rfo rm a n ce of the innovat i ve few against spe c i f i e dc ri te ri a . Ac c re d i t ation schemes re cognise the achieve m e nt of a pre d e te rm i n e ds t a n d a rd, and may re cognise the pe rfo rm a n ce of many people and org a n i s at i o n s.Gra nt schemes are defined as awa rds with money at t a c h e d, for the deve l o p m e nt ofa pro j e ct or serv i ce. These three ty pes of schemes are co m p l e m e nt a ry but distinctin their chara cte ristics and all have an impo rt a nt role in stimulating and achiev i n gchange for the be t te r.

This guide sets out the elements of good pra ct i ce for the sponsorship ando rg a n i s ation of env i ro n m e ntal and sustainable deve l o p m e nt awa rd s. The keypo i nts have been distilled from co n s i d e ration of the arra n g e m e nt s, a n dex pe ri e n ces gained, f rom a large number of awa rd schemes. It has been deve l o pe dand edited by many pe o p l e, who have been spo n s o r s, o rganisers and ent ra nt s, w i t hfirst hand kn owledge of schemes. It has also had input from those wishing tos t i m u l ate and achieve higher standards of env i ro n m e ntal pe rfo rm a n ce andsustainable deve l o p m e nt .

This guide co n ce nt rates on the fe at u res and good pra ct i ce of awa rd schemes.

2 E nv i ro n m e ntAwa rd s. n e t

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2 . 1 I n d e pe n d e n c e

Arguably the most cri t i cal cri te rion in organising a spo n s o red awa rds scheme is tobe able to demonstrate that the assessment of awa rds is ent i rely indepe n d e nt ofthe spo n s o r. In developing the awa rds cri te ri a , the nat u re of the judging must beo pen to scru t i ny and co m p l e tely impart i a l .

2 . 2 Mu t u al b en ef it s f ro m a p ar t n er s hi p ap p ro a c h

Sponsorship by seve ral org a n i s ations with diffe re nt specialist skills can prod u ceexce l l e nt mutual be n e f i t s. A good example of a partnership approach can be seenin schemes in which the sponsorship includes funding for dissemination of theoutstanding and innovat i ve pra ct i ce by the winning ent ri e s. He re, the sponsor maygain additional visibility, for example through branding on the publicat i o n ,b ro a d cast or web mate ri a l . . Media part n e r s, p a rt i c u l a rly the business to businessp re s s, who are pre p a red to be sponsors can be part i c u l a rly helpful. This they maydo through the provision of in-kind re s o u rce s, such as free adve rtising andp romotional articles in their publicat i o n s.

Including such provisions into a sponsorship package shows an understanding ofco m m e rcial sustainability and allows the dissemination of best pra ct i ce to fo rmp a rt of the ent ry cri te ri a .

2 . 3 M a i nt a i ni n g s p o n s o r s hi p

From an org a n i s e r’s pe r s pe ct i ve, a real problem is that while their inte rests arep robably in the deve l o p m e nt and enhance m e nt of the awa rds over time, t h es po n s o r ’s may only be short te rm . It is common for a sponsor to negotiate a thre e -year co nt ra ct with an option to renew at the end of each ye a r. All too ofte n , at theend of the first or second ye a r, co rpo rate or brand object i ves change and thes ponsorship is ca n ce l l e d. This is doubly harmful be cause neither party gets fullvalue from their inve s t m e nt in the scheme and the organiser is left searching latein the day for a re p l a ce m e nt spo n s o r.

One way of mitigating this problem is to cre ate an awa rds scheme, which evo l ve sand builds PR and co m m u n i cations oppo rtunities in such a way that sponsors ares t i m u l ated and enco u raged to remain for at least three ye a r s.


■ To fo s ter be t ter re l ationships with impo rt a nt co m m u n i t i e s, e. g. pe o p l eliving near co m p a ny site s

■ Ne two rki n g

1 . 3 E nt r a n t s’ o b j e c t i ve s

■ To gain public re cog n i t i o n■ To gain visibility for the org a n i s ation and its prod u cts or serv i ce s■ To gain co m pe t i t i ve adva nt a g e■ To increase market share■ To improve employee pe rfo rm a n ce and mora l e■ To enhance re l ationships with stake h o l d e r s■ To achieve financial re wa rd s

All these object i ves apply to pri vate org a n i s ations but only some will apply topublic bodies and Non Gove rn m e ntal Org a n i s ations (NGO’s ) . For public secto re nt ra nts and NGO’s the fo l l owing additional object i ves may be re l eva nt .

■ To increase inwa rd inve s t m e nt■ To increase civic pri d e■ To increase visitor inte rest and to u rism

W H AT A R E T H E AT T R I B U T E S O F A

S U C C E S S F U L S C H E M E ?

It fo l l ows that, awa rds schemes that inco rpo rate a large number of all part i e s’o b j e ct i ve s, a re more likely to fulfil their mutual needs and should there fo re provem o re succe s s f u l . It is vitally impo rt a nt for organisers and sponsors to enter into awell defined agre e m e nt at the outset of the process so as to avo i dmisunderstanding late r. The agre e m e nt should set out the purpose of the awa rd s,the benefits which both organisers and sponsors wish to achieve, the timesca l eover which the awa rds will ru n , the proce d u res the organisers intend to use, t h efinancial arra n g e m e nts and general details about who is re s ponsible for the seve ra lf a cets of the awa rd s, p a rt i c u l a rly publicity and post awa rd pro m o t i o n

As the awa rds organisers are usually, but not always, the ori g i n ators of an awa rd ss c h e m e, e nt ry cri te ria that acco m m od ate the inte rests of the sponsor and thepo te ntial ent ra nts while re i n fo rcing those of the organisers should generally bev i e wed favo u ra b l y.


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T h e Aw a r d s Pro ce d u re Cy c l e


Ap po i nt judging panel

Pre p a re judging

p roce d u re, hold p re l i m i n a ry meeting

with judges

Pre l i m i n a ry pro fessional

a s s e s s m e nt of ent ri e s

Judging panel d e l i be rat i o n s

Se l e ction of winners

O rganisers and

Sponsors agre e m e nt on:Their re s pe ct i ve aims

The awa rd aimsFinancial arra n g e m e nt s

Wo rking proce d u res and re s po n s i b i l i t i e s

Draw up wo rk schedule,including ent ry cri te ria

and judging proce d u re s,and time plan for the

awa rds proce s s

Ma ke detailed p re p a rations for judging

Call for ent ri e s

Awa rds Ce re m o ny

Promotion of scheme for next ro u n d

Promotion of winners’

a c h i eve m e nt s

Pro m o te Awa rd Scheme

H O W I S A S U C C E S S F U L S C H E M E O R G A N I S E D ?

A successful scheme should demonstrate the fo l l owing chara cte ri s t i c s :

A . Co m m i t m e ntThe organiser and assoc i ated sponsors should demonstrate act i veco m m i t m e nt to the awa rds scheme. It is desirable but not essential that the org a n i s ations invo l ved are also co m m i t ted at the highest level ofm a n a g e m e nt to improving env i ro n m e ntal pe rfo rm a n ce and sustainable deve l o p m e nt

B. Pl a n n i n gThe whole awa rds eve nt should be planned to a high level of quality –detailed plan in place ; rev i e wed re g u l a rl y; and effe ct i ve processes in place to ensure successful delive ry.

C . Ac t i o nS u f f i c i e nt re s o u rces and management should be available to ca rry out theplan to the sat i s f a ction of the spo n s o r s, p a rt i c i p a nt s, guests and otheri nte re s ted part i e s.

D. Eva l u at i o nTh e re should be ri g o rous arra n g e m e nts in place to fully eva l u ate the awa rd seve nt (from ent ry to the final pre s e nt ation ce re m o ny and the subsequentp u b l i c i ty) from the view of all part i e s ; these include ensuring that results arep ro pe rly and co m p re h e n s i vely disseminate d ; and that fo rmal fe e d b a c kp rocesses are in place.

T h e Aw a r d s Pro ce d u re

The sequence of key actions nece s s a ry to mount and manage an effe ct i ve awa rd iss h own in Fi g u re 1. The re l at i ve timing of the actions is indicated by their po s i t i o nin the cyc l e. Fuller details, of each of the act i o n s, a re given in the text of this Gu i d e.

It cannot be emphasised too strongly that agre e m e nt be tween the sponsors andthe organisers needs to be fo rmalised at the outset to avoid misunderstandings atl ater stages of the cycle and to ensure that the benefits of the awa rd are gained byall co n ce rn e d, including the awa rd winners. An effe ct i ve awa rd, in which thee nt ra nts and winners afte rwa rds consider that the effo rt of ente ring wa swo rt h w h i l e, will lead to enthusiasm for further rounds of the awa rd and for as t rong list of future ent ra nt s.

The post awa rd promotion ve ry often re ce i ves too little at te nt i o n , which defe at sthe whole purpose of the awa rd. Though this is the final act i v i ty in the awa rd cyc l eit is also the most impo rt a nt .


3



[these may include providing judges with eva l u ation and sco ring sys te m stogether with sco re sheets. It may also invo l ve the use of spe c i a l i s tco n s u l t a nts to ca rry out an initial and ex pe rt appraisal of the ent ries as aguide to the judges]

■ s h o rt-listing of finalists and possibly a visit by the judging panel■ final arra n g e m e nts in line with organiser and sponsor re q u i re m e nt s

Some of the most difficult aspe cts of scheme management have included themeans of ent ry, judging arra n g e m e nt s, judging cri te r ia and publicity. These areco n s i d e red in more detail be l ow.

4 . 1 M ean s o f E nt r y

Th e re are seve ral established means of ent ry to awa rds schemes and the choice ofwhich to use will depend on the target ent ra nts and the re s o u rces available to thescheme org a n i s e r s.

4 . 1 . 1 No m i n at i o n

In this situat i o n , an org a n i s ation is nominated to enter a scheme, usually bythe awa rds org a n i s e r s, who are familiar with its pra ct i ce s. From ano rg a n i s e r ’s pe r s pe ct i ve, this is a good method as they can co nt rol then u m bers ente ring and re q u i ring judging and in many ca s e s, t h ey will havesome kn owledge of the org a n i s ations alre a dy.

The org a n i s ation being nominated will re cognise the ‘c l o s e d’ n at u re of suchan awa rds scheme and may find this re a s s u ring – they have, in effe ct, a l re a dypassed the ent ry cri te ria for the scheme.

4 . 1 . 2 I nv i t at i o n

In this ca s e, the awa rds organisers wri te to a list of org a n i s ations that theyfeel are appro p ri ate inviting them to enter their scheme. From an org a n i s e r’spo i nt of view, the re s ponse rate is unpre d i ctable but as they have selecte dthe list of inv i te e s, t h ey should feel reasonably co n f i d e nt that re s po n d e nt sshould generally comply with the awa rds cri te ri a .

The benefit to inv i tees is that they are awa re that they have been pre -s e l e cted for suitability for ent ry.

4 . 1 . 3 Ad ve rt i s e m e nt

A significa nt benefit to organisers is that the act of adve rtising generate sp u b l i c i ty fo r, and awa reness of, the scheme. The main be n e f i t, of co u r s e, i st h at adve rt i s e m e nt s, unless in the fo rm of dire ct marke t i n g, ca p t u re a widera u d i e n ce than either nomination or inv i t ation and so can lead to a larg e r


W H AT D E TA I L E D A R R A N G E M E N T S D O O R G A N I S E R S

N E E D T O M A K E ?

It is impo rt a nt to re cognise that arra n g e m e nts for schemes need to acco m m od atea wide range and ty pes of env i ro n m e ntal and sustainability awa rd s, c u rre nt andp a rticular pra ct i ces & method o l ogies as well as “s po n s o r”, “o rg a n i s e r” a n d“a p p l i ca nt” pe r s pe ct i ve s. At the outset it is impe rat i ve to dete rmine at whom, i nte rms of po te ntial ent ra nt s, the awa rd is targ e te d. This co n s i d e ration will then beused to dete rmine many subsequent aspe cts of the awa rd s.

Gi ven this co m p l ex i ty it is re commended that in planning the arra n g e m e nts for anawa rd scheme the fo l l owing checklist should be used to ensure that all nece s s a rya s pe cts have been co n s i d e red and included.

1 . Ent r y cri te r ia - general level (t hese are co n s o n a nt with t he judgingc ri te ri a in sec tion 4.3 late r )■ q u a l i ty of submission/applicat i o n■ d e g ree of ori g i n a l i ty / i n n ovat i o n■ ev i d e n ce of substant i ve / m e a s u rable impact and/or be n e f i t s

[ e nv i ro n m e nt a l , e conomic & soc i a l ]■ d e m o n s t rable prog ramme for promotion & dissemination of wo rk■ i nvo l ve m e nt of re l eva nt stakeholders (i.e. pe o p l e )■ co m po n e nt of co ntinual improve m e nt & sustainable appro a c h■ in some schemes note will also be taken of ent ra nt’s co m p l i a n ce with

re l eva nt accre d i t ation and re g u l ations and with any histo ry of legali n f ri n g e m e nts and insura n ce claims against the ent ra nt .

2 . Ent r y cri te r ia - specifi c leve l■ these will be specific to the particular awa rd & dete rmined by the

o rganisers and spo n s o r s. It is desirable to set out the ent ry cri te ri a( re l ating clearly to the target ent ra nts and the way in which the judgingwill be ca rried out) in specific object i ve te rms so as to avo i di n a p p ro p ri ate and general ent ries lacking sufficient detail and suppo rt i n gi n fo rm at i o n . In addition the ent ries may be re s t ri cted to a part i c u l a rg e og raphic area or to a specific size or ty pe of org a n i s at i o n

3 . As s e s s m e nt cri te r ia - general leve l■ e l i g i b i l i ty – meeting the awa rd cri te ri a■ a d h e re n ce to ent ry re q u i re m e nts – submission dates etc.■ a c kn owledging re ceipt of application & adv i ce of next stages

4 . As s e s s m e nt cri te r ia - specifi c leve l■ p re - s c reening & sco ring with the use of an appro p ri ate eva l u ation fo rm■ s o rting of applications (if nece s s a ry) and org a n i s ation of judging panel

4


E nv i ro n m e ntAwa rd s. n e t 1 1

s u b m i s s i o n s. This is a particular hurdle for small and medium sized pri vateand public sector org a n i s at i o n s. Th e re are seve ral schemes, which re q u i re an applica nt merely to ex p ress inte rest in the awa rds scheme via a simplep ro - fo rm a .

This is then re ce i ved by a panel which sorts out the applications and sendsjudges to the org a n i s ation to ca rry out a pre l i m i n a ry assessment ofco m p l i a n ce with the awa rds cri te ri a . With no co m p l i cated fo rms to fill, t h eo rg a n i s ation is free to ca rry on its own activities with minimal disru p t i o n .This kind of sys tem is alre a dy ope rating successfully in Wa l e s. However itm ay be a fairly ex pe n s i ve fo rm of awa rds org a n i s at i o n .

An inte rm e d i ate proce d u re may be to have a simple application fo rm anda l l ow ent ra nts to suppo rt their application with additional doc u m e nts if theyw i s h . It is not too pre s c ri p t i ve and allows ent ra nts to submit ext rai n fo rm ation in whatever fo rm they wish. The judges can make their firsts e l e ction on the basis of the application fo rm without nece s s a rily delvingi nto the detailed suppo rt .

4 . 2 . 2 B u d dy i n g

If re s o u rces are available this process re q u i res the organisers to have an u m ber of companies and org a n i s ations that are willing to second people tohelp applica nts in their ent ry proce s s e s. This would of gre atest benefit in thecase of SME’s.

Co rpo rate seco n d m e nts (‘b u d dy i n g’) have wo rked ve ry succe s s f u l l y, w h e remajor plc’s would offer suppo rt from one of their managers to provide ski l l st ra n s fe re n ce to the arts org a n i s ation needing help. For awa rds schemes, t h esame principle would apply but the skills would be aimed at helping thea p p l i ca nt through the va rious stages of ent ry and judging. A similara rra n g e m e nt might be pra ct i cal in the public secto r.

L a rge co n s u l t a n c i e s, p a rt i c u l a rly management co n s u l t a n c i e s, l i ke suchb u d dying schemes be cause it gives them access to the inner wo rkings of apo te ntial new client . The applica nt likes the arra n g e m e nt be cause it re d u ce sthe demand on its inte rnal re s o u rces and provides a new fo rm of ex pe rt i s eto the org a n i s at i o n .

4 . 2 . 3 Su b s i dy

The costs of ente ring an awa rd scheme are ra rely negligible and may prove ad i s i n ce nt i ve to po te ntial ent ra nt s, e s pecially smaller org a n i s at i o n s. An o t h e rmeans of enco u raging ent ries might be to subsidise the costs of applicat i o n .This would need to be on a sliding scale linked to turn over or numbers ofstaff as the main be n e f i c i a ries ought to be SME’s – large plc’s and large non-


pool of applica nt s. Adve rtising provides 'brand awa reness' and can alsop rovide a valuable means of gauging initial inte rest in the scheme.

Adve rtising can take a number of fo rm s. Thus whilst much emphasis isp l a ced on the pri nted media increasing thought should be given to usingother fo rms of co m m u n i cation including ra d i o, te l evision and the inte rn e t .Ca refully chosen co nt ributions to radio and te l evision prog rammes may besubtle fo rms of adve rtising and re fe re n ces to awa rds on web pages may beequally effe ct i ve. Much ca re should be taken to try and focus the messagesto target audiences - the po te ntial ent ra nts - as well as to the wider publicfor the benefit of the spo n s o r s. Adve rtising is also highly desirable as am e a n s, a fter the awa rds have been announce d, of extolling thea c h i eve m e nt s, the prod u cts and the serv i ces of the awa rd winners to a much wider audience so that they may be emulated by others.

It must be emphasised that well targ e ted adve rtising along with plannedand info rm at i ve public re l ations are nece s s a ry for a successful awa rd scheme.

4 . 1 . 4 Pu b l i c i ty – public re l at i o n s

This tends to be used by organisers of existing schemes. Less costly thana dve rt i s i n g, o rganisers use PR to place articles or news items in key wri t te nand bro a d cast media to seek ent ries for their next awa rds scheme. PR isusually a slower burn than adve rtising but it does allow the promotion ofthe seve ral stages of the scheme and the co m m u n i cation of more co m p l exmessages than adve rt i s i n g.

PR along with adve rtising are essential elements of successful awa rdschemes and enable the sponsors to obtain their deserved ex po s u re.

4 . 2 E n co u r ag in g m o re e nt r i e s

The status and effe ct of a scheme is partly a function of the number and quality ofe nt ries from which outstanding winners can be selecte d. Seve ral schemes have hadd i f f i c u l ty at t ra cting sufficient ent ries of quality part i c u l a rly from small and mediums i zed pri vate and public org a n i s ations (SME’s) even to the exte nt that the schemehas not been wo rth maint a i n i n g. A poor ent ry re co rd is also a seve re handicap inat t ra cting spo n s o r s.

Possible solutions to this problem are focused on two are a s : f i r s t l y, m a king thee nt ry process simpler, and seco n d l y, finding be t ter ince nt i ves and re cognition fo ro rg a n i s ations that part i c i p ate, not just those that win.

4 . 2 . 1 No co m p l i cat ed fo rm s

A major disince nt i ve to ente ring awa rds schemes for env i ro n m e nt a ls u s t a i n a b i l i ty or sustainable deve l o p m e nt is the need for long and co m p l ex



At a specific level the judging cri te ria should cover the cri te ria specific to thep a rticular awa rd & dete rmined by the organisers and spo n s o r s. Fu rt h e rco n s i d e ration of sustainable deve l o p m e nt as a cri te rion for judging an awa rd isg i ven be l ow.

4 . 3 . 1 Specif ic Cri te r ia for Awa rd s

It is suggested that the awa rds cri te ria should re f l e ct the sustainabled eve l o p m e nt object i ves defined by Bru nt l a n d. Sustainable deve l o p m e nt asa dvocated in the 1987 Brundtland Commission Re po rt on “Our Co m m o nFu t u re” can be co n s i d e red to encompass three main themes.

These are :■ E nv i ro n m e ntal pro te ction is maintained such that economic deve l o p m e nt

and the other needs of soc i e ty, such as for re c re at i o n , a re achieved inways, which do not cause any lasting damage to the env i ro n m e nt

■ Economic deve l o p m e nt is achieved such that the needs of the pre s e nta re met without co m p romising the ability of future generations to meettheir own needs

■ Social equity, n ationally and inte rn at i o n a l l y, is pra ctised such that thebasic needs of all in soc i e ty are met and all in soc i e ty have a democ rat i co p po rt u n i ty to part i c i p ate in maki n g, and benefiting fro m , d e c i s i o n s.

The inte rp re t ation of sustainable deve l o p m e nt by the UK Gove rn m e nt is alsohelpful in pre p a ring cri te ri a . Ac co rding to the UK Gove rn m e nt (“A Be t te rQu a l i ty of Life” Wh i te Pa pe r, May 1999), sustainable deve l o p m e nt is definedas deve l o p m e nt which ensures a be t ter quality of life for eve ryo n e, n ow andfor generations to co m e. It re q u i res four object i ves to be mets i m u l t a n e o u s l y, in the UK and wo rld wide.

Th ey are :■ Social prog ress which re cognises the needs of eve ryo n e■ Ef fe ct i ve pro te ction of the env i ro n m e nt■ Pru d e nt use of nat u ral re s o u rce s■ Ma i nte n a n ce of high and stable levels of economic growth

and employ m e nt

The final list of judging cri te ria should re f l e ct other more specific cri te ri asuch as innovat i o n , e m p l oyee benefit and re p l i ca b i l i ty. The we i g hting place don each of the elements in the judging may not nece s s a rily be equal.

Schemes should re q u i re applica nts to demonstrate that the outstandingg ood s, s e rv i ces or management pra ct i ces for which they seek an awa rd havethe fo l l owing effe ct s :


co m m e rcial org a n i s ations should have the re s o u rces to handle thea p p l i cation proce s s.

Funding for such a scheme would be the cri t i cal issue – the probable co s t swould need to be inco rpo rated into any sponsorship agre e m e nt s. To helpmanage co s t s, this process would be best linked to an inv i ted or nominate de nt ry scheme. An ent i rely open application scheme would run the risk ofre q u i ring major funding, l e aving suppo rt for the awa rds themselves at ri s k .

4 . 2 . 4 I n ce nt i ve s

Of fe ring cash or in-kind pri zes can enco u rage ent ri e s. I d e a l l y, these pri ze sshould be linked to sustainable deve l o p m e nt .

A good example of this in action is the Mars scheme in Be rk s h i re, which hasbeen running for many ye a r s. He re they offer a range of cash pri zes or fre eco n s u l t a n cy or training suppo rt to winners, all of which must be inve s ted ina ctivities linked to env i ro n m e ntal sustainability.

It is reasonable to assume that an applica nt for a sustainable deve l o p m e ntawa rd has sufficient inte rest in sustainability that a pri ze to be inve s ted in a linked pro j e ct would still be sufficient ince nt i ve to enco u rage ent ry.Howeve r, it may be nece s s a ry in some instances to allow cash pri zes to be unco n d i t i o n a l .

When judging the quality of awa rds schemes, l i n king pri zes to sustainabilitycould be one of the po s i t i ve cri te ria for assessment .

In those cases where there is a media part n e r, e s pecially the trade pre s s,i nvo l ved in the scheme an ince nt i ve to ent ry is the po te ntial edito ri a lcove rage of selected ent ries which illustrate best pra ct i ce, p rior to the finals e l e ction of winners.

4 . 3 J ud g i ng cr i t e r i a

At a general level the judging cri te ria should, w h e re appro p ri ate to the te rms ofthe awa rd, cover the fo l l owing aspe ct s :

■ q u a l i ty of submission/applicat i o n■ d e g ree of ori g i n a l i ty / i n n ovat i o n■ the curre n cy of the subject of the ent ry■ ev i d e n ce of substant i ve / m e a s u rable impact and/or be n e f i t s

[ e nv i ro n m e nt a l , financial & soc i a l ]■ d e m o n s t rable prog ramme for promotion & dissemination of wo rk■ i nvo l ve m e nt of re l eva nt stakeholders (i.e. pe o p l e )■ co m po n e nt of co ntinual improve m e nt & sustainable appro a c h■ re p l i ca b i l i ty



re s ponsible for sustainable deve l o p m e nt to ensure co m m i t m e ntt h roughout the org a n i s at i o n

■ a ct i vely pro m o te sustainable deve l o p m e nt to employe e s, suppliers and other stake h o l d e r s

■ d e m o n s t rate through target setting and regular monito ring a p rocess of co ntinuous improve m e nt in env i ro n m e ntal pra ct i ces linked to sustainability

■ s h ow the po te ntial for re p l i cation of the pra ct i ce or prod u ct for which anawa rd is being sought

■ s h ow a co m m i t m e nt to share best pra ct i ce and innovation in the field ofsustainable deve l o p m e nt with other org a n i s ations including the loca lco m m u n i ty, the vo l u nt a ry sector and educational gro u p s

■ h ave obtained accre d i t ation for re l eva nt national ori nte rn ational standard s

■ a re tra n s p a re nt about any enfo rce m e nt action against them and showh ow it has po s i t i vely affe cted their subsequent actions and pe rfo rm a n ce

4 . 3 . 2 Judging arra n g e m e nt s

In judging ent ries it is desirable to include the fo l l owing general and spe c i f i ca s pe cts in reaching a decision on the awa rd winners:■ e l i g i b i l i ty – meeting the awa rd cri te ri a■ a d h e re n ce to ent ry re q u i re m e nts – submission dates etc. .■ a c kn owledging re ceipt of application & keeping ent ra nts info rmed of

p rog ress and the eve ntual outco m e■ p re - s c reening & sco ring with the use of an appro p ri ate eva l u ation fo rm■ s o rting of applications ■ s h o rt-listing of finalists and possible visits by the judging panel■ final arra n g e m e nts in line with organiser and sponsor re q u i re m e nt s

It is desira b l e, indeed if a scheme is to be credible as an example to others itis essent i a l , t h at the fo l l owing arra n g e m e nts are made for judging ent ri e s :■ those re s ponsible for judging applications should bring a particular are a

of ex pe rtise to the task and pre fe rably should include a pre po n d e ra n ce ofpersons who are indepe n d e nt of the sponsors or other dire ctly inte re s te dp a rt i e s. The judging panel should be an uneven number of persons toenable decisive voting if nece s s a ry

■ the judging cri te ria are published at the time ent ries are sought, with thepo s s i b i l i ty that, if no ent ry meets the cri te ri a , then no awa rd will be made

■ an indepe n d e nt , re l eva nt, ex pe rt and qualified panel of judges is appo i nte d

■ t h at an organised sys tem of assessing ent ries is established by theo rganisers in co n j u n ction with the judges

1 4 E nv i ro n m e ntAwa rd s. n e t

A . Social p rog ress (equit y )■ po s i t i ve (or at least neutral) impacts on employees (gre ate r

o p po rtunities) and wo rking conditions (health and safe ty )■ p romotion of best env i ro n m e ntal pra ct i ce within the org a n i s at i o n■ p romotion of best env i ro n m e nt a l , health and safe ty pra ct i ce s

t h roughout the supply chain (up and down stre a m )■ po s i t i ve co nt ributions to the local co m m u n i ty and local infra s t ru ct u re

B. Pro te c tion of the env i ro n m e nt ■ re d u ction of env i ro n m e ntal impact over the full life cycle of prod u ct s

or serv i ces by:● reducing emissions to air, land and water of all nox i o u s, toxic and

ra d i o a ct i ve substance s, pe r s i s te nt synthetic mate ri a l s, g re e n h o u s eand ozo n e - d e s t ru ct i ve gases

● reducing and re cycling end-of-life prod u cts and wa s te● minimising disturbance to employees and the local co m m u n i ty

C . Use of nat u ral re s o u rce s■ i n c reased efficiency of re s o u rce use by:

● reducing use of non-re n e wable mate rials (fossil fuels, m i n e ra l s,a g g re g ate s, e tc )

● i n c reasing use of re n e wable and re cyclable mate rials and energy● w h e re po s s i b l e, g e n e rating energy● minimise ext ra ction of nat u ral re s o u rces (including wate r )

D. Economic be n e f i t s■ d e m o n s t ration that the goods or serv i ces are eco n o m i cally viable

( for public sector org a n i s ations and NGO’s re p re s e nt good value for money )

■ c re ation of, not re d u ction in, e m p l oy m e nt■ co nt ribution to the deve l o p m e nt of the loca l , regional or

n ational eco n o my■ u t i l i s ation of economic influence to enco u rage or suppo rt

o rg a n i s ations in the supply chain also engaged in sustainabled eve l o p m e nt, whether in the UK or overseas

In addition to these four are a s, the fo l l owing additional cri te ria shouldideally be pre s e nt in awa rds schemes. The emphasis placed on the fo l l ow i n gc ri te ria may va ry be tween schemes. O rg a n i s ations seeking an awa rd arel i kely to be more successful if they:■ include sustainable deve l o p m e nt in their mission state m e nt and it ’s

i m p l e m e nt ation should be inte g rated into all wo rking pra ct i ce s■ h ave an identified senior officer (for large companies a Bo a rd leve l

d i re ctor (or in non-co m m e rcial org a n i s ations a senior exe c u t i ve )



G U I D A N C E O N E N T E R I N G F O R A WA R D S

The Fo rum has published guidance on how to enter for awa rds so as to give themaximum oppo rt u n i ty of winning. This guidance can be found in ‘A Guide to GoodPra ct i ce ; How to Enter Awa rd s’, which is available from the Fo rum or on the Fo ru m’sweb site for those who re g i s ter on www. E nv i ro n m e ntAwa rd s. n e t .

N O T E S

©2001 www. E nv i ro n m e ntAwa rd s. n e tw ri t ten for the Fo rum for Env i ro n m e ntal & Sustainable Deve l o p m e nt Awa rd sby Dr John Bow m a n

For further copies or info rm ation on the wo rk of the Fo rum co nt a ct :Simon Fo rdham OBE, Ce nt re Di re ctor and Head of Env i ro n m e ntThe RSA at Bri s to l , Room 25, St Matthias Ca m p u s, U W E, Ol d b u ry Co u rt Ro a dFi s h po n d s, Bri s tol BS16 2JPTe l : +44 (0)117 344 4446 Fa x : +44 (0)117 9028006E m a i l : s i m o n . fo rd h a m @ r s a - u k . o rg. u k

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4 . 3 . 3 Pu b l i c i ty

Pu b l i c i ty for the scheme is needed to enco u rage ent ry, to bro a d cast theresults of the judging and pe rhaps most impo rt a nt of all to make kn own thea c h i eve m e nts of the winners to a much wider audience over a pro l o n g e dpe ri od. In many schemes now running the last aspe ct of publicity is larg e l yn e g l e cted for lack of funding and be cause sponsors often loose inte re s to n ce the publicity of the awa rds ce re m o ny has been gained.

Much gre ater thought needs to be given to the linking of awa rd schemes toBest Pra ct i ce promotion schemes so that the innovations of awa rd winnerscan be adopted by many other individuals and org a n i s at i o n s. Also thea c h i eve m e nts of winners can stimulate others to apply the same idea tom a rkedly diffe re nt fields of endeavour and co m m e rce.

Those seeking scheme sponsorship need to build the costs of these aspe ct sof publicity into their budgets. It is not pra ct i cal or sufficient to assume thatthe media will provide free publicity just be cause an awa rd scheme ex i s t sand that a well- organised and glitzy ce re m o ny is held to announce thew i n n e r s. The media ve ry often pay more at te ntion to what the well re s pe cte dor ce l e b ri ty pre s e nter of the awa rds has to say at the ce re m o ny than who thewinners we re or what they achieve d. This clearly negates much of the be n e f i tof organising an awa rd scheme.

One oppo rt u n i ty for gaining wide publicity for the achieve m e nts of awa rdwinners is to have articles and pict u res of them published on the RSA’ss u s t a i n a b i l i ty web site SAG E. This can be found at www. s a g e - r s a . o rg.uk

A C C R E D I T AT I O N O F AWA R D S C H E M E S

The Fo rum for Env i ro n m e ntal and Sustainable Deve l o p m e nt Awa rds has nowi nt rod u ced an accre d i t ation standard for awa rd schemes. Scheme organisers whos h ow that their org a n i s ation and management matches the good pra ct i ce set outin this Guide will be accre d i ted by the Fo ru m . This entitles the scheme organiser tod i s p l ay a logo on all the assoc i ated lite rat u re and publicity mate rial and alsoe ntitles the scheme winners to be co n s i d e red for ent ry to the Eu ro pe a nE nv i ro n m e nt Awa rd s. Full details of how to apply for accre d i t ation are given on theFo rum web site www. E nv i ro n m e nt Awa rd s. n e t . This site also gives full co nt a ctdetails and how to apply for a large number of re g i s te red national andi nte rn ational awa rd schemes.

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I n i t i at i ve from the RSA Env i ro n m e nt Fo rum Ltd suppo rted by

” The fo rum aims to enco u rage all means of using we l ldesigned and effe ct i vely managed awa rd s, a n da s s oc i ated publicity, to further the adoption of

sustainable deve l o p m e nt throughout all aspe cts of thee co n o my, e nv i ro n m e nt and soc i e ty whether at home, i n

the co m m u n i ty or in the wo rkp l a ce “

A Fo rum for Env i ro n m e ntal andSustainable Deve l o p m e nt Awa rd s

Room 25, St Mathias Ca m p u s, U W E,Ol d b u ry Co u rt Ro a d, Fi s h po n d s, Bri s to l , BS16 2JP

Phone +44 (0)117 344 4445 Fax +44 (0)117 902 8006ht t p : / / w w w. E nv i ro n m e ntAwa rd s. n e t


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