-IMMEDIATE RELEASE-

Climate change trailblazer: The Planet Mark helps companies to reduce carbon by 12% per employee
  

Inaugural awards ceremony hosted by Sir Tim Smit from the Eden Project.

[Sir Tim Smit]

• The awards ceremony on Oct 11th, 2018 at Sadler's Wells Theatre are to recognise the outstanding work that innovative companies, holders of The Planet Mark, are doing in terms of sustainability and contributing in helping to save the planet. 

• The special report from the Intergovernmental panel on Climate Change warns action must be made by companies and individuals, The Planet Mark is an innovative scheme that is actively engaging workforces to do their bit.

• The Planet Mark is an accreditation that shows consumers that the company behind a product or service cares about the environment. It acts like a logo or a stamp in a similar way to an organic certification or a ‘fairtrade' certification. In some cases, the employees are the ones who have suggested their company put themselves forward to become ‘Planet Marked'.

Here are the benefits to being ‘Planet Marked':

1. Makes the organization more attractive: To both prospective employees (who are more environmentally aware) and to prospective clients
2. Reduces carbon footprint: By default, the scheme forces companies to reduce emissions. On average participating companies reduce energy use, waste, water, travel and procurement by 12% per employee
3. Increases profits: By saving money in huge reductions in energy
4. Helps educate and encourage the workforce to carry on with the ‘planet saving' work at home
5. Communicate results uniquely:  The Planet Mark helps communicate sustainability achievements to wider audiences.

The Awards

There are 12 awards across four categories - Engage, Measure, Communicate and Overall.

Measure

Carbon Reduction per Employee sponsored by ThisWeekinFM

Absolute Carbon Reduction sponsored by thinkstep

Data Quality and Collection sponsored by The Monarch Partnership

Engage

Employee Engagement Sponsored by Psychologies Magazine

Community Engagement sponsored by Prologis UK

Supply Chain Engagement sponsored by GreenZone Cleaning & Support Services

Communicate

Sustainability Campaign sponsored by Cool Earth

Annual Sustainability Report sponsored by MediaCom

Sustainability Influencer sponsored by Eden Project Hothouse

Overall

Outstanding Individual awarded by The Planet Mark

Best Newcomer sponsored by HFW

Best Company sponsored by Low Carbon Europe

There are more than 50 entrants and around 200 people are expected to attend.

The Planet Mark CEO and founder Steve Malkin says:

"We are all seeing the effects of climate change and most of us want to do our bit. The Planet Mark is helping organisations and their people cut their carbon by 12% per employee. So, if you want to take positive action on climate change, join our programme to make an immediate impact"

One of the judges, Alex Robinson, MD of Hubbub Enterprise describes his "wake-up" moment to helping save the planet:

"The collapse of the Rana Plaza building in Bangladesh was the moment that forced me to see how everything is connected in a globalised world.

I saw a gap between companies' values and actions. I started to look for people approaching business differently - and particularly from an environmental standpoint - and discovered a diverse world of social enterprise, responsible business, cooperatives and so on."

-ENDS-

Notes to editors:

• The Planet Mark™ began in 2012, when Steve Malkin, CEO of Planet First and founder of The Planet Mark™, was introduced to Sir Tim Smit KBE, co-founder of Eden Project. Over the following months, they discussed how they might create an effective people-driven sustainability programme for any organisation of any size, any sector, any place in the world.
• Since then, The Planet Mark has developed into an internationally-recognised and trusted sustainability certification that is helping more than 100 organisations, including businesses, charities, schools, hospitals and infrastructure.

• Mission: Their mission is to empower organisations and their people to make year-on-year progress on sustainability. Their approach is to ensure companies grow economically by improving their environmental and social performance.

• The amount of plastic produced in a year is roughly the same as the entire weight of humanity but only 9% of plastics are recycled. The Arctic is heatingfaster than any other part of the world; it stalled the Polar Jet Stream in the summer of 2018 causing the massive heat wave. There is still time to make a difference.

• Steve Malkin along with Sir Tim Smit and their colleagues are helping to make a difference. Together they have created The Planet Mark certification, which is apeople-driven sustainability programmefor any organisation of any size, any sector, anywhere in the world.

• It is a low resource programme that is proven to work. On average, holders of The Planet Mark make a12% carbon savingeach year per employee through energy use, waste, water, travel and procurement.

• Since Sir David Attenborough'sThe Blue Planetfilms, sustainability and environmental awareness was heightened and everyday people (i.e. employees) want to do their bit to help save the planet.

Awards Location and Information:

Date: Thursday 11th October 2018, 6pm - 10.30pm

Address: Sadler's Wells Theatre, Rosebery Ave, London EC1R 4TN

Amanda Ruiz PR hello@amandaruiz.co.uk  Tel: 07711 419595

Steve Malkin available for interview: steve.malkin@planetfirst.co.uk Tel: 07775 637156