’tis the season for Green Lists and awards…part 1

June 2nd, 2010

This period of late Spring and early Summer sees a wealth, nay a plethora of awards and lists featuring an array of companies seeking recognition and benchmarking themselves against others. As someone who has helped to feed this beast over the past few years through submitting countless applications and filling out gargantuan questionnaires, I can tell you that a great deal of time and energy is used up. But to what value, and who cares anyway?

Within the ‘profession’, we care and we read the lists and check where we have come and who is the latest big name to aspire to, or to sneer at because you’ve no idea what they do. It is the Oscars of the Green Business community. If one looks closely however, it is not quite true as the real leaders in sustainable business models and products aren’t there on the list. It is high street brands and household names, and some very obscure companies. The true leaders can stand aloof and watch the helter skelter of wannabes, perhaps a little smug in their own self assured status.

But wait a moment - how do you know that you are truly a leader when you don’t compete, when you don’t hold yourself up to scrutiny? I could be the great British tennis hope – sadly I don’t choose to sully my hands with the tawdriness that is Wimbledon. Unless you step up to be measured, you simply can’t claim to be anything special at all.

So why do so many companies spend so much time and money on entering these lists and seeking recognition through awards? There are a number of reasons. First, to gain a reputational leg up and recognition, nothing more nothing less. To achieve this, however, you need to enter the right list or competition. If you aspire to be a world leader then don’t enter the local green business awards. Secondly, to test yourself, your company’s systems and your performance against others so that you can find out how good you are. This can have a number of effects, to help provide a structure for your initiatives and plans, and to help motivate colleagues (either congratulations or a public kicking). Thirdly, you can show some or all of your stakeholders that you are amongst the best and willing to be open for scrutiny, and thus help to gain and retain trust. It actually doesn’t matter where you come, that you have played the game can be enough.

There are rewards, but don’t underestimate the time and effort it can take to enter – the entry fee is simply the tip of the iceberg. In Part 2, I will share some simple ground rules that could help to gain an edge, or at the very least not embarrass yourself or your company.




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