Yorkshire Bank triumphs with gold standard environment award

01/06/2010

Yorkshire Bank has been awarded the coveted Gold Environment Index Accreditation at this year's Business in the Community Awards.

The bank was one of six organisations in the region to be presented with the gold accreditation out of over one hundred entries to the Yorkshire and Humber Environment Index, and was presented with the award at a glittering gala dinner at the Bradford Cedar Court Hotel.

Yorkshire Bank was praised by C02Sense Yorkshire for the outstanding measures it has taken to reduce its impact on the environment. The organisation was additionally named as one of five Climate Change Champions with a score of over 95 per cent for that section, having reduced its impact on the climate for over three years or more. This is the second year in which Yorkshire Bank has been named a Climate Change Champion, commended for continuing to measure its carbon emissions and reduce carbon over the organisation as a whole.

Entrants signing up to the index undergo a series of checks to validate the environmental claims they are making and feedback is offered suggesting ways to make further improvements.

The commendations are part of Business in the Community's (BITC) annual Environment Index, where organisations are ranked for the achievements they make towards positively resolving the environmental challenges they face.

Nigel Larkman, Head of Environment & Sustainability at Yorkshire Bank said: "This award reflects the attitude of all our employees at Yorkshire Bank who always work hard to reduce the environmental impact of the business as a whole."

"We are delighted at being named a Climate Change Champion for the second year and we are committed to making further improvements in managing our carbon footprint in the future.”"

Liz Edgington, BITC's environment campaign manager said: "With over a hundred entries this year it's clear that more and more organisations understand the need to reduce the effect they have on the environment and that being sustainable is good for business."

This is the twelfth year BITC's Environment Index has been running. Companies see the Environment Index as a benchmark for businesses interested in using a framework of best practice to shape their approach to becoming greener.