15 May 2008. The National Magazine Company has been named the 10th greenest company in the UK, and second in London, in the inaugural Sunday Times Green List.
At an event held in London last night, NatMag also took the top title of The Sunday Times award for best big or mid-sized company with low environmental impact, and was the only publisher to appear in the top 50 Best Green Companies 2008 list.
The Sunday Times Green List was devised by the newspaper in association with environmental consultants, and assesses the environmental performance, policies and practices of businesses as well as employees' ratings, via a survey, of their organisation's green credentials.
The National Magazine Company has been committed to environmental issues since 2003 when it first set up a recycling scheme and appointed a volunteer band of 40 green monitors.
In the years since, green initiatives have been added and developed, and an Environmental Committee chaired by Chief Executive Duncan Edwards, was formed in March 2007. In January 2008, NatMag was awarded the prestigious environmental business certificate ISO14001 in recognition of its commitment to green principles. The company has also recently set a five year target to become carbon neutral by 2013.
In the Sunday Times Green List survey, NatMag staff agreed that the company's commitment to the environment was serious, earning NatMag a ‘green score' of 79%. Ninety percent of staff also believed that the company's environmental initiatives made good financial sense, a proportion exceeded by just 10 other companies in the survey.
The National Magazine Company's Chief Executive, Duncan Edwards says, "NatMag is committed to the environment and we are delighted with this recognition of our efforts to be a greener company, both by our staff and the Sunday Times Green list panel. As one of the foremost consumer magazine publishers in the UK, reaching 13.5 million readers every year, it is vital that we lead by example. We hope this achievement sends a clear message to our readers, advertisers and stakeholders that we care greatly about the future of this planet and are doing all we can to promote and maintain environmentally responsible practices."
NatMag's green initiatives include:
• The establishment of two wormeries which take waste vegetable matter from the Good Housekeeping kitchens. The compost is bagged and sold to keen gardeners, with the proceeds forwarded to charity.
• The planned installation of the first ‘green roof' in London's West End.
• Changing freight providers to reduce the number of empty lorries criss-crossing the country from distribution points.
• Fitting more bicycle racks and allocating space for shower facilities. NatMag is offering a cycle-to-work scheme that saves both the company and employees money.
• Kitchens: Removing drinks machines and replacing them with Fairtrade loose consumables. More efficient water machines have been installed, and milk machines rather than plastic bottles of milk.
• Installing low energy and movement activated lighting. Tighter time controls, more efficient boilers and reduced water temperatures.
The National Magazine Company will appear in Sunday Times Green List published with The Sunday Times this Sunday, May 18.
For more information, please contact:
Jane Wynyard
PR & Communications Manager
The National Magazine Company
72 Broadwick Street, London, W1F 9EP
Direct: 020 7439 5211, Mobile: 07872836722
www.natmags.co.uk
