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BeSustain · Awards Programme

BeSustain Sustainability Awards

Recognising measurable, verifiable and responsible sustainability progress.

Application dates will be announced soon. Explore the categories

General Application and Evaluation Framework

Purpose of the Programme

The BeSustain Sustainability Awards aim to strengthen a culture in which organisations take responsibility for their environmental, social and governance impacts, consider stakeholders in their decision-making processes, and make sustainability an integral part of their business models.

The programme seeks to make concrete, measurable and verifiable practices visible, while supporting organisations in their journey towards impact, accountability, transparency and continuous improvement.

The programme’s category structure has been designed to address organisations’ environmental, social and governance (ESG) impacts in an integrated way. The categories also take into account the global priorities reflected in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

The Awards assess not only statements of intent or communication activities, but also initiatives that an organisation has implemented, monitored and can substantiate with evidence.

Applicant Eligibility

Applications are open to private-sector organisations, public institutions, local authorities, publicly owned entities and universities, regardless of their headquarters or geographic area of operation.

The applicant must be the owner and implementer of the submitted project, practice, product, service or organisational approach, and must be accountable for its outcomes.

Where more than one organisation has contributed to an initiative, project partners must be clearly identified in the application form. An organisation may apply directly for initiatives relating to its own operations, products, services or organisational practices.

The submitted initiative is expected to:

1. Be in implementation at the time of application,

2. Demonstrate tangible outputs, outcomes or progress indicators,

3. Be verifiable through the information and evidence contained in the report submitted with the application form.

Ineligible Activities

Applications from organisations engaged in gambling or betting activities will not be accepted.

BeSustain reserves the right to exclude applications associated with activities that are clearly inconsistent with the purpose, integrity or evaluation principles of the programme.

Organisation Type and Award Structure

Each category is assessed through the following applicant tracks, based on the type of organisation:

1. SME Track: Private-sector organisations with fewer than 250 employees that are not controlled by a larger corporate group.

2. Enterprise Track: Private-sector organisations with 250 or more employees, as well as subsidiaries that form part of a larger corporate group.

3. Public & Academic Track: Public institutions, local authorities, publicly owned entities and universities.

Applications from public and academic organisations are assessed separately from private-sector applications. Depending on the number and quality of applications, the jury may decide to grant a category award or a Special Recognition in this track.

Number of Applications and Application Fee

An organisation may apply to one or more categories it considers relevant.

Each category application is assessed separately and must clearly demonstrate its relevance to the selected category, including the initiative’s implementation, evidence and outcomes. The same initiative may be submitted to more than one category, provided that each application clearly distinguishes its category-specific impact, implementation and evidence.

Each category submission is treated as a separate application and is subject to the relevant application fee.

The application fee is EUR 375 + applicable VAT per category.

Application Process

Applicants submit a structured application through the application portal. Each application includes:

1. The selected award category and an initiative title,

2. A concise summary of the initiative and an explanation of its relevance to the selected category and measurable impact,

3. The primary scope of the initiative,

4. Up to three key results or progress indicators, including the indicator, result and measurement period,

5. One core sustainability report, annual report, impact report or equivalent evidence document,

6. A reference to the relevant page numbers, section titles or links within that core document.

Applicants may also provide additional supporting files or public links where relevant.

Statements, indicators and claims included in the form must be supported by the core evidence document or other submitted supporting material. Jury assessments are conducted through a combined review of the information submitted in the application form and the uploaded reports and evidence documents.

Common Evaluation Principles

All categories are assessed against the following core principles:

1. Relevance: The relationship between the initiative, the selected category and the organisation’s material impacts.

2. Strategic Integration: The connection between the initiative and the organisation’s business model, governance and decision-making processes.

3. Practical Implementation: Evidence of an implemented policy, system, product, service or process beyond a stated commitment.

4. Measurable Impact: The monitoring of outcomes through meaningful indicators, presented quantitatively where possible.

5. Evidence and Verifiability: The reliability of data, methodology and supporting documentation.

6. Stakeholder Impact: Consideration of impacts on employees, customers, suppliers, communities, the environment and other stakeholders.

7. Governance and Accountability: The clarity of responsibilities, decision-making mechanisms, risks and assurance approach.

8. Innovation and Learning: The initiative’s capacity to create new value, generate learning and support improvement.

9. Scalability and Longevity: The continuity, potential for wider adoption and long-term impact of the initiative.

Jury Evaluation Model

BeSustain establishes an evaluation structure composed of independent jury members with relevant expertise.

1. BeSustain conducts the jury evaluation process through a secure, auditable digital jury panel with role-based authorisation.

2. The jury panel is operated using appropriate technical and organisational security measures to protect the confidentiality, integrity and availability of application files, jury information, scores and comments. These measures include secure user authentication, role-based access control, encryption of data in transit, protection against unauthorised access attempts, secure backups, audit logging and regular security updates.

3. Jury members assess and score the applications assigned to them independently. Before completing and locking their own assessment, a jury member cannot view the scores, comments or assessment results of other jury members.

4. The jury panel is designed to maintain an auditable record of jury-member assignments, conflict-of-interest declarations, scores, comments, timestamps and changes to assessments.

5. Jury members may not participate in the evaluation of an application where they have a conflict of interest with the organisation concerned.

6. Jury members agree to keep application information confidential and to conduct their assessments solely in accordance with the programme principles.

Results and Communications

Current information on application dates, the programme timeline, category details, application announcements and results is published on besustain.nl. BeSustain may also share this information through its official social-media accounts and other communication channels where appropriate. Results are announced publicly by BeSustain. Subject to the applicant’s approval and applicable confidentiality obligations, BeSustain may use summaries of awarded applications in programme communications. Awarded organisations may use communication materials provided by BeSustain only in accordance with the applicable terms of use.

Award Categories

1. Climate Action, Transition and Resilience

For initiatives that reduce climate impacts, support the transition to lower-carbon operations or strengthen resilience to climate-related risks.

This category recognises initiatives that organisations have implemented to address the causes and effects of climate change and that demonstrate tangible results.

Applications may include initiatives relating to greenhouse gas emissions reduction, energy transition, renewable energy use, energy efficiency, low-carbon products and services, climate risk management or climate adaptation.

Who Can Apply?

Organisations that have developed initiatives to reduce their climate impact or strengthen their resilience to climate-related risks may apply to this category. The submitted initiative may be an organisation-wide transformation programme, an initiative implemented at a specific site or within an operation, a product or service development, or an approach involving the supply chain.

What Will the Jury Consider?

1. Whether the initiative responds to a tangible climate-related challenge or risk.

2. Whether objectives and implementation are clear, realistic and connected to the organisation’s activities.

3. Whether impacts on emissions, energy, renewable energy use or climate risks have been measured.

4. Integration into decision-making, operations and long-term plans.

5. Reliable data, methodology and documentation.

6. Longevity, scalability and potential future impact.

Supporting Evidence May Include

Greenhouse gas inventories or emissions-reduction results

Energy-consumption and renewable-energy-use data

Climate targets, transition plans or climate-risk assessments

Independent assurance reports, verification statements or certifications

Annual reports, sustainability reports, policies or technical documents

Application fee375.00 EUR+ applicable VAT

Application dates will be announced soon.

2. Circular Economy and Resource Efficiency

For initiatives that reduce material use, prevent waste, improve reuse, recycling or resource efficiency.

This category recognises initiatives that organisations have implemented to reduce the use of materials and resources, keep products and resources in use for longer, and prevent waste.

Applications may include product and packaging design, reuse, repair, recycling, secondary raw materials, waste prevention, resource efficiency, process improvements or circular business models.

Who Can Apply?

Organisations that have developed initiatives to reduce material use, extend product life, prevent waste or enable resources to regain value may apply. The submitted initiative may relate to a product, service, packaging format, production process, operation, procurement model or customer-facing take-back and reuse system.

What Will the Jury Consider?

1. A tangible approach to reducing resource consumption, waste generation or material loss.

2. Life-cycle consideration through design, production, use, take-back or recovery.

3. Measurement of material use, recycled content, waste, reuse, repair or recovery.

4. Integration into operations or the business model.

5. Reliable data, methodology and documentation.

6. Longevity, scalability and potential wider impact.

Supporting Evidence May Include

Data on material use, waste volumes, recycling or recovery

Results from reuse, repair, take-back or refill initiatives

Information on recycled or renewable raw materials

Life-cycle assessments or resource-efficiency analyses

Independent assurance reports, certifications or technical documents

Application fee375.00 EUR+ applicable VAT

Application dates will be announced soon.

3. Nature, Biodiversity and Water Stewardship

For initiatives that protect or restore nature, improve water stewardship or support biodiversity.

This category recognises initiatives that organisations have implemented to understand and reduce their impact on nature, protect water resources and support biodiversity.

Applications may include water efficiency, water-quality protection, catchment-based action, habitat protection or restoration, biodiversity-loss reduction, land use, nature-risk management or the reduction of nature-related impacts in supply chains.

Who Can Apply?

Organisations whose operations, products, services or supply chains affect nature, water or biodiversity, and that have developed tangible initiatives to reduce or restore those impacts, may apply. The submitted initiative may focus on a site, production area, catchment, supply chain, product group or an organisation-wide approach.

What Will the Jury Consider?

1. A tangible nature-, water- or biodiversity-related impact, risk or need.

2. Consideration of impacts across operations and the value chain.

3. Clear objectives, implementation approach and responsibilities.

4. Measurement of water, land, habitat, species or other nature-related outcomes.

5. Collaboration with relevant stakeholders, local communities or expert organisations.

6. Reliable evidence and long-term potential.

Supporting Evidence May Include

Water-consumption, withdrawal, quality or wastewater data

Biodiversity, habitat, land-use or nature-risk assessments

Conservation or restoration results

Supply-chain policies or targets

Independent verification, impact assessments or monitoring results

Application fee375.00 EUR+ applicable VAT

Application dates will be announced soon.

4. Responsible Supply Chain and Procurement

For initiatives that strengthen responsible sourcing, supplier engagement, traceability or sustainability performance across the supply chain.

This category recognises initiatives that organisations have implemented to consider environmental, social and ethical impacts in purchasing decisions and to build more responsible, transparent and resilient supply chains.

Applications may include responsible-procurement policies, supplier-selection criteria, traceability, supplier-risk assessment, supplier development, human rights and working conditions, raw-material sourcing or lower-impact procurement alternatives.

Who Can Apply?

Organisations that create environmental, social or ethical impacts through suppliers, procurement processes or materials and services, and that have developed tangible practices to manage those impacts, may apply. The initiative may focus on the organisation-wide approach, a procurement category, product group, raw material, supplier programme or risk area.

What Will the Jury Consider?

1. Response to material environmental, social or ethical supply-chain risks.

2. Integration of sustainability criteria into selection, contracting and monitoring.

3. Supplier participation, development and improvement.

4. Traceability, risk assessment and due diligence.

5. Tangible outcomes beyond policy or commitment.

6. Reliable evidence and wider-network impact.

Supporting Evidence May Include

Responsible-procurement policies, supplier codes or selection criteria

Supplier-risk assessments, traceability analyses or due-diligence approaches

Supplier audits, development programmes or improvement plans

Certified or lower-impact procurement data

Performance, compliance or improvement indicators

Application fee375.00 EUR+ applicable VAT

Application dates will be announced soon.

5. People, Inclusion and Responsible Workplace

For initiatives that advance fair, safe, inclusive and respectful working environments.

This category recognises initiatives that organisations have implemented to create a safe, fair, inclusive and development-oriented working environment for their employees.

Applications may include equal opportunity, diversity and inclusion, employee health and safety, fair pay, wellbeing, skills development, career opportunities, psychological safety, employee engagement or the prevention of discrimination and inappropriate conduct.

Who Can Apply?

Organisations that have developed tangible initiatives to improve employee rights, wellbeing, development and workplace experience may apply. The initiative may be an organisation-wide people and culture approach, a programme for a specific employee group, an occupational health and safety programme or an inclusion initiative.

What Will the Jury Consider?

1. Response to a material employee need, risk or inequality.

2. A fair, safe, respectful and inclusive workplace culture.

3. Incorporation of employee perspectives, needs and feedback.

4. Embedding in everyday ways of working beyond one-off activity.

5. Measurement of experience, engagement, safety, development, equal opportunity or wellbeing.

6. Reliable evidence and long-term reach.

Supporting Evidence May Include

Employee policies, inclusion approaches or codes of conduct

Health, safety, wellbeing or psychological-safety practices

Participation, satisfaction, engagement or feedback data

Training, skills and career-development indicators

Reporting and resolution processes for discrimination or harassment

Aggregated workforce diversity, equal opportunity or pay-equity data

Application fee375.00 EUR+ applicable VAT

Application dates will be announced soon.

6. Sustainable Products, Services and Innovation

For products, services, technologies or digital approaches that create measurable sustainability value.

This category recognises how organisations respond to sustainability challenges through products, services, technology or digital solutions, and how they use technology responsibly.

Applications may include resource-efficient products and services, sustainable technology solutions, accessible digital services, responsible data and artificial-intelligence applications, digital security, digital inclusion or initiatives to reduce the environmental impact of digital operations.

Who Can Apply?

Organisations that have developed an innovative product, service, process or digital solution in response to a meaningful sustainability challenge may apply. The initiative may be a new or improved product, a digital platform, a data or artificial-intelligence application, a technology-enabled operating model or a responsible solution that improves customer experience.

What Will the Jury Consider?

1. Response to a meaningful environmental or social need.

2. Translation into a tangible product, service, process or user experience.

3. Measured impact on stakeholders or the environment.

4. Consideration of privacy, information security, accessibility, discrimination risk and human oversight.

5. Consideration of digital resource and energy use where relevant.

6. Reliable evidence, scalability and future impact.

Supporting Evidence May Include

Product, service or digital-solution documentation

User or stakeholder impact results

Privacy, security, accessibility or artificial-intelligence governance policies

Energy, resource or environmental impact analysis

User feedback, testing outcomes or independent assessment

Application fee375.00 EUR+ applicable VAT

Application dates will be announced soon.

7. Governance, Ethics and Accountability

For initiatives that strengthen accountability, ethical decision-making, stakeholder trust or sustainability governance.

This category recognises initiatives that organisations have implemented to establish an open, accountable and trust-based approach to sustainability, ethics and governance.

Applications may include board oversight, ethical business conduct, anti-corruption, risk management, stakeholder engagement, grievance and reporting mechanisms, data governance, human-rights due diligence or the integration of sustainability into corporate governance.

Who Can Apply?

Organisations that have developed tangible initiatives to strengthen governance, decision-making and relationships of trust with stakeholders may apply. The initiative may be an organisation-wide governance model, a board- or executive-level approach, an ethics and compliance system, a risk-management process, a grievance mechanism or a data-quality initiative.

What Will the Jury Consider?

1. Response to material ethical, social, environmental or governance risks.

2. Clear responsibilities, decision-making and senior-management oversight.

3. Strengthening of trust and accountability for stakeholders.

4. Safe mechanisms for raising views, concerns or grievances.

5. Embedding in decision-making, risk management and everyday practice.

6. Reliable evidence and long-term trust impact.

Supporting Evidence May Include

Ethics, compliance, anti-corruption, data-governance or risk-management policies

Board or executive oversight information

Stakeholder engagement, reporting, grievance or remedy mechanisms

Human-rights, ethics or sustainability risk assessments

Training, awareness, internal-audit or improvement data

Application fee375.00 EUR+ applicable VAT

Application dates will be announced soon.

8. Sustainability Reporting, Responsible Communication and Design

For reporting and communication that make sustainability information accurate, balanced, accessible and easy to understand.

This category recognises initiatives that organisations have implemented to share sustainability information accurately, fairly, clearly and accessibly.

The assessment does not focus solely on visual appearance. It considers how content makes reliable information easier to access. Design should make data, methodology, results and areas for improvement understandable, rather than obscuring material information.

Who Can Apply?

Organisations that share sustainability performance, targets, methodologies and results with stakeholders in a reliable and accessible manner may apply. The initiative may be a published report, digital information area, reporting and data-management system, responsible claims and communications approach or a design practice that makes information easier to understand.

What Will the Jury Consider?

1. Clear, balanced and evidence-supported information.

2. Transparent disclosure of limitations, risks and areas for improvement.

3. Easy access to data, methodology, scope information and relevant documents.

4. Usefulness for investors, employees, customers, suppliers and other stakeholders.

5. Design, data visualisation and user experience that support access.

6. Content-management and approval processes for accurate environmental and social claims.

7. Reliable evidence and long-term trust impact.

Supporting Evidence May Include

Sustainability, integrated or impact reports

Reporting scope, data-collection and methodology information

Independent assurance reports or verification statements

Digital reporting areas, data hubs or document-access structures

Claims-preparation, review and approval policies

Accessibility, readability, user-experience or stakeholder-feedback results

Application fee375.00 EUR+ applicable VAT

Application dates will be announced soon.
BeSustain Sustainability Awards

Recognising measurable, verifiable and responsible sustainability progress.

Application dates will be announced soon.

Frequently asked questions

What are the BeSustain Sustainability Awards?

The BeSustain Sustainability Awards are an international awards programme that evaluates sustainability initiatives not only on the strength of their narrative, but on the evidence submitted, measurable results and responsible business practices behind them.

BeSustain is the first and only organisation in its sector in the Netherlands to operate a sustainability awards programme while being a UN Global Compact participant committed to its Ten Principles.

The programme aims to make visible initiatives that demonstrate tangible progress in climate action, circularity, nature, people, innovation, governance and sustainability communication.

Our assessment approach is based on transparent criteria, independent jury evaluation and the verifiability of the information and documents provided by each applicant.

Who can apply?

The BeSustain Sustainability Awards are open to private-sector organisations, public institutions, local authorities, publicly owned entities and academic institutions, regardless of their headquarters or area of operation.

Applications from organisations operating gambling or betting activities are not accepted.

Which award categories are available?

Applications are accepted in the following eight categories:

  1. Climate Action, Transition and Resilience
  2. Circular Economy and Resource Efficiency
  3. Nature, Biodiversity and Water Stewardship
  4. Responsible Supply Chain and Procurement
  5. People, Inclusion and Responsible Workplace
  6. Sustainable Products, Services and Innovation
  7. Governance, Ethics and Accountability
  8. Sustainability Reporting, Responsible Communication and Design

How are applications assessed?

Applications are evaluated by independent jury members against the published category criteria, the information submitted in the application form and the supporting evidence documents.

Jury members score applications independently through a secure digital jury panel.

Which documents are required?

Applicants must upload one core evidence document supporting the initiative. This may be a sustainability report, annual report, impact report or an equivalent document.

Additional supporting documents and relevant links may also be provided.

How long does the application take to complete?

When the core evidence document is ready, the application form can normally be completed in approximately 10 to 15 minutes.

What is the application fee?

The application fee is EUR 375 plus applicable VAT for each application.

Applicable VAT is calculated at Stripe Checkout based on the applicant's country and valid VAT number.

What happens after I submit my application?

Once payment is completed, an application number is assigned and the application is registered for evaluation.

Applicants can follow the current status of their application through their application dashboard.

Where can I track the status of my application?

Applicants can track the payment and evaluation status of their application through their dedicated application dashboard. Where needed, BeSustain will contact the applicant through the registered email address.

Why should I apply for the BeSustain Sustainability Awards?

BeSustain is the first and only organisation in its sector in the Netherlands to operate a sustainability awards programme while being a UN Global Compact participant committed to its Ten Principles.

BeSustain is designed to make visible not only well-presented projects, but initiatives supported by evidence and measurable results.

Assessment criteria, evidence expectations and the jury approach are shared transparently before an application is submitted.

When will applications open?

The application period, deadline and results announcement schedule will be published on this page. Organisations may subscribe to receive updates by email.

Which countries are eligible?

Applications are open to eligible organisations worldwide.

Can an organisation apply without a sustainability report?

Yes. In addition to a sustainability report, an annual report, impact report or an equivalent document that evidences the initiative may be accepted.

What principles guide the awards programme?

The programme is based on transparency, accountability, responsible communication, evidence-based assessment and an independent jury approach.

It follows a responsible business approach aligned with the UN Global Compact Ten Principles on human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption.

Does every stage of the initiative need to be completed?

No. Initiatives whose full implementation is not yet complete may apply if they are already in operation and can demonstrate tangible progress or evidence.

Is external advisory support required to apply?

No. When the core evidence document and essential information are available, the application can be completed by the organisation's own team.

Who may submit an application?

Applications must be submitted by an authorised employee or representative of the organisation.

A corporate email address is required for registration.

Will my application information be kept confidential?

Yes. Application information and supporting documents are shared only with authorised BeSustain personnel and the relevant jury members for assessment purposes.

Information marked as confidential will not be made public without the applicant's permission.

Can I apply in more than one category?

Yes. The same initiative may be submitted to more than one category where it meets the relevant category requirements. Each submission is processed as a separate application.

Which language should I use for my application?

The application form and the core evidence document must be prepared in English.

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