Award Categories
Explore the BeSustain Sustainability Awards categories for credible sustainability initiatives, responsible business and measurable impact.
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
Apply now
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
Apply now
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
Apply now
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
Apply now
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
Apply now
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
Apply now
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
Apply now
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
Apply now