Sustainability Award Application & Evaluation Process

This page explains all stages of the Sustainability Award application process and criteria. Use the links below to jump to a section.

Application

Evaluation

Assessment Criteria

Winners

Promotion

1. Application & Consideration

2026 Sustainability Award applications are now closed. Register to be notified when 2027 applications open, winners are announced, and sustainability leaders are recognised.
Organisations and products may be considered through direct application, independent research, or community and industry recommendations.
Applications and recognised organisations are assessed as organisations or products within the most relevant category.

2. Evaluation

• Each application or nominee is assessed by the Sustainability Award team and evaluation panel looking at information in the application form, organisation website, social media, reviews, media, certifications, supporting documents and at physical venues where relevant. Full assessment criteria are below.
• Other similar organisations or products globally are researched, to benchmark the level of sustainability.
• Further information may be requested where needed during the evaluation process.

3. Assessment Criteria

Organisations or products must demonstrate an exceptional level of commitment to environmental sustainability in more than one category aligning with the six UN Sustainable Development Goals of; sustainable cities and communities, affordable and clean energy, responsible consumption and production, climate action, life below water and life on land.

United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

We focus on the following six environmental United Nations Sustainable Development Goals in our assessment criteria:

Factors assessed include, where relevant: overall purpose and impact, operations, power, carbon emissions and mitigation, pollution, sourcing, suppliers, materials, freight and delivery, packaging, water use and waste management.

While organisations are not expected to be perfect in every area of sustainability, the Sustainability Award is rigorous. Products and services must demonstrate meaningful sustainability outcomes across multiple areas. For example, a single-use product packaged entirely in plastic would generally not be recognised, even if it contained organic or natural ingredients.

Organisations and products are benchmarked against others within the same category, industry, or product type globally, not only against current applicants. This helps ensure recognised winners represent leading sustainable choices within their sector. Some industries, such as skincare and beauty, have a particularly high level of sustainability innovation and therefore a higher benchmark for recognition, while less advanced industries may have different expectations.

Products and services should be high quality, commercially available, compliant with relevant regulations, and offered by active organisations with an established online presence, customer base, and registered business operations. Concepts and prototypes are generally not eligible.

4. Winners

Recognised winners receive the Sustainability Award winner seal (digital medal) at no cost and are listed in the winners section.
Selected winners may also be featured across Sustainability Award articles, social channels, newsletters, and editorial promotions spotlighting sustainability leadership and innovation.

5. Promotion

Optional promotional opportunities are available for organisations who wish to further amplify their recognition, strengthen credibility, improve visibility, and share their sustainability story more widely.

Promotion & Marketing Products & services

Build sustainable growth for your organisation

Maximise the impact of your recognition with optional PR, media, SEO, content, and marketing services designed to help sustainable organisations reach new audiences and strengthen brand credibility.

Services are available to all organisations, with selected winner-specific promotional options reserved for Sustainability Award recipients.

Sustainability Reports

Custom reports done for you

Our custom sustainability report creation service saves you time and costs otherwise spent working on your own reports. Just send us your information and statistics and we’ll create a professional sustainability report for you.

Editable Sustainability Report Templates – DIY

DIY report templates for you to complete

Save time and money creating your own sustainability reports with our editable report templates.

Questions?

Not sure if your organisation, product or service is eligible or have other questions or suggestions?

Take the Sustainability Award Readiness Quiz or download the Sustainability Checklist.

Contact us with any specific questions at [email protected].