Eco-friendly companies

Forster
The company helps budding walkers and cyclists find route maps, has organised cycle confidence sessions, and helps them link up with colleagues who live locally. A top green score of 98% shows that people at Forster don't associate being green with beards and sandals. They believe the organisation is getting better at protecting the environment (another 98% result) and receive regular communication on green issues (88%).

The National Magazine Company

The National Magazine Company knows all about the birds and the bees. The organisation that brings us Cosmopolitan and Prima Baby and Pregnancy, as well as Esquire, Good Housekeeping and Country Living. Beehives are the next project on the list. The company sends magazines to hospitals, books to Oxfam and mobile phones for recycling. The 860-strong workforce says the organisation is well run, giving it an 80% positive green score. The firm's environmental management system is certified to ISO 14001 standard

Willmott Dixon Construction

"You can get a lot of eco bling, but we are not into that," says Mark Pheasey, operations director for Willmott Dixon Construction. The group, which employs almost 3,000 people, aims to be carbon neutral and to send zero waste to landfill by 2012. Its employees believe its environmental commitments are very serious (87%). The firm gets top 25 green scores for being well run and supporting local suppliers and businesses (85% and 76% respectively). It has used old Formula One tyres on a school roof and recycled denim and T-shirts for wall insulation.

InfisInfinis is generating a lot of interest this year among its staff, as well as 10% of
the UK's renewable energy. The Northampton-based firm gives workers grants to buy fuel-efficient cars and green technology to use in their home. The company a positive green score of 78%. Infinis doesn't opt for the cheapest rather than the most environmentally friendly solution (81%). Staff fully understand what their carbon footprint is (76%), and are aware of the green implications of the job they do (89%, a result bettered by just three firms). They know that the way they do their job reduces the company's eco impact (77%).

By:Habib