Albert Bartlett is Pick of the Crop at VIBES Awards

Lanarkshire vegetable growing company, Albert Bartlett and Sons was named large company of the year at the VIBES awards in 2005.

The family run firm, which employs around 500, is the UK's largest root vegetable grower and supplies 500,000 tonnes of vegetables per year.

The company has fully embedded its environmental policy into its business activities and has reduced the use of mains water by 65 per cent, leading to savings of between £30,000 and £35,000 per year. Packaging has been redesigned to reduce amount of card and plastic film used and damaged wooden pallets and boxes are repaired locally.

Employees are actively encouraged to recycle all packaging and office stationary. In addition, the company has improved its processes to reduce its impact on the environment, for example soil recovery techniques, rain and borehole water extraction. Employees work closely with the company's suppliers to encourage the development of new environmentally-friendly products, advise on irrigation techniques and manage the use of pesticides.

Bartlett's staff have also been making presentations to local community groups and schools and providing tours of the site to promote healthy eating and provide an insight into the workings of the produce industry.

Colin Campbell, production and HR manager at Albert Bartlett, said: "We are delighted to have won the VIBES award. I am happy for the whole management team as it shows how committed they are to achieving high standards.

"As a national winner in 2005, I strongly recommend applying for a VIBES award, an excellent scheme that rewards companies which realise that implementing environmentally-friendly schemes is good for business and makes financial sense too."

Businesses from any sector or any type located in Scotland are now being encouraged to apply for a VIBES 2006 award. There are three categories: businesses with more than 250 employees (large); businesses with between 50 and 250 employees (medium) and businesses with fewer than 50 employees (small).

The VIBES competition is supported and managed by a partnership of organisations in Scotland: CBI Scotland; Envirowise; Federation of Small Businesses in Scotland; Forward Scotland; Highlands and Islands Enterprise; National Society for Clean Air and Environmental Protection (NSCA); Scottish Enterprise; Scottish Environment Protection Agency; Scottish Executive and Scottish Water.

VIBES Awards are sponsored by Rolls-Royce Inchinnan and Allied Distillers, Dumbarton.

For more details on Albert Bartlett, log on to: www.albert-bartlett.co.uk

For further information about how your business can benefit from entering VIBES, contact VIBES coordinator Linsey McGillivray on 01856 794757 or log on to www.vibes.org.uk