We engage widely with stakeholders across our industry

We believe that regular dialogue with key industry bodies is vital for us to keep abreast of latest developments and to help to influence the direction our industry is taking.

We've established close links with a number of trade associations, including the Electricity Retail Association, the Association of Electricity Producers, EURELECTRIC and the Energy Networks Association.

Energy associations such as the Renewable Energy Association, British Wind Energy Association and the Scottish Renewables Forum need our support in representing the industry's interests and highlighting issues to other stakeholders, such as Ofgem and the media. We're active in discussions, we participate in working groups and we assist the development of papers and reports. We aim to be a solution provider. We have representatives on groups and boards, we exhibit, attend and present at conferences, and we provide support activities and papers.

As part of their function, these associations all deal with industry-wide environmental issues that concern their particular aspects of the UK and European energy industry. We're active in various industry working groups across a range of subjects from decentralised energy, green energy products and emissions trading through to waste and by-products, air quality and water pollution.

We're also a member of the Joint Environment Programme (JEP) which brings together environmental experts from the UK's major electricity producers. Each year, the JEP carries out a programme of research and development aimed at tackling the wide variety of environmental issues facing the electricity production industry. The member companies work together to develop a strategic framework for managing the environmental impacts of fossil fuel-fired generation, offering solutions aimed at meeting legislative and regulatory objectives in a cost effective way.

EURELECTRIC is the union of the European energy industry. It brings together the leading minds across the European energy industry. By joining working groups to influence EU policy developments, ourselves and employees from the wider E.ON Group are active in driving environmental improvements to the way energy is produced, distributed and used across Europe. In addition to its strong focus on climate change and energy efficiency, EURELECTRIC also tackles important policy issues relating to cleaner air, water, land, and the effects of electromagnetic fields on the environment and health.

We are members of the Centre for Sustainable Management (CSM) at the Institute of Management Development (IMD), and participate in research initiatives that investigate topical industry and global challenges. The IMD has been instrumental in the development of our supply chain and responsible procurement strategies. Our head of business resilience is the chair of the Security Task Group comprising of security managers from the UK's leading energy companies. The task group started off as a focus group helping share best practice and pool expertise in championing security-related issues in the energy sector. The group meets four or five times a year and feeds into the Energy Emergency Executive Committee (EEECE3C), a Government committee responsible for energy emergency and security of supply.

Links with the British Chambers of Commerce

Every year, the British Chambers of Commerce and Royal Bank of Scotland present the Chamber Awards, which have been developed to recognise outstanding achievement within the UK business community.

There are eight different categories of awards, with E.ON sponsoring the Green Award. The Green Award is designed to recognise environmentally friendly British businesses, and is awarded to the company that demonstrates environmental best practice, ethical best practice or sustainable development. In 2007, Tyrrells Potato Chips were the winners.