We're engaging with more organisations than ever

Increasing our dialogue with non-government organisations (NGOs) is a key focus of our stakeholder management activities. Engagement with NGOs has never been more important to our business and we engage with a diverse range of organisations, from our partnership with Age Concern to our participation in the climate change debate with Friends of the Earth.

We've always recognised the importance of effectively engaging with our NGO audience, but during 2007, with the rapid development of the climate change debate, the need for further effective dialogue has become increasingly important.

During February 2007, we held a Stakeholder Workshop for organisations interested in UK Energy Policy. The delegates included representatives from NGOs as well as the Government, regulatory authorities and customer representatives. From this, we decided to compile a stakeholder management plan aimed specifically at NGOs. Its overall objective was to develop an open and constructive dialogue that would allow all parties to develop a better understanding of shared issues.

The first step in this process was a series of executive level meetings between ourselves and the NGOs to establish shared areas of interest and to identify ways of working together. This will be followed by a series of working level meetings on topics such as carbon capture and storage. We hope to build on these relationships during 2008, to allow open and constructive dialogue.

The majority of the large NGOs are part of a larger international organisation. To ensure we give out consistent messages across the UK, we've established a stakeholder management forum. This is attended by all members of the wider E.ON Group currently operating in the UK. NGO stakeholder management is also included as part of the quarterly Group environment meetings.

Many of our power stations already have well-established relations with local NGO groups and this is managed at a local level - for example we have a good relationship with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) at Kingsnorth in Kent through our bird ringing programme.

Through our relationship with the Carbon Trust, we are sponsors of the Energy Efficiency Accreditation Scheme (EEAS), the UK's only independent award recognising achievements in reducing energy use. Since becoming part of the Carbon Trust's portfolio, the scheme has seen rapid growth and the economic and environmental importance of tackling climate change has prompted more organisations than ever before to strive for EEAS accreditation. The Awards Ceremony recognises organisations as diverse as The National Maritime Museum, BAe Systems and the University of Glasgow for their commitment to cutting carbon through energy efficiency.

We have strong relationships with a number of charities who we feel can help us meet some of our main objectives whilst at the same time enhancing our contribution to our communities. The Woodland Trust is the UK's leading woodland conservation charity, campaigning to protect ancient woods, to improve woodland biodiversity, to increase native woodland cover and to increase understanding and enjoyment of woods. As part of ourEnergy Challenge campaign, we worked with the Woodland Trust to help us engage customers, donating £2 on behalf of every customer completing the Challenge.

Through our relationship with Tier1, Digital Links, a local charity, donates our refurbished computers and other redundant IT kit to developing countries, allowing disadvantaged communities to access the internet and other online resources. All of our old and redundant computers go through Tier1 for recycling, minimising waste to landfill and giving them a new lease of life in another country.

Our environmental champions programme was developed with the help of Global Action Plan (GAP), an independent charity committed to engaging people in practical solutions to environmental and social problems. Our close links with the charity have been instrumental in encouraging our employees to become more energy conscious in their daily work.

Action Sustainability is a social enterprise set up to lead and inspire sustainable procurement. The company, which is DEFRA-funded, supports and facilitates the Strategic Supply Chain Group, a leading authority on sustainable procurement. Its members are directors and senior managers from the UK's leading private companies, Government departments, professional institutes and academic organisations. Action Sustainability is working closely with our responsible procurement team to investigate and explore ways of tackling the supply chain carbon footprint, through the provision of strategic consultancy.