A Kent supplier of mains water coolers has topped a list of county firms recognised for their impressive green credentials.

Edenbridge-based Greencare H2O, which employs 55, ranked 19th in the UK in the 50 Best Green Companies awards, carried out for the Sunday Times by environmental consultants Bureau Veritas.

It was the highest placed of Kent firms on the list. Others included Sandwich-based Pfizer Global Research and Development, at number 40 and the Port of Dover, which came 49th.

Adam Warren, managing director of Greencare believes that using mains water coolers instead of buying in bottled water makes restaurants and other workplaces more environmentally friendly and cost efficient by reducing landfill and carbon dioxide emissions.

Greencare staff are also trained to adopt green workplace practices at their premises, such as recycling.

The company, founded in 2004, saw a turnover of £2.5 million last year.

Mr Warren said: "We are thrilled to have been recognised as one of the UK’s top green companies.

"The preservation of the environment is critical to the services we offer our customers, but it’s fantastic that our own green policies are also recognised for genuinely making a difference to the environment.

Dr Annette Doherty, research site head at Pfizer said the firm’s "green chemistry" campaign had significantly reduced chemical consumption. Employees had taken part in energy saving campaigns and the amount of office waste paper being recycled had doubled.

She said: "It is great to be recognised for the work we have done to improve our environmental performance.

"Green issues are very important to us and we will continue to explore new ways to reduce our environmental impact even further."

At the Port of Dover, oil spills, leaks, waste, sewage and wildlife sightings are all regularly monitored by a dedicated environment team.

Bob Goldfield, the port’s chief executive said: "This is a great credit to the port’s dedicated environment team and to everyone who makes the effort to reduce the overall impact on the environment."

*Sevenoaks building company, H+H UK, was listed at number 32. Eurostar, which uses all low-energy light bulbs in car parks at its Ashford International Station, came in at 37.