NEGRIL, Westmoreland - Beaches Negril Resort and Spa joins sister properties Sandals Negril and Sandals Grande Riviera as the third resort in the luxury Sandals chain to receive Platinum level certification from leading environmental certification and benchmarking organisation, EarthCheck.

Sandals Resorts International now stands as the first hotel chain to receive three platinum awards from the internationally acclaimed EarthCheck with Beaches Negril being the most recent. As a result of consistently adhering to the highest science-based sustainability standards over a period of 10 years, Sandals has become part of a select group of organisations around the world who has achieved this prestigious level of certification.

"The achievement of this rank is due to the commitment and enthusiasm of our team members, who are dedicated to maintaining a high environmental standard," said Chief Executive Officer of Sandals Resorts International, Adam Stewart.

Beaches Negril's Environment, Health and Safety Manager Sadiq Miller expressed that, "over the years our resort has consistently passed all indicators in the EarthCheck audits and as we celebrate our 15th anniversary, this award marks another milestone for us and we are very proud of our accomplishment".

In an official congratulatory note to the resort, EarthCheck stated "Beaches Negril's Platinum Certification now places them as a leader in the unique worldwide group of sustainable tourism operators that are certified to the internationally recognised EarthCheck Company Standard"

Properties, such as Sandals Negril, Sandals Grande Riviera and Beaches Negril which have earned EarthCheck certification, have to meet strict environmental sustainability criteria, and validate their performance through a process of annual benchmarking and regular audits that are conducted by an independent third party. The resort has consistently met criteria including proper waste minimisation, energy conservation, effective water management and promoting environmental sustainability to policy makers, tourism operators and the public.