Environmental, Social and Governance Leader

This award recognises a consulting firm within the construction and civil engineering industry that has demonstrated an innovative, unusual, or cutting edge approach to environmental and sustainability issues and improving social value at a business level, in the last 18 months. The entry must demonstrate how corporate strategy focuses on the three pillars of environmental, social and governance policy. The entry must show how corporate social conscience is embedded into everything the entrant does to deliver social and environmental benefits for society with a focus on project outcomes throughout their work.

Arcadis

From inception, Arcadis has always strived to be a market leader in the ESG space; our business name and our visual identity support our ambition of Improving Quality of Life. As a business, we strive to live out these combined ambitions in all of our work. Over the past 18 months, there has been a visible and tangible shift in our focus on ESG, both in terms of workloads for those three teams, but more importantly, the positive influence and impact we are having in Improving Quality of Life. Our efforts and spotlight on ESG has been reinforced with the introduction of the Arcadis 2024 – 2026 Global Strategy; it sets out our plans for Accelerating a Planet Positive Future, no excuses, with a laser focus.

Cowi UK

Every project team shares responsibility for sustainability in design, not merely specialist teams. Notable achievements include becoming one of the first UK organizations to be certified under PAS2080 for carbon reduction, recognized as a strategic partner for STEM engagement to inspire the next generation, and integrating biodiversity into projects. COWI invests in research for sustainable solutions and has achieved multiple accreditations for fair work practices. Our Social Value Policy aligns with and supports outcomes which benefit local communities, local environments and our people. Toolkits are being developed to support knowledge sharing, and industry benchmarking systems are being created using data collected from projects. Overall, COWI's approach has resulted in significant progress towards ESG goals and driving industry best practice.

Elliott Wood

As a BCorp-certified, purpose-led business, we integrate ESG principles throughout our operations, aiming not just for 'less bad' but for doing good. Our purpose, "Engineering a Better Society," guides us to continuously improve and hold ourselves and the wider industry accountable to higher standards. Our holistic approach surpasses conventional frameworks, exemplified by our ETHICS manifesto, which serves as a lens through which we assess every project and operation, ensuring that each endeavour prompts critical reflection and purposeful action. Embedded within our organisational culture are three core values: Step Forward, Flip It, and Be Brilliant. These values encapsulate our commitment to proactivity, innovation, and excellence, guiding our actions as we pursue impactful solutions. Elliott Wood has developed initiatives that demonstrate this commitment include: The Commercial Timber Guidebook, The Structural Carbon Tool and Full Circle to Reuse: a guide to deconstructing buildings.

Mott MacDonald

To manage and coordinate the development of sustainability capabilities of colleagues, Mott MacDonald uses a structured sustainability network to provide the relevant resources and training to teams in order to bring everyone along in a transitioning environment. This award entry uses Mott MacDonald’s Transport Unit as an example of how the company applies ESG to its work to improve outcomes for clients and ensures the unit is capable of identifying relevant sustainability-oriented risks and opportunities in a realistic and diligent way. From creating dedicated roles to specific and targeted discipline sustainability training, Mott MacDonald aim to share with the industry its way of managing and embedding sustainable outcomes within its work.

Programme and Project Partners at Sellafield

Programme and Project Partners (PPP) at Sellafield was set up to change the way we deliver projects at Sellafield – creating a legacy through long-term partnerships to create a clean and safe environment for future generations. With a workforce of 1400, we are a project delivery organisation comprising of world class organisations responsible for building facilities to help manage the clean-up of Sellafield, home to the largest and most complex nuclear facility in the United Kingdom. It’s an unparalleled opportunity to deliver up to £7 billion of critical national infrastructure, differently, using a 20-year partnership and adopting a benefits model that has sustainability and social value throughout the supply chain and across projects, at its core. Together, we will achieve long-term business resilience and success while contributing positively to the economy, society and the environment.