Best company-wide sustainability award

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Housebuilders are broadening their definition of sustainability. For its all-round commitment, Countryside Properties was a clear winner in this category, sponsored by Energy Saving Trust

Winner

Countryside Properties

Countryside Properties not only has sustainability strategies in place, it shows exactly how it is performing against them. The company’s last environmental, social and ethical report described its progress against each of the 30 actions and targets it established a year earlier. The judges said of the company: “We were pleased to see a strategy that was led from within the company. Their appointment of a group sustainability manager shows a commitment to fulfilling any strategy that’s put in place.”

Finalists

Berkeley Homes

Berkeley’s sustainability policy is wide-ranging, covering such areas as building materials, ecology, waste minimisation, water and energy efficiency and minimising car use. Future initiatives include a dedicated website and a sustainability checklist. “They know what they have got to do. We can see them coming up strongly in the future,” said the judges.

Crest Nicholson

Crest Nicholson’s strategy is based on the belief that creating more stable communities can contribute to global sustainability and a better standard of life. Over the past year the company has: entered the FTSE4Good index, increased the SAP rating of its homes by more than 5% and implemented a scheme to train unemployed people. The judges particularly liked the company’s social and environmental report and its company-wide committee for social responsibility.

St James Homes

St James’ sustainability approach includes innovations that will benefit both the environment and their customers. These range from photovoltaic panels to produce electricity from the sun to on-site car hire facilities. The judges said: “We liked the real application of the car club. That is an initiative that is talked about a lot, but they seem to know how to make it work.”

Willmott Dixon

“They gave us positive statements, showed us actions rather than commitments for the future,” was the judges’ reaction to Willmott Dixon’s entry for this category. Among those actions, the company has created employment opportunities for people living close to its projects, and promoted the EcoHomes sustainability measurement system for homes, the company’s innovation manager having become an EcoHomes assessor.