Nottingham-based contractor Willmott Dixon is celebrating after scooping one of the construction industry’s leading awards last week (14 July).
The firm, which is based in Castle Meadow Road, beat off competition from across the industry to be named Sustainable Company of the Year at the Construction News Awards.
The award recognises Willmott Dixon’s commitment to sustainability across the business as well as excellence within the projects it undertakes across the UK. This includes reducing its carbon emissions by 31% relative to turnover since 2010, and diverting 95 per cent of construction waste away from landfill sites. It is also the only company in the sector to be carbon neutral and invests £2.5m each year in community related projects.
James Wilcox, sustainability manager at Willmott Dixon, said: “We are very proud of our commitment to ensuring that the business is as sustainable as possible; it is very much part of our ethos.
“Not only that, but we work hard to ensure that the projects we deliver are as environmentally efficient as possible, striving to attain the highest industry standards wherever we can – so we are thrilled to have won this award.”
Willmott Dixon is currently working on a number of high profile schemes within Nottingham including the new Trent Basin development of eco-homes and the new Biosciences facility within the city centre.
The firm also delivered the UK’s largest non-residential Passivhaus at the University of Leicester Centre for Medicine, adhering to the very strictest energy consumption standards.
Nick Heath, operations director for Willmott Dixon in the East Midlands, added: “The Construction News Awards pit you against the industry’s finest and we are very proud to have been awarded the Sustainable Company of the Year accolade.
“It is testament to the hard work of the entire team here at Willmott Dixon and commitment to promoting sustainability both within the business and throughout our projects.”
The Construction News judges said: “Willmott Dixon’s long-standing commitment to sustainability impressed our judges, which is on show throughout the company. The contractor has unwavering ambitions to keep improving in the future and try and lead the way on sustainability in construction.”
Willmott Dixon’s focus on sustainability and contributing towards achieving a cleaner, healthier and more productive economy has already seen it become the first carbon neutral company in the sector. In 2014, it exceeded its 2010 carbon emissions reduction target by over 100%, while in 2015 it delivered a 38% reduction in construction waste relative to turnover. It also surpassed its target to transform the lives of 3,000 young people by 14%.
The Construction News Awards recognise the very best of the UK’s construction industry, assembling a panel of more than 60 judges to help select the winners. All finalists are required to give a face-to-face presentation to support their entry.
