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IStructE wins Sustainability Champion 2023 Award

Posted: 8th November 2023

The Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE) has been named Sustainability Champion of the year at the prestigious Association Excellence Awards.

The prize was accepted by Will Arnold, Head of Climate Action at IStructE and Penny Gowler, Member of IStructE, and Team Director and Head of Sustainability at engineering firm Elliott Wood.

The accolade is given to organisations who develop initiatives to minimise environmental impacts and promote long-term sustainability.

To meet the award’s categories, IStructE submitted evidence under the umbrella title of “Transformative Climate Action in Structural Engineering”.

Judges described IStructE’s submission as “outstanding” and congratulated the Institution for “having had the foresight back in 2019 to choose this as your topic for discussion and develop plans and policy change to be a leader in your sector.”

Will Arnold says: “We’re delighted that our drive to impact on the 10% of global emissions in the control of the structural engineer has been recognised with this award. In our submission, we highlighted how we are tackling the climate emergency through the breadth and depth of our sustainability approach which puts sustainability on par with our historical commitment to structural safety.

Penny Gowler adds: “IStructE evidenced how it’s making impact in three areas by generating guidance, raising standards, and shaping the wider built environment industry when it comes to sustainability and climate actions. It’s an honour for me to be involved in this work, being a lead author for their landmark Circular economy guidance, published earlier this year.

Will Arnold concludes: “We also shared about the need for collaboration across the industry. This is essential if we’re to effect the change that’s needed. We’re working actively with key industry bodies such as the UK Green Building Council, the Construction Industry Council, and the Royal Academy of Engineers to do this. These partnerships help us to raise industry awareness of our climate action work, to signpost others to free resources, and to ensure that our best-practice knowledge is disseminated as widely as possible.”