Wessex Water, the local water and sewerage company, is celebrating a royal seal of approval after being awarded the Queen’s Award for Enterprise for a third time.
Wessex Water was nominated in the Sustainable Development category of the awards, which are the UK’s highest accolade for business success.
Wessex Water first committed to becoming a sustainable company in 1996, and its operations centre in Bath is among the most environmentally friendly offices in the UK.
A sustainability vision is embedded into all business planning, targets and day-to-day work, and the award recognises how the company has consistently scored highly for customer service, innovation and environmental performance by industry regulators.
Dan Green, head of sustainability and innovation at Wessex Water, said: “We’re thrilled and immensely honoured to pick up the Queen’s Award for a third time.
“We pride ourselves on going beyond ‘business as usual’ in all areas, from our work on social tariffs and debt advice to catchment permitting and online nutrient trading.
“Just as when we won on the previous two occasions, this award gives us a great sense of reward and encouragement that we’re going in the right direction.”
This award highlights progress made since Wessex Water’s previous Queen’s Award win in 2013, with several new initiatives introduced.
These include expanded education work, with 29,000 students benefiting from school visits and trips to water and sewage treatment works in 2016/17.
Wessex Water has also set up its industry-first Young People’s Panel, giving sixth formers a unique insight into the business and a chance to have a say in how future bills should be spent.
Boasting a proud environmental record, the company works with farmers to reduce nutrient impacts on watercourses and has set up an online agricultural auction platform called EnTrade and an award-winning catchment permitting scheme.
