Anglian Water has received the Queen’s Award for Enterprise for Sustainable Development - the second time the company has received the award - in a ceremony delayed for a year due to the pandemic.

The award was given to the water company for demonstrating excellent positive impacts across a number of initiatives such as reducing carbon and improving water quality, as well as continuing to put social and environmental prosperity for local communities at the heart of all it does.

The presentation was postponed last year but took place last week at the company’s Grafham Water reservoir, where Anglian Water CEO, Peter Simpson, was presented with the award by the Lord Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire, Mrs Julie Spence.

Grafham Water was selected as the location for the ceremony as it highlights the water company’s sustainable leadership in developing its journey to net zero; a key reason why the company received the award.

Anglian Water turned on their newest solar array at Grafham last year increasing the amount of renewable energy generated at their sites as part of their wider goal to generate the equivalent of 44% of the electricity the company consumes from renewable power by 2025.

The company first received a Queen’s Award in 2015 in recognition of its ‘Love Every Drop’ strategy, first conceived in 2010. The strategy solidified the company’s commitment to sustainability across the whole business, from the water it supplies to the recycling of used water before it’s returned to the environment.

When the award was announced, the Queen’s Award stated, Anglian Water had continued to demonstrate clear sustainability leadership, by adopting an exemplary approach in formalising its commitment to wider social purpose through amendments to its Articles of Association – the legal documents that underpin how the business is run.

Peter Simpson - "challenges we face as a region with a growing population and a changing climate have not diminished"

Peter Simpson, CEO of Anglian Water said:

“When it comes to sustainability The Queen’s Award for Enterprise is by far the most prestigious award in the country and we are honoured to have received this accolade twice. When we were presented with it for the first time, back in 2015, I was extremely proud, particularly because the award was not just for a single project, product or process but for the way we had embedded sustainability throughout our entire business. We had all worked hard to develop an approach to bring sustainability into the heart of how we operate, and it was hugely rewarding to see that recognised.

“To be presented with this award for a second time is even more special. To regain the award, you need to demonstrate continued development and action, so no matter how well you have performed in the past you still need to show how you are exploring, improving and pushing the boundaries.

“The challenges we face as a region with a growing population and a changing climate have not diminished and so our efforts to address them have not either. We certainly haven’t stood still since 2015 and I was extremely pleased to see that the Queen's Award picked out how we have cemented our purpose into our articles of association to make it clear that our aim is to bring environmental and social prosperity to the region we serve.”

Now in its 54th year, the Queen’s Awards for Enterprise are the most prestigious business awards in the country, with winning businesses able to use the esteemed Queen’s Awards emblem for the next five years.