Work by the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) to minimise the environmental impact of new venues and infrastructure for the London 2012 Games won the prestigious Sir Peter Parker Award at last night's 2011 Business Commitment to the Environment (BCE) Environmental Leadership Awards ceremony in London.

Twelve companies, ranging in size from SMEs to major PLCs, also won major awards or commendations across a number of sectors including construction, food and waste management.

Founded by Sir Peter Parker in 1975, the BCE Awards scheme is one of the world's longest running environmental competitions. It celebrates businesses that an independent judging panel recognises as meeting the commercial demands of the present without compromising the environment. The Sir Peter Parker Award is won by the best overall project.

The ODA is responsible for developing and building venues and infrastructure for the London 2012 Games. The ODA's role is to deliver the Olympic Park, which is being transformed from a brownfield site into a new urban park with improved infrastructure and world-class sporting facilities.

The project has an immovable delivery deadline and is being built to the most comprehensive range of environmental and sustainability criteria ever adopted by a large-scale regeneration project in the UK.

The ODA is on track to meet its objectives. It is forecasting to reduce potable water use by 57% against 2006 industry standards, re-use or recycle 98.5% of the demolition materials and 99% of construction materials, use 100% legally sourced timber, deliver 67% of construction materials by rail and water, and create over 45 hectares of new habitats.
Judges applauded the results of the ODA's ambitious vision and, in particular, how contractors were empowered to deliver innovative solutions on such a large scale.

Presenting the Awards at a ceremony on 15 June in London, the former Marks & Spencer chairman, Sir Stuart Rose, praised the ODA:
"I'd like to congratulate the ODA on winning the Sir Peter Parker Award as its achievements have been truly outstanding. The London 2012 construction plan will undoubtedly provide a blueprint for future low carbon projects, with the ODA's contractors demonstrating unrivalled levels of innovation to deservedly help take the top BCE Award. It's a highly impressive project demanding vision, leadership and practical implementation skills to make it happen."

Richard Jackson, Head of Sustainable Development for the ODA said: "We are delighted to have won the Sir Peter Parker Award. The ODA, our delivery partner and all the contractors on the Olympic Park site have worked hard over the last 4 years to ensure that sustainability is integral to the London 2012 project - from the procurement of suppliers and design of projects to the construction work. We believe that this project sets new standards and raises the bar for the industry."

The Sir Peter Parker Award was the highlight of the 13 awards and commendations presented at the ceremony, which was attended by representatives from many of the UK's leading businesses.

Premier Awards went to glass and glazing systems manufacturer Pilkington United Kingdom Ltd, recycling company Paper Round and office equipment manufacturer Ricoh UK Products Ltd. The UK's sixth largest water and sewerage company, Dwr Cymru Welsh Water, won a special commendation for Continuous Commitment and Improvement.

A number of other businesses received Major Commendations. These were British Gypsum, Commercial Group, EAE Ltd, May Gurney Ltd, Noble Foods Ltd, Skanska, Sweeptech Environmental Services LLP and The Thoughtful Bread Company.

Congratulating all the winners, Sir Stuart said:
"I've been very impressed with the quality of this year's BCE Award winners and commend them for their commitment to the environment, particularly in the face of such challenging economic conditions. They've really set the bar for other companies.

"I know from my own experiences at Marks & Spencer that businesses need to display qualities of leadership, innovation and excellence to succeed with sustainability initiatives. These demanding attributes are also required to win a prestigious BCE Award and all the winners deserve enormous credit.

"Businesses will need to show these qualities in spades to adapt in a rapidly changing world. We need to radically alter our business models to cope with a perfect storm of climate change, a growing global population and finite resources. The BCE Awards scheme has pioneered the recognition of companies taking the lead on environmental issues and the winners' achievements are an inspiration to their peers."

The ODA joins an illustrious list of previous high-profile BCE Award winners. Over its 35-year history, the Awards have attracted some of the most influential names in industry, including Kingfisher, ASDA, Unilever, Marks & Spencer and Rolls-Royce.

WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme) is the lead sponsor of the 2011 BCE Awards. Main sponsors are AEA, BP, Brunswick Group, E.ON and Sustainable Business.
Applications for the 2012 BCE Awards can now made via the BCE Awards website, just click on the logo opposite. (www.bceawards.org). The closing date for entries is 10 October 2011.