Stonewater has retained its SHIFT Gold accreditation for the fifth consecutive time, ranking first among the 40 most recent assessments for a second year running.
The housing association achieved its highest overall SHIFT (Sustainable Homes Index For Tomorrow) score to date, 71.6%, reinforcing its position as one of England’s leading sustainable housing providers.
SHIFT is the housing sector’s sustainability assessment and accreditation scheme, benchmarking organisations against a range of environmental and social sustainability measures.
Stonewater improved its performance across nine of the assessment’s criteria, with 74% of homes achieving an EPC rating of C or above, despite the introduction of the new SAP 10 methodology, which has reduced ratings across the sector.
The provider also saw increases in resident engagement following several sustainability awareness campaigns, covering topics including World Bee Day, World Environment Day, low-carbon transport and energy efficiency.
The assessment recognised progress in reducing operational emissions, with Stonewater’s office-based emissions falling from 24.7 tCO2e to 8.7 tCO2e, supported by lower gas consumption at newer office locations and improved energy performance across its workplace estate.
Enhanced environmental reporting and data collection have also helped reduce business mileage, while improving waste diversion rates and reducing fly-tipping incidents.
Adam Masters, director of sustainability and homes at Stonewater, said: “Retaining our SHIFT Gold accreditation for a fifth time and once again achieving the highest score amongst the most recent assessments is a fantastic recognition of the progress we’re making across the organisation.
“Sustainability remains at the heart of everything we do, from improving the environmental performance of our homes and workplaces to helping customers make more sustainable choices in their daily lives.
“We’re particularly proud to have seen strong improvements across a number of assessment areas, including sustainable transport, operational emissions and environmental reporting. While challenges remain across the sector, particularly following the introduction of SAP 10, these results demonstrate our continued commitment to delivering positive environmental outcomes for our customers, communities and colleagues.”
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