For the second consecutive year, WSP received the Sustainability Impact award for “walking the talk” in advancing our climate leadership and ESG journey.

André-Martin Bouchard, WSP’s Global Director, Earth & Environment and Global Executive Director, ESG was recognized in the Sustainability Leader of the Year category for his pivotal role in championing sustainability and inspiring new ideas and positive change with long-term impact.

Our client work also shone bright, with our teams earning top honours for their Nature Positive approach to ecosystem management and for demonstrating exceptional sustainability credentials and innovative design in delivering the Transportation Project of the Year, which we won alongside our partner Tonkin + Taylor.

“It is incredibly rewarding to see our teams and leadership recognized by Environment Analyst. Making a difference – for our people, our clients, our communities, and the environment – is what fuels our work every day, pushing us to be better, to think differently, and to come together with purpose to tackle real and complex challenges,” said Alexandre L’Heureux, President and CEO of WSP.

The winners were unveiled during the Awards Ceremony at Environment Analyst’s 4th Annual Global Business Summit in Boston, Massachusetts, with several members of our WSP team on hand to mark the occasion.

MORE ON OUR WINNING SUBMISSIONS

Sustainability Impact 

We are passionate about harnessing our expertise and innovation to lead society to a more prosperous, resilient and sustainable future. To that end, ESG matters are embedded at all levels of our business and supported by a robust governance structure, with related targets outlined in our Global Strategic Action Plan. The progress we achieved for 2023 was shared in our latest Global ESG Report.

Select milestones included:

• Approximately 63.4% of total 2023 annualized gross revenues were derived from services aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

• Total scope 1, scope 2 (market-based), and scope 3 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions were reduced by 21% compared to our 2018 base year, and we began implementing our Low-Carbon Supplier Engagement Plan with the aim of obtaining supplier-specific GHG emissions and encouraging alignment with our climate ambitions.
• Increased our global average employee retention rate by just over 1% year-over-year, filled 76% of global leadership positions internally, and saw significant growth among our Employee Resource Groups on a global scale.
• Conducted our first double materiality assessment.

Sustainability Leader of the Year: André-Martin Bouchard

Over the past 18 years, André-Martin Bouchard has been instrumental in guiding WSP’s ESG journey and our transformation into the world’s premier environmental and sustainability (E&S) consulting firm.  He has built a best-in-class ESG program and worked tirelessly to connect disciplines, create synergies, drive innovation and foster partnerships to further WSP’s ESG impact. André-Martin is also responsible for redefining WSP’s approach to carbon emission target setting based on science.

An empowering team leader, he enables our 23,000 E&S experts worldwide to have the autonomy and the opportunity to question the status quo to help accelerate sustainable change.

Nature Positive: How Blue Mussels Can Help Save the Seas and Feed the World Since 2016, WSP in Denmark has been working on ways to make blue mussel farming a more viable solution to the world’s food challenges. This includes documenting the environmental footprint and finding better ways to produce blue mussels – and then to increase demand for that production, with a focus on reaching younger generations.

Transportation Project of the Year: Te Ara o Te Ata / Mount Messenger Bypass Project

In partnership with Tonkin + Taylor and the Mt Messenger Alliance (including Ngāti Tama as mana whenua (Indigenous People of this area)), we are delivering a new stretch of highway, two bridges and a 235-metre tunnel on State Highway 3. A first in New Zealand, this project offers a dual legacy: one is a modern, safer and more reliable road infrastructure linking the community with the rest of the North Island; the other is a local community that has greater capacity to exercise its role as kaitiaki (guardians) of the local environment, a commitment to future generations, and recognition of the importance of biodiversity to sustainability.

In addition to these winning submissions, WSP was highly commended in the Digital Innovation category for leading the SmartWhales Decision Support System (DSS) project in Canada, an inter-organizational effort employing cutting-edge geospatial and predictive technologies to protect the endangered North Atlantic Right Whale.

Click here to view details of Environment Analyst’s 2024 Sustainability Delivery Awards and follow our WSP Earth & Environment journey on LinkedIn.