The VIBES Awards for Scottish businesses aim to encourage the efficient use of resources, enhance competitiveness, improve environmental performance and support the wider goals of sustainable development, including social benefits through community and staff involvement.

This special award featured in the 2019 programme to celebrate the 20th year of the VIBES Awards, with ten previous winners including CMS shortlisted for a public vote.

CMS is a previous winner of two VIBES awards in 2009 and 2015, but this year’s accolade is particularly special for the company as it recognises the organisation that can best demonstrate its continuous improvement and contribution to Scotland’s sustainable development.

It is a win that reflects the ongoing progress that CMS is making on its path to being a net zero carbon business – this is illustrated by its success in eliminating landfill waste for the last two years, the commissioning of its first electric vans and the implementation of its ground-breaking biodiversity programme to protect and enhance the environment around its sites.

Gillian Bruce, VIBES chair, said: “We would like to congratulate CMS on their outstanding achievement of winning the Best of VIBES award. CMS has previously won two VIBES awards and represented Scotland in the European Business Awards for the Environment. This latest award shows their exceptional ongoing commitment to the environment.

“The scale of the environmental challenge facing humanity, from climate change to plastics in our oceans, is enormous, with a real urgency to act.

“The most successful businesses in the future will be those that are not just compliant, but which are also low carbon, low material use, low water use and low waste, and which see environmental excellence as an opportunity. This is at the core of SEPA’s One Planet Prosperity regulatory strategy.

“It is very encouraging to see the diverse range of businesses, small and large, which are taking important steps to reduce their impact on the environment and which understand how environmental excellence can also benefit their bottom line. I would like to congratulate each of this year’s winning businesses and organisations, and hope that others will be inspired to follow in their footsteps.”

David Ritchie, CEO at CMS Window Systems, added: “We’re thrilled to win the Best of VIBES Award and would like to thank everyone who voted for us from a shortlist packed with businesses who are making a tremendous contribution to Scotland’s sustainable development.

“Holistic sustainability – environmental, social and economic – lies at the heart of our business strategy, but we know we cannot stand still, and we are continuously looking at how we can do things better.

“Our latest move to align our business with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals will undoubtedly help shape our sustainable future and we hope other businesses will follow suit to maintain Scotland’s status as a stand-out nation for its environmental achievements.”