Building a Sustainable Future: Gusto Group’s Commitment to Responsibility
At Gusto Group, we don’t just talk about sustainability; we build it into everything we do and have done since the 1990s. Whether it's building low energy homes at Gusto Construction, community focused architectural design at Studio G or rotational moulding with a reduced environmental impact at Rototek, we are innovating across construction, design and manufacturing.
Our Founder and Chairman, Steff Wright, has been driving this from the start. Gusto Construction’s first major development, Millennium Green, was built in 1999 and was the first development of its kind in the UK. The homes used 50% less energy and 50% less water compared to houses built to contemporary building regulations at the time and was inspired by the 1992 Rio Earth Summit, which hugely influenced Steff’s approach to business. As Rototek and Studio G joined the Group over the coming years, they also adopted this values-driven approach.
In 2023, Gusto Group achieved B Corp certification, joining a global community of businesses committed to high standards of social and environmental impact. We chose to align with B Corp Certification as it looks at your business as a whole and is applicable across all industries, making it a great tool to measure our progress across the Group. Currently businesses must achieve more than 80 points to receive certification; Gusto Group achieved 92.3 points.
We don’t just focus on environmental responsibility; investing in our local communities is one of our core values across the Group. A great example of our community investment is the Gusto Community Fund, our formal commitment to invest in the local communities surrounding our office, developments and the communities in which our employees live. Each year, our employees and Gusto Homes buyers are given the oppourtunity to donate to a local cause of their choice and we are proud to have donated £140,000 since 2020. By involving our home buyers, this helps them to make friends and support their new neighbourhood; whereas giving our employees the opportunity to donate encourages them to get involved in their local community.
Gusto Construction is standing on the same foundation as in 1999, continuing to incorporate sustainable construction methods and technologies into our developments. One of our most notable developments, Woodlands Edge, completed in 2019, incorporated Insulated Concrete Formwork (ICF) construction which aligned with the rigorous Passivhaus standard. Currently we are building 40 homes in Easthorpe to the highly energy efficient AECB (Association for Environment Conscious Building) standard.
Studio G set out to champion sustainable design, understanding that the sustainability of a project is largely determined at the design stage. Working closely with Gusto Construction on many projects, including Woodlands Edge, as well as separate projects with clients, the team focus on sustainable, high-quality, community focused design. With some exciting projects on the horizon using building materials that sequester carbon, the future is bright for Studio G.
Rototek joined the Group in 2010, bringing with them years of experience designing and manufacturing innovative rotationally moulded products. Shaun Mills, Operations Director, has always had a passion for sustainability and is driving this within the factories. Shaun has been focusing on reducing our energy consumption, as well as how we can reprocess scrap products and then reuse the scrap materials in our products. We have recently purchased an electric smart machine which will reduce our energy consumption whilst also reducing a product’s cycle times due to precise heating and cooling.
Our journey from Millennium Green to B Corp certification reflects our consistent and evolving commitment to do things better; this extends to our employees and our current transition to become an Employee Owned Trust in 2027.