What’s Important to us

Our health and safety standards and ESG commitments are deeply rooted in the decisions we make – and acknowledged in the accreditations we’ve earned along the way.

Health & Safety

At Dowds, we place the utmost importance on the health and safety of our people, our partners, and the public. We are committed to promoting health and safety measures at all levels, instilling a proactive culture based on personal responsibility, mutual trust, and continuous improvement.

On site, this ethos is reflected in the calibre of our people. As a SafeContractor approved partner, we deploy senior-led teams who take ownership on every job – derisking technical and logistical hazards through early identification, rigorous isolation planning, and the development of effective mitigation strategies. It’s an approach that protects our people and the programmes we’re trusted to deliver.

ESG

Our commitment to ESG shapes how we think, design and deliver. It’s a lens through which we approach our work that not only underpins what we do on project but also drives how we operate as a business. We are setting targets, tracking progress, and continuing to deepen our impact across each area:

The built environment is responsible for a significant share of global carbon emissions. As an M&E contractor, we sit at the heart of that challenge. The systems we design and install directly influence how buildings perform over their lifetime, which means our decisions have consequences that extend well beyond the project itself.

We are working towards Net Zero by 2038, with our environmental management system certified to ISO 14001. On site, that means reducing transport emissions through local sourcing, using electric or hybrid equipment where possible, and targeting a minimum of 95% construction waste diversion from landfill.

Our adoption of Modern Methods of Construction is part of the same thinking – off-site fabrication reduces material waste, lowers embodied carbon, and minimises disruption to the environments we work in.

Our approach to social value is structured around four areas: local employment and skills, environmental sustainability, community engagement, and ethical supply chain practices. We set specific commitments on each project, monitor delivery against them, and report outcomes to clients on a regular basis.

We recruit locally wherever possible, targeting at least 50% of project workforces from the local area, and work with job centres and agencies to reach underrepresented groups. Our Dowds Academy is a foundational driver of our local employment commitments.

We are committed to meaningful community engagement across both Northern Ireland and London. A share of our profit goes directly back into the communities where we operate, through long-term charity partnerships that reflect the challenges we see in our industry. Alongside these partnerships, our teams participate in local impact initiatives and fundraising events throughout the year.

Dowds operates to a clear set of governance standards that apply across our business, our projects, and our supply chain. We are Constructionline Platinum accredited, Cyber Essentials certified, and registered under ISOQAR UKAS Management Systems, providing independent verification of our quality, security, and management processes.

All suppliers and subcontractors are required to meet our ethical standards, including full compliance with the Modern Slavery Act. We vet our supply chain for responsible sourcing and maintain zero tolerance for forced or child labour, unsafe working conditions, or discriminatory practices on site.

For the Environment

The built environment is responsible for a significant share of global carbon emissions. As an M&E contractor, we sit at the heart of that challenge. The systems we design and install directly influence how buildings perform over their lifetime, which means our decisions have consequences that extend well beyond the project itself.

We are working towards Net Zero by 2038, with our environmental management system certified to ISO 14001. On site, that means reducing transport emissions through local sourcing, using electric or hybrid equipment where possible, and targeting a minimum of 95% construction waste diversion from landfill.

Our adoption of Modern Methods of Construction is part of the same thinking – off-site fabrication reduces material waste, lowers embodied carbon, and minimises disruption to the environments we work in.

For our Communities

Our approach to social value is structured around four areas: local employment and skills, environmental sustainability, community engagement, and ethical supply chain practices. We set specific commitments on each project, monitor delivery against them, and report outcomes to clients on a regular basis.

We recruit locally wherever possible, targeting at least 50% of project workforces from the local area, and work with job centres and agencies to reach underrepresented groups. Our Dowds Academy is a foundational driver of our local employment commitments.

We are committed to meaningful community engagement across both Northern Ireland and London. A share of our profit goes directly back into the communities where we operate, through long-term charity partnerships that reflect the challenges we see in our industry. Alongside these partnerships, our teams participate in local impact initiatives and fundraising events throughout the year.

In how we Govern

Dowds operates to a clear set of governance standards that apply across our business, our projects, and our supply chain. We are Constructionline Platinum accredited, Cyber Essentials certified, and registered under ISOQAR UKAS Management Systems, providing independent verification of our quality, security, and management processes.

All suppliers and subcontractors are required to meet our ethical standards, including full compliance with the Modern Slavery Act. We vet our supply chain for responsible sourcing and maintain zero tolerance for forced or child labour, unsafe working conditions, or discriminatory practices on site.

Accreditations

Our ESG numbers

Carbon Zero by	2050
Net Zero by	2038
Net Carbon Reduction	2mKG+
Community Impact Events Organised Each Year	10
Donations to Charity Partners Each Year	£25K
Women in our Workforce	20%

Female workforce

20%

Charity donations and fundraising

£25k

Qualified Mental Health

20+

Alignment on ethics, Carbon Zero by , and values.

2050

Net Zero by

2038

Training & development opportunities

2mKG+