The president of the Community of Madrid, Esperanza Aguirre, handed out the 2009 Environment Awards on the 31st last at the Real Casa de Correos.

The Environment Awards are given each year by the regional government, the Madrid Chamber of Commerce and Industry and CEIM (the Business Confederation of Madrid). This year FCC, competing in the "Big Business" category, was amongst those rewarded for environmental engagement.

During the prize giving, President Aguirre stressed that corporate investment in environmental management is "a profitable investment that increases competitiveness, reduces costs and generates new opportunities".

The Environment Awards are given under the Madrid Business Accord for the Environment. The awards highlight the work that different Madrid firms are doing in the areas of environmental management, sustainable tourism activities, sensitisation, environmental friendliness and the product with the least environmental impact.

The coveted award, which was collected by Group Corporate Responsibility Manager Javier López-Galiacho, sets FCC apart as the parent company of one of Spain's top construction and services groups, a group that leads the domestic sanitation market and is gaining growing stature in international markets in the same field.

The panel underlined FCC's commitment to technology and energy for greater efficiency and responsible growth, FCC's compliance with international environmental standards and the 2009-2010 FCC Corporate Responsibility Master Plan, which calls for the introduction of a group-wide energy management system, good environmental practices at workplaces and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions through energy efficiency measures, less-polluting fuels and renewable energy sources.

The awards, now in their eleventh year, are one of the Community of Madrid's key environmental management indicators.