UK Environment Sector Payments Outpace National Average, But Laggards Drag Down Progress

The Numbers

• Companies Analysed: 97
• Average PaymentCheck Score (Environment Sector): 65.7/100
• UK Average PaymentCheck Score (All Sectors): 50.0/100
• Outperformance: Environment Sector is 15.7 points above the UK average
• Top Payer Score: 100/100 (Mott MacDonald Bentley Ltd)
• Bottom Payer Score: 30.3/100 (Mick George Earthworks Limited)
• Northern Ireland Average: 80.2 (2 companies)

What Stands Out

The Environment sector's payment performance is clearly better than the UK average, suggesting a degree of financial stability or a stronger commitment to prompt payment among its constituents. However, there's a considerable spread in performance, evidenced by the gap between the highest and lowest scores, which indicates a need for greater consistency.

Best Payers

1. MOTT MACDONALD BENTLEY LTD - 100/100
2. JACOBS U.K. LIMITED - 96.5/100
3. CASTLE WATER LIMITED - 95.1/100
4. NCH (UK) LIMITED - 93.8/100
5. CORNWALL ENERGY RECOVERY LTD - 93.4/100

Worst Payers

1. MICK GEORGE EARTHWORKS LIMITED - 30.3/100
2. KUHN FARM MACHINERYUKLIMITED - 30.4/100
3. BRETT LANDSCAPING LIMITED - 35.3/100
4. HARSCO METALS GROUP LIMITED - 35.5/100
5. BYWATERS (LEYTON) LIMITED - 35.5/100

Regional Patterns

The small sample sizes for Northern Ireland (2 companies), Wales (4 companies) and South West (2 companies) make it risky to draw broad conclusions, but these regions' average scores of 80.2, 77.0 and 75.2 respectively suggest better payment practices in those areas compared to the national average for the environment sector.

If you're dealing with late payments in the environment sector, don't hesitate to use a late payment calculator to understand your rights.

While the sector's average is 65.7, the spread of individual scores – from a perfect 100 down to 30.3 – exposes significant disparities that paint a more nuanced picture than the headline figure alone.

2025: The Story

The Environment sector experienced a slight downturn in payment performance for 2025, with the average score declining by 1.5 points to 65.7/100, based on data from 97 companies. This overall dip, however, belies significant individual movements across the sector.

One compelling story comes from Mitie; while MITIE WASTE & ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES LIMITED improved dramatically by +20.7 points to 58.5/100, its sister entity MITIE FM LIMITED saw a -5.5 point drop, settling at 64.1/100. This internal disparity highlights varying operational priorities or challenges. On the upside, CAPPAGH BROWNE UTILITIES LIMITED made the most impressive leap, improving by +21.4 points to reach 68.4/100. Conversely, BRETT LANDSCAPING LIMITED saw a notable decline of -6.0 points, pulling its score down to 35.3/100. Suppliers in this sector must therefore scrutinize specific buyer performance rather than relying solely on broader industry averages.