The role of business in society

The business sector plays a fundamental role in creating wealth and well-being in society through providing goods and services, jobs and investment opportunities. However business can also have a significant environmental and social impact through its use of energy and resources to meet people's needs.

Large regional water and sewerage companies such as Severn Trent have a unique role in their region as the provider of basic services fundamental to healthy human life. We are a major employer and purchaser of goods and services, generating regional economic growth. We engage with our communities through managing recreational sites, our education programmes and supporting a wide range of regional charitable activity with our volunteers' time and with finance. By getting all three of these areas right we will benefit through having satisfied customers, motivated employees and healthy communities.

Severn Trent's aim is to demonstrate excellence through delivering high quality, value for money services to our customers, whilst operating with the highest standards of business conduct and minimising our environmental impact.

Corporate responsibility is about understanding and managing the environmental, social and broader economic impacts of our core businesses. This can include controlling and seeking to reduce a negative output, such as greenhouse gas emissions, or further improving positive outputs, such as recreational sites around the Midlands or using local suppliers to encourage the local economy.

We seek to manage corporate responsibility risks not only within our own boundaries, but also, where appropriate, in our broader sphere of influence including our supply chain and joint venture partners. Managing the value chain responsibly is simply good business.