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Severn Trent has been named as one of the top performing companies in the world for tackling climate change.

The water and waste company has secured a place on the prestigious ‘A list’ by the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) – a global non-for-profit charity which aims to guide, incentivise and assess environmental action.

Severn Trent is the highest ranking UK water company and just one of 200 companies globally to have received the highest ranking, based on data it reported through CDP’s 2021 climate change questionnaire, which looked at companies’ actions to reduce emissions and mitigate climate risks. 

Rich Eadie, Head of Strategy and Sustainability at Severn Trent, said: “We’re incredibly proud to receive this recognition from the CDP, which is a glowing endorsement of the work we’ve done over the last 12 months to help tackle climate change.

“It’s the first time we’ve secured a place on the ‘A list’, joining a select group of like-minded businesses who share the same ambitions as we do to address climate change.”

Earlier this year, Severn Trent’s Science Based Targets to reduce emissions by 46% by 2031 was approved and verified, which is widely accepted as providing the gold standard approval for emission reduction targets, and is in line with reductions that are required to keep warming to 1.5°C.

Throughout 2021, Severn Trent has also announced a series of ambitions and commitments to help tackle climate change and boost the environment across the Midlands. These include:

• A pledge to invest £565million as part of a Green Recovery programme to support the UK’s green economic bounce back and create 2,500 new jobs in the Midlands;

• The restoration of over 2,000 acres of peatland across England and Wales by 2025, improving biodiversity, carbon sequestration and water quality;

• The publication of a new report called ‘Caring for Our Environment’, which outlines the company’s environmental approach;

• Named official nature and carbon neutral supporter of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games (the first ever carbon neutral games).

Severn Trent is one of a small number of high-performing companies out of nearly 12,000 companies that were scored. CDP’s annual environmental disclosure and scoring process is widely recognised as the gold standard of corporate environmental transparency.

A detailed and independent methodology is used by CDP to assess these companies, allocating a score of A to D - based on the comprehensiveness of disclosure, awareness and management of environmental risks and demonstration of best practices associated with environmental leadership, such as setting ambitious and meaningful targets.

The full list of companies that made this year’s CDP A List is available here, along with other publicly available company scores.