Sustainability

Environment

Environmental standards and assurance

It's important that we set and follow the best standards in all our environmental actions and processes, so we can make sure we're doing all we can to help reduce our carbon emissions and meet our environmental goals.

External certification

 

 

 

 

Assurance programmes

Our ongoing assurance programme across our Environmental Management System helps to support colleagues across the business with issues on sites and managing their risks and compliance obligations, as well as driving efficiencies.

First line assurance is carried out by our operational teams every week. This allows timely interventions to be made and helps the teams improve on day-to-day performance. Our Standards and Assurance teams then analyse for trends and build this into focussed assurance visits and improvement activities.

 

 

Key facts

*(based on cat 1-3 pollutions submitted to OFWAT for our PR19 Fast track plan, 2010-11 there were 37.3 pollution incidents per 10,000km of sewer network, compared to 27.41 in 2018-19)

Benchmarking our environmental management system

We're determined to be an industry leader in everything we do. That requires constant evaluation and innovation. Part of that process involves benchmarking against other organisations, how they perform, and what we can learn from others to push ourselves further.

Spreading the message through internal communications

Protecting and improving the environment is embedded into our Company purpose and values.

The Company demonstrates its commitment through our sustainability ambition, triple carbon pledge and Biodiversity plans.

These have been communicated through leadership events, intranet news items and team talks.

Specific performance objectives are communicated through similar means and set within our people performance management process.

We raise awareness of environmental issues through our monthly team talks, performance meetings and training including Environmental Management Energy Management and Pollution Root Cause Analysis.

Non-conformances are communicated to relevant teams through audit summary packs and business meetings.

Our incidents are reported to senior management based on site specific management plans and formal company incident plans.  

Spreading the message through external communications

All media enquiries will be responded to by our company press office.

Our management plans contain guidance on stakeholder response during company incidents e.g. environmental agency, drinking water inspectorate, and local resilience forums.