Our Net Zero Plan
As part of our environmental ambition, we’re aiming to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050. Our plans show how we can work together with our partners to accelerate our efforts.
Why is net zero important?
The disastrous effects of climate change, such as extreme weather, can already be seen. Tackling carbon emissions is key to reducing the harmful greenhouse gases which cause climate change.
That’s why we’ve been involved in developing the sector’s route map to commit to zero emissions in line with the UK government’s national net zero carbon goal.
How are we going to reach net zero?
In 2021, we published our initial Net Zero Plan, confirming our commitment to the Water UK Public Interest Commitment to net zero operational emissions by 2030 (market-based approach).
This was an interim target in our long-term strategy to reach net zero by 2050. We recognise the important role we, and the water sector must play in reducing emissions while balancing this with the need to provide our services at an affordable price to our customers.
Forecasts against our 2050 commitment indicate that our plans up to 2050 will mean we can't achieve net zero without the use of offsets for residual emissions. We face significant challenges in delivering our net zero 2050 commitment. These challenges are both in terms of feasibility and deployment.
We believe the best value to our customers will not be served by purchasing external offsets and our strategy isn't to purchase these on the external market. As an alternative, we're continuing to explore how we could support medium- to long-term carbon sequestration through our strategic land management plan and nature-based solutions. We're working with the wider water sector to understand the range and scale of carbon offsetting opportunities.
We will better align our net zero transition planning with our long-term delivery strategy and look beyond solely operational emissions. This means we will align our plans with the government’s 2050 net zero target and regulator Ofwat’s direction to focus on location-based Scopes 1, 2 and 3 emissions.
Our Net Zero Plan sets out our journey towards zero carbon and how we can work with our partners to find sustainable solutions.
Replace carbon-dependent energy with low-carbon or renewable sources
Since April 2021 we've been buying 100% of our power from fully accredited renewable-backed energy suppliers. We also aim to generate 24% of our own renewable energy by 2025, using biogas as an alternative fuel source.
Reduce and avoid emissions by saving energy
Our focus includes developing a greater scientific understanding of emissions and how we can improve our control to reduce these. For example, by running our sites more efficiently. We also aim to transform our company vehicles by electrifying the fleet or introducing alternative low-carbon fuels by 2050.
Offset emissions with nature-based solutions
We aim to remove carbon emissions from the atmosphere by supporting projects which do this by sequestration – a natural process where carbon is absorbed from the atmosphere. For example by regenerating sea kelp forests, which helps to absorb carbon dioxide from the air.
Report on our progress
As part of our plan, we're also committed to reporting on our net zero progress annually in a transparent way. You can use the link at the top of this page to download our full Net Zero Plan.
Replace carbon-dependent energy with low-carbon or renewable sources
Since April 2021 we've been buying 100% of our power from fully accredited renewable-backed energy suppliers. We also aim to generate 24% of our own renewable energy by 2025, using biogas as an alternative fuel source.
Reduce and avoid emissions by saving energy
Our focus includes developing a greater scientific understanding of emissions and how we can improve our control to reduce these. For example, by running our sites more efficiently. We also aim to transform our company vehicles by electrifying the fleet or introducing alternative low-carbon fuels by 2050.
Offset emissions with nature-based solutions
We aim to remove carbon emissions from the atmosphere by supporting projects which do this by sequestration – a natural process where carbon is absorbed from the atmosphere. For example by regenerating sea kelp forests, which helps to absorb carbon dioxide from the air.
Report on our progress
As part of our plan, we're also committed to reporting on our net zero progress annually in a transparent way. You can use the link at the top of this page to download our full Net Zero Plan.
Water efficiency and leaks
Water efficiency helps reduce the amount of water processed, thus, lowering our emissions.
Water leaks can be a huge source of water loss in our network, and we're aiming to reduce the number of leaks by half. You can help too by reporting a leak if you spot one while you're out and about. This will help us find and fix it more quickly.
We also continue to encourage you to use water wisely by thinking about how you can save water in and around your home.
