News

467,000 trees planted, over 500 Kickstarter job placements for young people and financial support for 215,000 customers are some of the success stories shared today by Severn Trent in its new 2021/22 Sustainability report. 

Environmental, social and governance performance over the last 12 months is reviewed, as well as its ambitious plans for the future. 

Richard Eadie, Head of Sustainability at Severn Trent said, “Our customers have told us they want to know more about how we’re protecting the environment and how we conduct our business in a sustainable way.  So, this year’s Sustainability report is full of case studies and insightful information about the great progress made this year in addressing some of the key challenges we face. 

“Looking forward, sustainability is a vital component to how we deliver one of life’s precious essentials.  We know there is more to do and our ambition remains to deliver sustainable outcomes for years to come and to have a positive impact on our planet and the society which we all live in.”Success stories highlighted in the report to take care of the environment, to help communities thrive and how the business is governed include:

Environmental
•       4,696 hectares of nature enhanced – 93% of the 2027 target
•       Planted 466,745 trees, of 1.3 million by 2030
•       18% of company vehicles (cars and vans) are now electric
•       38% of suppliers by emissions have either set, or are on track to set a science-based target by 2023, three years early
•       42 catchment management schemes on track for delivery by 2025
•       Scope 1 & 2 emissions have fallen by 25% against Science-Based Targets 2019/20 baseline (Science-Based Targets 46% reduction by 2031)
•       Launched our Get River Positive pledges  

Social 
•       513 Kickstarter placements created, 340 taken up by 16-24 year olds who were out of work and 40% have secured jobs or gone back into education
•       c.25,000 hours of free employability training provided to our communities
•       Supported around 215,000 customers financially, representing a 27% increase year-on-year
•       9.4% apprentices from minority ethnic backgrounds (sector average is 7%) and tripled the number of females in apprenticeship roles in 2021
•       Training Academy opened as part of a £10 million pound investment in Learning and Development
•       Launched a new diversity and inclusion ambition and strategy in September 2021 – Wonderfully You

Governance
•       1st Tortoise Responsibility100 Index
•       Top 10 for Board diversity in the FTSE Women Leaders Review 
•       55.6% of Severn Trent board are women, compared to an average of 34.4% in the FTSE350
•       #2 in the FTSE100 for highest % of women on the board
•       Over 1000 suppliers signed up to our Sustainable Supply Chain Charter

This is a snapshot of the progress and successes over the last year – the full report can be accessed here