In STS we recognise that every organisation will have different priorities and focus for sustainability and so our Sustainability Plan is designed to ensure that our Net Zero and Social Value aspects are well aligned with those of our customers, and their stakeholders.
As a provider of water and environmental services, we have first-hand experience of the importance of minimising our impacts on climate change. Drier summers are leading to water resource issues in some areas and wetter winters are causing increased localised flooding. STS is working to identify and provide solutions to these practical issues which is why Pillar 5 of our plan is all about delivering sustainable solutions for customers.
Some of our largest contracts are with UK Government departments, which is taking a leading role in minimising the impacts of climate change and ensuring that opportunities are taken to improve social value for the communities that we serve.
To demonstrate our commitment to reducing the carbon footprint of the contracted services we provide, we are producing a Carbon Reduction Plan in line with PPN0621. This will be available from April 2024 once we have our full year data.
Our proactive approach to delivering water and environmental services ensures that we are already supporting our customers in achieving their sustainability goals:
Ministry of Defence (MOD)
We operate and maintain thousands of assets that provide water and wastewater services on the MOD estate under the GB-wide water and wastewater project Aquatrine. Managed by the MOD’s Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO), we manage water, wastewater and surface water assets on 1,200 MOD sites in the North, East, and Southeast of England.
In line with our Severn Trent values and commitments, working with the MOD STS are committed to supporting the Government Net Zero target and Greening Government Commitments while maintaining effective services, delivering value for money, reducing waste and minimising costs for the MOD.
Defence accounts for 50% of the UK central Government’s emissions and whilst MOD is committed to achieving net zero emissions by 2050, many departments are setting earlier target dates to encourage innovation in new approaches to minimise emissions. As a key supplier to MOD we are already leaning into this challenge as demonstrated by the following examples:
We have achieved substantial reductions in leakage from the MOD water supply networks since the start our contract. This has resulted in valuable water resources being protected and generated a large reduction in carbon emissions associated with water supply to our MOD customers. The resulting CO2e reductions are approximately 3600 tonnes CO2e each year compared to the baseline leakage rate.
On Social Value, STS have attended numerous MOD family days, helping to inform service families of the importance of water conservation and waste management. As well as attending careers talks at schools with connections to the MOD, we also ensure that local and SME companies are provided with the opportunity to support us across our region.
Ministry of Defence (MOD)
We operate and maintain thousands of assets that provide water and wastewater services on the MOD estate under the GB-wide water and wastewater project Aquatrine. Managed by the MOD’s Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO), we manage water, wastewater and surface water assets on 1,200 MOD sites in the North, East, and Southeast of England.
In line with our Severn Trent values and commitments, working with the MOD STS are committed to supporting the Government Net Zero target and Greening Government Commitments while maintaining effective services, delivering value for money, reducing waste and minimising costs for the MOD.
Defence accounts for 50% of the UK central Government’s emissions and whilst MOD is committed to achieving net zero emissions by 2050, many departments are setting earlier target dates to encourage innovation in new approaches to minimise emissions. As a key supplier to MOD we are already leaning into this challenge as demonstrated by the following examples:
We have achieved substantial reductions in leakage from the MOD water supply networks since the start our contract. This has resulted in valuable water resources being protected and generated a large reduction in carbon emissions associated with water supply to our MOD customers. The resulting CO2e reductions are approximately 3600 tonnes CO2e each year compared to the baseline leakage rate.
On Social Value, STS have attended numerous MOD family days, helping to inform service families of the importance of water conservation and waste management. As well as attending careers talks at schools with connections to the MOD, we also ensure that local and SME companies are provided with the opportunity to support us across our region.
Education brochure
Would you like to see how we can help your organisation?
Download our brochure below to see all of the educational services we offer, including site tours, career fairs, school visits, volunteering and sustainability commitments.
We have also volunteered across the MOD estate, adding Social Value to the communities we serve, one of our most impactful projects was in partnership with e50k – you can read more about this here.
The Coal Authority (TCA)
We operate and maintain mine water treatment schemes, pumping stations, and mine gas facilities across the UK on behalf of The Coal Authority. Within this remit we refurbish and maintain one of the largest portfolios of reed beds and settlement lagoons in the UK, which provide one of the most sustainable, nature based solutions available.
In delivering services under this contract we are committed to supporting our customer in achieving the Government Net Zero target and Greening Government Commitments while maintaining effective services and deliver value for money, reducing waste and cost. We have aligned our sustainability commitments with TCAs as we are also focused on achieving operational Net Zero by 2030.
