Published September 2005
Southern Water is a regulated water and sewerage utility company with its key regulators including Ofwat (known as the Water Services Regulation Authority from 1 April 2006), the Environment Agency and the Drinking Water Inspectorate.
We supply safe drinking water and provide wastewater treatment services to customers in Kent, Sussex, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. We are fully aware that our activities can affect the quality of the environment and, as such, we shall continue to establish and maintain procedures to prevent and control our environmental impacts.
Under Section 4 of the Environment Act 1995 the Environment Agency has the principal objective of achieving Sustainable Development. In addition, the Water Act 2003 gives Ofwat a duty towards Sustainable Development. This demonstrates the importance of Sustainable Development, not only to the company, but also its regulators.
Sustainable Development Policy
Sustainable development at Southern Water means an increasing focus on the balanced consideration of economic, social and environmental aspects in making business decisions.
Within and beyond the regulatory framework of the water industry, Southern Water believes adopting Sustainable Development principles will:
- Ensure the continued supply of quality drinking water and the provision of wastewater services in line with European standards
- Safeguard water supplies and enable the effective management of water resources
- Ensure the safe recycling of wastewater and sludge to the environment
- Improve services by providing them in a sustainable and cost-effective way
- Involve our communities and influence our business partners in working towards more sustainable futures
The Managing Director is responsible for the implementation of this policy and will make the necessary resources available to realise our corporate responsibilities. The responsibility for our performance to this policy rests with all employees throughout the company.
Our commitment:
- We will ensure the continued delivery of quality services to our customers, the environment and other stakeholders across our operations
- We will consider the balance between economic, environmental and social aspects of our business decisions against sustainable development principles
- We will listen to and work with our customers, employees, regulators, investors and other stakeholders to ensure continuous improvement in the sustainable development of our operations
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We will report publicly on our performance annually
Our key stakeholders:
- Domestic and commercial customers
- Our employees
- Government and regulators
- Investors and insurers
- Suppliers of goods and services
- Members of local community and community groups
- Non-government organisations
- The environment
To deliver on our commitment we will:
- Focus on our core operations as a long-term, low-risk water supply, wastewater treatment and sludge recycling business
- Continue to develop and maintain formal systems of operational control and review these annually
- Continue to develop and maintain performance management to deliver efficiencies benefiting our customers, employees, investors, the environment and other stakeholders
This means we:
- Set commercially practical goals and manage operational targets of performance
- Regularly measure and monitor our performance against these targets
- Understand and reflect on our performance and set targets for future improvement
- Continue to support our employees to achieve shared goals for their development within a stable working environment
- Continue to research projects and initiatives providing more sustainable routes for our business operations and service delivery
- Engage in dialogue with our stakeholders locally, regionally and nationally and form relevant partnerships to deliver customer service together with community and environmental benefits
- Report our economic, environmental and social performance to the public annually
What can you do?
- Use water wisely and dispose of wastes and chemicals safely
- Seek our guidance when you are uncertain, helping us to help you by tailoring our services to best meet your requirements and to ensure the sustainability of our joint actions
Comment and further information:
To comment on this policy, email conservation@southernwater.co.uk
To view and comment on our other existing policies and performance as reported, including our Environment Policy, Corporate Social Responsibility Policy and our annual Sustainability Report, visit http://southernwater.co.uk/Aboutus/library/default.asp
