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United Utilities has become the first UK water firm to be officially recognised by the global Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) for its carbon reduction ambitions.
The SBTi defines and promotes best practice in science-based target setting and independently assesses companies’ targets.
Under the scheme, which is a collaboration between CDP, the United Nations Global Compact, World Resources Institute and the World Wide Fund for Nature, companies of any size commit to setting science based targets to reduce carbon emissions.
Science-based targets are in line with the latest climate science which states that greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions must halve from 2010 levels by 2030 and hit net zero by 2050 to prevent the most damaging effects of climate change.
Following a five-stage process, the targets are independently validated by the SBTi.
The water company’s aims include to reduce absolute scope 1 and scope 2 GHG emissions – those from owned or controlled sources, and indirect emissions from the generation of purchased electricity- by 42 per cent by 2030 (from a 2020 base year).
It has also committed to reducing scope 3 emissions – all upstream and downstream emissions. One such category of scope 3 is capital goods, these can include products like machinery and vehicles.
The ambition is for the company’s main capital goods suppliers to set their own targets by 2025. Specifically suppliers covered by the target should make up 66 per cent of total emissions in the capital goods category.
It is also seeking to reduce absolute scope 3 GHG emissions covering all other scope 3 categories by 25 per cent by 2030, again from a 2020 base year.
Furthermore it is aiming to increase annual sourcing of renewable electricity from 95 per cent in 2020 to 100 per cent by 2023.
United Utilities’ environment planning and innovation director, Jo Harrison, said: “The targets covering greenhouse gas emissions from operations (scopes 1 and 2) are consistent with reductions required to keep global warming to 1.5°C, the most ambitious goal of the Paris Agreement.
“Having targets based on climate-science means we know how much and how quickly we need to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions to play our part in preventing the worst impacts of climate change.
“Validation from the SBTi provides independent expert verification that our targets and performance are following global best practice.”
Severn Trent is another water company which has committed to reducing emissions, but these are yet to be finalised.
In the energy sector UK Power Networks, National Grid, SSE and Scottish Hydro Electric Transmission have all set targets while Western Power Distribution, SSEN Distribution, Ovo Energy and Drax have all made commitments to be finalised.
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