Sustainability isn't just about today, it's also about the future. As part of this, we need to think carefully about the impact we are having on today's environment and society and to make sure that the next generation is prepared to responsibly tackle the environmental, social, ethical and economic challenges of the future.
As part of our commitment to better enable the next generation to achieve this and to engage others on our approach to sustainability, our Sustainability Strategy Manager spent time with students at Cranfield University and University College London in October 2009 to discuss Thames Water's approach to sustainability and the challenges faced by the water sector. The sessions explored the barriers to creating a truly sustainable water company, and what could be done to overcome these.
We will continue to focus on how we can become the water sector leaders on environmental protection and sustainability. For us, this makes perfect sense. A truly sustainable Thames Water will bring benefits for customers, stakeholders, investors, the environment and society. We will do this by working to eliminate waste, reducing use of natural resources, operating more efficiently, continually improving performance, building employee pride and meeting the expectations of our stakeholders.
Our approach is likely to include a focus on core issues related to people (health, safety, well-being, skills, ethics and employee engagement), the planet (environmental protection, natural resource management, climate change and zero waste), and the strength and reliability of performance now and into the future.
As part of this, we will need to ensure that sustainability is integral to the way we work – not a task in its own right, but simply an integral part of how we carry out our business. To help ensure this and build on the wide range of good practice that already exists, we will continue to develop targets and metrics against which to measure, report and drive our performance, and work in collaboration with other organisations to give our people the tools and the knowledge they need to make a difference.
Importantly, our approach will seek to go beyond our own staff, ensuring that our supply chain is equally committed to our long-term environmental and sustainability priorities. This is essential if we are to meet our target of becoming sector leaders on sustainability by 2015.
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