Resources and environmental systems such as water, land and air are under increasing stress. Sustainable development is about understanding the true value of our resources. It is also about joining up economic, social and environmental goals.

Our strategy sets out our vision for sustainable water: a sustainable cycle that allows us to meet our needs for water and sewerage today while enabling future generations to meet their own needs. We also have a duty under the Water Industry Act 1991 (as amended) to 'exercise and perform powers and duties...in the manner...best calculated to contribute to the achievement of sustainable development'.

We continue to work to embed sustainable development and climate change action at the heart of policy. We encourage the water companies to take responsibility for the wider social, economic and environmental impacts of their activities. They must meet today’s consumer needs, without compromising quality of life for future generations. 

We are also striving to continue reducing our own environmental impact wherever we can. Our annual sustainability audit will help us identify strengths and weaknesses in our processes and plans. It will also allow us to identify actions to address these issues.  

We will publish relevant information and documents to this section of the website. 

Related documents

• On 31 March 2009 we held our first Sustainable Water event held at the Institute of Civil Engineers. The event brought together leading thinkers from the world of academia, business and politics to discuss the challenges the water sector faces in the future. In our newsletter, H₂orizons, we look at some of the key issues raised at the event
• In 2009, in ‘Water today, water tomorrow – Ofwat and sustainability’ we provided an update of our approach to sustainable development.  
• In 2008, we published our strategy in which we made ‘taking a long-term view of sustainability’ one of our key strategic priorities.  
• In 2007, we asked each company to set out its long-term plan for the next 25 years. These Strategic direction statements show how the sector is thinking and acting to secure long-term, sustainable water and sewerage services.  
• In 2007, our Sustainable Development Action Plan, published in our forward programme for 2007-08 to 2009-10, set out how we would contribute to sustainable development by focusing on the issues that can be led by us, both towards our next price review in 2009 and beyond.
• In October 2006, we published "A sustainable water industry - to PR09 and beyond", which we set out our approach to sustainable development.
• In February 2006, we consulted upon our intended approach to our sustainable development duty in 'Contributing to sustainable development – a consultation on Ofwat's  approach'.