Tomorrow's earth, today's journey: Exploring pathways to sustainability
Market View
Produced by:
Interview with
Andy Brown
CHIEF SUSTAINABILITY OFFICER, ANGLIAN WATER GROUP
Tomorrow's earth, today's journey: Exploring pathways to sustainability
Market View
Produced by:
Interview with
Andy Brown
CHIEF SUSTAINABILITY OFFICER, ANGLIAN WATER GROUP
About Andy Brown
Andy Brown serves as the Chief Sustainability Officer at Anglian Water Group. His role, established a year ago, involves working closely with the management board to ensure the company adheres to its goals. He is tasked with challenging the board and providing a reflective perspective to align company actions with its declared purpose. Additionally, Brown is responsible for creating decision-making frameworks that extend beyond financial considerations and for fostering external collaborations to integrate diverse insights into the company.
How has your company shifted its approach to more effectively tackle global sustainability challenges?
Initially, our approach involved separate strategies for our business operations and environmental targets. About a decade ago, we realised that this method wasn't producing the results we needed. So, we decided to merge these into a single, integrated, sustainable business plan. This important change ensures that every aspect of our operations supports not just our business success but also makes a positive impact on the environment. Everything we do is aimed at doing well as a business and doing good for the planet, emphasising the dual focus on profitability and environmental responsibility.
How does sustainability intertwine with your financial strategies?
The role of sustainability in our financial planning is absolutely central. We finance a substantial portion of our projects through green bonds and climate bonds. This approach directly links our financial health to our environmental performance. The more effectively we meet our sustainability goals, the more favourable the financial terms we receive from our investors. This creates a powerful incentive for us to continuously improve and expand our sustainability efforts, aligning financial gains with environmental benefits.
Everything we do is aimed at both doing well as a business and doing good for the planet, emphasising the dual focus on profitability and environmental responsibility.
Can you elaborate on how your company ensures that sustainability is a core part of your supply chain management?
Our strategy in the supply chain is focused on building long-term, mutually beneficial partnerships rather than short-lived business deals. This ensures a deep commitment to sustainability from everyone involved. A major achievement of this approach was our ability to dramatically reduce the environmental impact of our operations. A big win from this approach was cutting the carbon footprint of our infrastructure projects in half in just five years, showcasing the effectiveness of sustained, collaborative efforts.
What role does technology play in your environmental strategy?
Leveraging technology is crucial for us in monitoring and enhancing our environmental strategies. We extensively utilise sensor technology and predictive analytics to oversee and manage our extensive water networks, preventing leaks and addressing them quickly when they occur. Additionally, we are pioneering in areas such as digital twins for environmental management. We're developing a digital model for a unique habitat in our area, which helps us plan and manage environmental impacts proactively. This allows us to simulate potential environmental changes and plan our interventions more effectively, ensuring that we can manage our operations with minimal ecological disruption.
A big win from this approach was cutting the carbon footprint of our infrastructure projects in half in just five years," showcasing the effectiveness of sustained, collaborative efforts.
How do you engage your employees in your sustainability goals?
Engaging our employees is crucial for the success of our sustainability initiatives. We make it a priority to ensure that every employee understands how their work contributes to our larger environmental and social objectives. We have established a vibrant sustainability community within the company that offers opportunities for employees to learn about, engage with, and contribute to our sustainability efforts. We also use tools like the Purpose Prompt Card to help employees keep our sustainability goals in mind with every decision they make. This helps to align daily operations with our broader mission, fostering a culture of responsibility and proactive engagement in sustainability.
What future developments in sustainability are you most excited about?
I am particularly enthusiastic about the upcoming advancements in technology that facilitate real-time environmental monitoring. These tools will significantly enhance our ability to monitor and adjust our impact on natural ecosystems, particularly in terms of water quality in various landscapes. This technology is a game-changer, allowing us to understand and mitigate our ecological footprint more effectively and responsively.
I am particularly enthusiastic about the upcoming advancements in technology that facilitate real-time environmental monitoring.
About Anglian Water Group
Anglian Water Group is a leading water and wastewater management company based in the United Kingdom. It serves millions of customers across the East of England and Hartlepool, providing high-quality water and sewerage services. Known for its commitment to sustainability and environmental stewardship, Anglian Water is dedicated to reducing carbon emissions, managing water resources sustainably, and investing in innovative technologies to improve water quality and service reliability. The company is also actively involved in community and conservation initiatives, working to protect local ecosystems and promote water efficiency among its customers. Anglian Water Group consistently aims to balance operational excellence with environmental responsibility, making it a pioneer in the water industry.
