Corporate responsibility highlights
Highlights of the year - Pennon Group
Pennon Group demonstrated its strong environmental credentials by winning overall Best Commitment to Carbon Reduction in the South West Financial and Corporate Communications Awards 2008. In addition the Group was highly commended for Environmental Commitment and Social Engagement, and won a further highly commended award for the 2008 Annual Report.
Pennon Group's ability to log its carbon footprint and assess how climate change will affect its businesses has put the Company in a leading position amongst other organisations. We scored 85 in the 2008 Carbon Disclosure Leadership Index, placing us 30th out of the FTSE350.
Pennon Group continues to be a member company of the FTSE4Good Index, the responsible investment index calculated by global index provider FTSE Group.
Pennon Group is one of only 30 UK companies in the new FTSE Environmental Opportunities All-Share Index covering 472 international companies.
Highlights of the year - South West Water
Drinking water overall quality compliance for the calendar year 2008 maintained a consistently high percentage of 99.96%.
2008/9 was the 12th consecutive year without water restrictions.
We achieved our Ofwat leakage target of 84Ml/d, for the tenth consecutive year.
Achieved Investor in People (IIP) Silver status on reaccreditation.
Renewable energy generation from hydro and anaerobic digestion sources reached its highest ever level of 18.7GWh.
The percentage population equivalent served by sanitary-compliant waste water treatment works in the calendar year 2008 remained above 99.5% for the third successive year.
South West Water won the Sustainable Drainage and Flood Management Initiative of the Year category in the 2009 Water Industry Achievement Awards, in respect of the Exmoor Mires project.
South West Water won the Gold Green Apple Award for Environmental Best Practice in recognition of its considerable efforts to help businesses save water and money. This was further endorsed by receipt of the National Green Heroes 2009 plaque. Both awards were made by the Green Organisation.
Water Industry Achievement Awards
Highlights of the year - Viridor
Total recycling and composting of 1.8 million tonnes of material - up 7.9% on the previous year despite very tough trading conditions.
Viridor recycled over 21% of total waste inputs.
Over 300,000 tonnes of green waste was handled, 200,000 tonnes of which was processed by Viridor to create compost.
Viridor has integrated its new acquisitions into its existing business and invested during the year in recycling facilities such as Perth and St Helens Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment recycling sites, Bonnyrigg glass recycling plant and Trafford Park and Crayford Materials Recycling Facilities.
The company is also in the process of constructing two new advanced Materials Recycling Facilities in West Sussex and Glasgow.
Viridor's landfill gas power generation output achieved 504 GWh in the year, an increase of 6% on 2007/08.
Financial close on the Greater Manchester Waste PFI was achieved just after the year-end, on 8 April 2009. This is the UK's largest ever combined waste and renewable energy project, managing 1.3m tonnes of waste per year with total potential energy generation approaching 130MW (including Phases I and II of the Runcorn energy from waste and combined heat and power plant and Viridor's four planned anaerobic digestion facilities).
In September 2008 Viridor won a 450k tonnes per annum, 14 year contract for recycling, anaerobic digestion and disposal for the South London Waste Partnership.
Reduction in RIDDOR accidents of 20% and in incident rates of 29.7%.
£9.7 million funding allocated to independent charity Viridor Credits for local environmental and amenity improvements via the Landfill Communities Fund.