Download the United Utilities Integrated Annual Report 2025

Climate- and nature-related disclosures

Our integrated report contains all the climate and nature-related disclosures required to be consistent with the recommendations of the taskforce on climate-related financial disclosures (TCFD) and the taskforce on nature-related financial disclosures (TNFD). These are also supported by further content on our website.

Our disclosures include how climate and nature-related risks and opportunities are influencing our strategy, our net zero transition plan incorporating our verified science-based targets (SBTs), and our energy and carbon report.

Download our climate- and nature-related disclosures, including our net zero transition plan.

How climate influences our approach

Strategy

TCFD disclosures

  • We recognise that the climate has already changed, and we are planning for the forecasted impacts at different time horizons and under multiple climate change scenarios.
  • The most significant impacts that influence planning across all areas of the organisation are those associated with the security of water supplies and increased volumes and intensity of rain to drain.
  • We are prepared for the immediate challenges and planning for future risks of a range of climate scenarios at both regional and county levels.

How climate influences our approach

Governance

TCFD disclosures

  • The board and its committees, in particular the ESG committee, consider climate-related matters when reviewing and guiding strategy, approving the business plan and annual budgets and overseeing environmental performance, including science-based targets, and adaptation progress.
  • Managing climate-related risks and opportunities is fully integrated in the responsibilities of multiple principal management committees, including the ESG leadership group, climate change mitigation steering group and risk boards.

How climate influences our approach

Risk management

TCFD disclosures

  • The company operates a mature risk and resilience framework for the identification, assessment, and management of all risks, including consideration of the additional threats and variability from climate change. We also carry out a periodic assessment of climate-specific risks.
  • We manage both physical and transitional climate-related risks in our corporate business risk profile. Five of our ten most significant operational risks are directly influenced by climate change.
  • Managing climate-related risks is fully integrated in our overall risk management system. Climate change adaptation and mitigation are material themes and extreme weather/climate change is noted as a common causal theme of event-based risks.

How climate influences our approach

Metrics and targets

TCFD disclosures

  • We track both physical and transitional metrics to assess climate-related risk and opportunities. We also monitor some of our environmental KPIs to form an understanding of our resilience to climate change.
  • We disclose our GHG emissions and underlying energy use for 2024/25 in our energy and carbon report.
  • Our key climate-related targets are our six carbon pledges and our Science Based Targets and our progress against them and other climate-related targets can be found in the performance section of our integrated annual report.

How nature influences our approach

Strategy

TNFD disclosures

  • We have identified our most material nature-related matters across all biomes. Our strategies are built to consider nature over the short, medium and long term.
  • Nature-related dependencies, impacts, risks and opportunities are considered when developing our strategic plans and inform our investment decisions.
  • Our long-term adaptive plans support investment in the resilience of the ecosystems we impact and depend on.
  • We collaborate with our supply chain through our United Supply Chain approach underpinned by our Responsible Sourcing Principles. Our suppliers are required to show their commitment to mitigating risk in their own supply chain and identifying new ways of working to enhance the value delivered to customers.

How nature influences our approach

Governance

TNFD disclosures

  • Nature is embedded in our governance structure and regulatory commitments. This is overseen and challenged by the board and its committees.
  • Interactions with nature through our operations are managed in multiple principal management committees across the business.
  • We actively work with our supply chain through our responsible sourcing principles to encourage our suppliers to operate in sustainable way.
  • Our CEO has overall responsibility for compliance of human rights and modern slavery laws and best practice. Our modern slavery awareness training is targeted to roles identified as relevant, focussing on customer and community-facing roles to raise awareness of potential risks.

How nature influences our approach

Risk management

TNFD disclosures

  • We use horizon scanning, natural capital accounting, and land management approaches to identify nature-related risks and opportunities.
  • Nature is fully integrated into our risk management process, our drainage water and water resources management plans, identify and monitor nature-related risks. Risks are then prioritised and built into our long-term planning strategies and investment programmes.
  • We identify, assess and prioritise nature-related matters in our upstream and downstream value chain at site and corporate level using a range of controls.

How nature influences our approach

Metrics and targets

TNFD disclosures

  • We track and monitor our nature-related risks and opportunities through our risk management framework, long-term strategic planning, and nature-related reporting.
  • We embed our impacts and dependencies on nature and total value into decision-making.
  • Our targets are developed to achieve best value for our customers while aligning with regulatory expectations.
  • We monitor progress of a range of key environmental performance indicators, against set targets across the AMP, to ensure we work towards delivering our purpose.

Pledges towards a greener North West

Across the five counties, we own over 56,000 hectares of land, which delivers several ecosystem service benefits such as water supply, timber, air quality regulation, and recreation. Demonstrating our commitment to protect and enhance this value, we have made carbon and Better Rivers pledges, and we will finalise new nature pledges later this year.

Carbon

Five years ago, we made six pledges with our initial priorities for our part towards a low-carbon future. We have since set four near-term targets and long-term targets, all of which have been validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). We have also incorporated measures into our remuneration via our Long Term Plan.

Pledge 1

42 per cent reduction of scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2030

10.5 per cent reduction since 2020

Pledge 2

100 per cent renewable electricity by 2021

Achieved in 2021

Pledge 3

100 per cent green fleet by 2028 – 204 vehicles

8 per cent of our fleet

Pledge 4

1,000 hectares of peatland restoration by 2030

Achieved in 2024

Pledge 5

Plant one million trees to create 550 hectares of woodland by 2030

640,252 trees planted and 83 hectares of woodland created since 2020

Pledge 6

Set a Scope 3 science-based target by 2021

Achieved in 2021

Better Rivers

In 2022, we launched our Better Rivers: Better North West programme and made four pledges, underpinned by around 30 commitments, to improve river water quality, leading to 115 miles of improved waterways.

Pledge 1

Ensuring our operations progressively reduce impact to river health

Pledge 2

Being open and transparent about our performance and our plans

Pledge 3

Making rivers beautiful and supporting others to improve and care for them

Pledge 4

Creating more opportunities for everyone to enjoy rivers and waterways

Nature

Later this year, we will finalise several nature pledges to clearly set out our dedication to restore, enhance and connect habitats across the North West.

Our nature pledges will focus on both land with special designations, and habitats that are prominent in our region, and include activities that:

  • support the government commitment to the global ‘30 by 30’ target, protecting 30 per cent of land and ocean by 2030;
  • enhance biodiversity;
  • create and improve the condition of woodland; and
  • restore peatland.

Downloads

Our climate and nature related disclosures

Singles (PDF 3.0mb) Spread (PDF 3.5mb)

Our net zero transition plan

Singles (PDF 0.5mb) Spread (PDF 0.7mb)

Progress against our pledges and our energy and carbon report

Singles (PDF 0.5mb) Spread (PDF 0.5mb)
Download our Integrated Annual Report 2025

Download our Integrated Annual Report 2025

Download our Sustainability Report 2025

Download our Sustainability Report 2025

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Case study:

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Compliance committee ensures robust scrutiny of regulatory submissions