UN Sustainable Development Goals

SDG Targets

1.1 - Eradicate extreme poverty

1.2 - Reduce poverty by at least

1.3 - Equal rights to ownership, basic services, technology and economic resources 

Responisble business commitment 

Customer - Treating all customers fairly and supporting customers in vulnerable circumstances

Initiatives 

• Our Take Charge campaign supports customers who may be at risk of fuel poverty and with a transition to low carbon technologies. We aim to
• help customers get expert, tailored advice to help them take charge of their household bills and energy costs. It could help customers save over £300 a year on their energy bills.
• Our Extra Care Service ensures vulnerable customers have the extra support and help during a power cut or incident.  
• We are supporting our customers to ensure no one is left behind in the transition to a greener future.
• We achieved Vulnerability Inclusive Service accreditation BS ISO 22458 for inclusive service and are now one of the only distribution network operators to have achieved it in the first year of ED2.
• Read more about our efforts against these targets in our annual vulnerability report.

SDG Targets

3.2 - End all preventable deaths under 5 years of age 

3.4 - Reduce mortality from non-communicable diseases and promote mental health 

3.5 - Prevent and treat substance abuse 

3.6 - Reduce road injuries and deaths 

3.8 - Achieve universal health coverage 

Responsible business commitments 

Customer - Treating all customers fairly and supporting customers in vulnerable circumstances

People - Supporting the wellbeing of our colleagues 

People - Embedding a safety -first culture

Initiatives 

We are proud to provide additional care, support, and guidance through our dedicated webpages to our customers. We go above and beyond to ensure our customers receive the help they need during a power cut through our extra care service and winter preparedness, leveraging a network of trusted partners who share our commitment to their wellbeing and safety. Additionally provide low carbon support to ensure no customers are left behind in the transition to a greener future.

We place the utmost importance on the health and wellbeing of our colleagues. Through communication campaigns, regular training, driving a safety-first culture, and more we are able to focus on topics such as drug and alcohol prevention, safety, wellbeing, inclusivity and diversity. Find out more here.

SDG Targets

4.1 - Free primary and secondary education

4.2 - Equal access to quality pre-primary education

4.3 - Equal access to affordable technical, vocational and higher education

4.4 - Increase the number of people with relevant skills for financial success

4.7 - Education for sustainable development and global citizenship

Responsible business commitments 

Communities - Inspiring the next generation and building future skills 

People - Being a responsible employer

People - Having a workforce that represents our communities

Initiatives 

We are commitment to promoting careers in STEM and providing a platform to develop future skills for the next generation and our current workforce.

We have an award-winning apprenticeship scheme that provides in class and on the job training. So far, we have welcomed nearly 200 apprentices since 2015 ensuring we drive future green skills and a workforce represents the communities we serve.  

We actively support primary and secondary schools by offering free curriculum linked resources, in classroom workshops and work placements. Find out more on our education hub.

SDG Targets

5.1 - End discrimination against women and girls

5.2 - End all violence against and exploitation of women and girls

5.4 - Value unpaid care and promote shared domestic responsibilities

5.5 - Ensure full participation in leadership and decision-making

5.c - Adopt and strengthen policies and enforceable legislation for gender equality

Responsible business commitments 

People - Having a workforce that represents our communities

Initiatives

Our focus is on creating a sense of belonging and making sure our workforce represents the communities we serve with a strong emphasis on increasing female and ethnic representation in our business.

We strive to create an inclusive environment where diversity is celebrated, and women are empowered - from our women empowered colleague- led resource group, Gender Pay gap commitment, Include Me D&I policy, key KPIs to increase females in our workforce and leadership, female work placements and women career days, gender equality is central to our business.

Our efforts have been recognised in signing up to the good employment charter and achieving the Investors in people silver accreditation. Additionally, we are committed to ensuring that there is no modern slavery or human trafficking in any part of our business.

SDG Targets

6.3 - Improve water quality, wastewater treatment and safe reuse

6.4 - Increase water-use efficiency and ensure freshwater supplies

6.6 - Protect and restore water-related ecosystems

Responsible business commitments 

Environment - Reducing our environmental impact 

Environment - Optimising resources & reducing waste

Environment - Enhancing our natural environment 

Initiatives 

Our Environment Action Plan details how we strive to be responsible consumers of resources and reduce the amount of waste we produce.

Our efforts look to maintain a leakage rate of less than 25,000 litres per year, remove equipment contaminated by polychlorinated biphenyls from our network by the end of 2025 and improve water usage.

SDG Targets

7.1 - Universal access to modern energy

7.2 - Increase global percentage of renewable energy

7.3 - Double the improvement in energy efficiency

7.a - Promote access to research, technology and investments in clean energy

Responsible business commitments 

Customers - Supporting customers in understanding future energy and the low carbon transition

Customers – Delivering cost effective and reliable energy now and for the future.

Environment - Supporting colleagues and communities in the transition to net zero

Environment - Driving down our carbon emissions and becoming net zero 

Initiatives 

We are facilitating the transition and driving change through our Environment Action Plan.

Our aim is for a greener future and we are investing in new equipment, technology and innovation whist ensuring no one is left behind in the transition.

We are helping shape customers and communities’ energy future through our  (Go Low) campaign and community and local energy.

By investing now, we are enabling our customers to make the switch to low carbon technologies like electric vehicles and continue to provide a safe and reliable electricity supply.

SDG Targets 

8.2 - Diversify, innovate and upgrade for economic productivity

8.3 - Promote policies to support job creation and growing enterprises

8.6 - Promote youth employment, education and training

8.7 - End modern slavery, trafficking and child labour

Responsible business commitments 

People - Having a workforce that represents our community

People - Supporting the wellbeing of our colleagues  

People - Embedding a safety-first culture

People - Being a responsible employer

Corporate Governance – Transparency and Governance

Initiatives 

Through creating opportunities, fostering an inclusive and diverse environment, driving innovation and investing in our network we are enabling a decent work environment and growth.

To ensure we provide the best environment for our colleagues, we ensure we align to trusted and credible accreditations and partners including real living wage, gender pay gap, Investors in people and modern slavery.

SDG Targets

9.1 - Devleop sustainable, resilient and inclusive infrastructures. 

9.4 - Upgrade all industries and infrastructures for sustainability 

Responsible business commitments

Customer - Providing cost effective, resilient essential energy supplies now and investing for the future

Initiatives

We are leading the way in energy innovation. Developing ground-breaking, flexible solutions driven by the changing needs of our customers in a low carbon future.

Our active engagement in innovation projects in collaboration with suppliers, partners and universities, improves our expertise and helps us develop sustainable solutions for our customers and drive an energy future.

Our approach is to maximise the use of our existing network, and combine new technology and creative thinking to provide real solutions to real problems.

Key projects include: 

• Smart Street: By controlling network voltage, we enable our networks and customers’ appliances to operate more efficiently, facilitating the adoption of low carbon technologies. Thanks to our improvements in energy efficiency, customer electricity consumption has been reduced by 5 to 8 percent, while carbon emissions have decreased by 7 to 10 percent. This can also help reduce customers' electricity bills by up to £60 per year.
• Class: Our award-winning project successfully demonstrats that cutting edge voltage control can reduce demand for electricity, without customers noticing a difference to their supply. By installing cutting edge ‘voltage controllers’ in our substations we could save customers in the North West around £100 million over the next 25 years – and £300 million across Great Britain.

For more information our innovation strategy describes how we deliver a responsive and sustainable business for the millions of customers who depend on us every day.

SDG Targets

10.1 -  Reduce income inequalities 

10.2 - Promote universal social, economic and political inclusion

10.3 - Ensure equal opportunities and end discrimination 

10.4 - Adopt fiscal and social policies that promote equality 

Responsible business commitments 

People - Having a workforce that represents our community

People - Having a workforce that represents our community

Transparency and Governance

Intiatives

We strive to effectively reduce equalities by implementing comprehensive training programmes, pursing relevant accreditations and developing a robust diversity and inclusion strategy.

Our colleague-led resource groups (CRGs) continue to expand and make significant change within our business. These groups were established as a safe space to share experiences and discuss ways of improving inclusion
at work and in our communities. We now have eight groups with over 100 members. Group include: 

• LGBT+
• Menopause matters
• Women empowered
• Access-ability
• Armed forces
• Ethnicity
• Neurodiversity
• Working parents and career

These groups address topics of inclusion, equalities, work policies, health and wellbeing and any concerns or improvements that can be
made within the organisation. 

SDG Targets 

11.1 -  Safe and affordable housing 

11.3 - Inclusive and sustainable urbanization 

11.6 - Reduce the enviornmental impact of cities 

11.A - A strong national and regional development planning 

Responsible business commitments 

Customer - Supporting customers understanding future energy and the low carbon transition

Environment - Optimising resources & reducing waste

Environment - Enhancing our natural environment 

Environment - Supporting colleagues and communities in the transition to net zero

Environment - Driving down our carbon emissions and becoming net zero

Initiatives

We strive to make the communities within the North West safe, resilient and sustainable.

Community energy has an important role to play in the UK’s transition to a greener future. In the period 2018-2024 we have supported 39 community projects and awarded more than £500,000 as part of our Powering Our Communities Fund. 

Take a look at some of the community and local energy projects we've supported across the region here. 

SDG Targets 

12.1 - Implement the 10 year sustainable consumption and production framework

12.4 - Responsible management of chemicals and waste 

12.5 - Substantially reduce waste generation 

12.6 - Encourage companies to adopt sustainable practices and sustainable reporting

12.7 - Promote sustainable public procurement practices 

12.8 - Promote universal understanding of sustainable lifestyles 

Responsible business commitments 

Environment - Optimising resources & reducing waste

Supply chain and partners 

Initiatives 

We are committed to reducing our waste and optimising waste wherever possible. As part of our Environment Action Plan we are commited to being responsible consumers of resources and reduce the amount of waste produced. Divert 95% of our waste away from landfill by the end of 2025 and reuse or recycle 70% of our waste by the end of RIIO-ED2. Reuse and recycle at least 85% of waste excavated for installation and repair.

• Removal of single use plastics is an on going commitment - Recently we replaced our single use buckets used for solvent wipes with refill packs and our bucket for life. This reduces the amount of plastic used and has a 28% CO2 reduction due to reduced packaging, storage and transport. 
• Recycling and repurposing the oil from our assets - Our central oil reprocessing department (CORD) continues to be one of a kind within our industry and reuses 80% to 97% of our oil collected from our network each year. 
• Striving for carbon literacy gold standard
• Signatory of the Science Based Target initiative.

SDG Target

13.1 Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate related disasters

13.2 Integrate climate change measures into policies and planning

13.3 Build knowledge and capacity to meet climate change

Responsible business commitments 

Environment - Reducing our environmental impact

Initiatives

As part of the wider group, we have reduced our carbon footprint by 43% reduction since the start of our ED1 price period in 2015/16.  In 2022/23 we  invested over £27m in projects that will drive the green recovery, all geared to helping the region hit its net zero carbon targets and build resilience. In 2024 we launched our Environmental Action Plan which sets out 21 goals and our activities to deliver each goal and the benefits these will bring to the
environment.

• We have published our commitment to a science based target reduction which means that we are on 63% reduction trajectory for 2035 as part of our wider net zero ambition for 2038.
• We are the first DNO to achieve silver accreditation in carbon literacy with an aim to work towards gold in the future.

SDG Target 

15.2 End deforestation and restore degraded forests

15.3 End desertification and restore degraded land

15.5 Protect biodiversity and natural habitats

Responsible business commitments 

Environment - Enhancing our natural environment 

Initative 

It is our responsibility to protect, manage and improve biodiversity across our sites, not only preserving what is already there but enhancing areas where we can. We have made significant progress against our biodiversity commitments in our Environmental Action Plan by identifying 100 sites across our network where we are proactively managing the habitat to enhance biodiversity.

• Plant 10,000 trees per year over five years. Through partnership with City of Trees we determined that we could effectively plant trees on our own estate with partnership advice and funding. Following the initial pilot of 500 trees, in 2024 we planted 13,000 trees. 
• Developed a field applicationtool that allows us to report different species of plants, animals, and birds on our sites. This data will help us build a comprehensive profile for better assessment, maintenance,
  and improvement of our sites.
• Continue our commitment to support the three National Parks and four Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty in our region. Our undergrounding for visual amenity program aims to enhance the landscape by relocating overhead lines underground. This year, we successfully completed the undergrounding 3.34km with 4.49km of underground cabling for visual improvement in Arnside, Silverdale, Solway coast and the Lake District.

SDG Targets 

16.7 Ensure responsive, inclusive and representative decision-making

16.b Promote and enforce non-discriminatory laws and policies

Responsible business commitment 

Corporate Governance – Being a responsible, high performing, transparent and ethical strong institutio.

Initaitve 

Our efforts aim to ensure accountability, transparency and effective risk management. By sharing clear objectives, performance metrics, strategies and legal compliance we look to enhance companies’ performance and build trust with our customers and stakeholders.

• How we operate 
• Business plan commitment report 
• Our business plan 2023 - 2028 
• Regulatory information