OUR CONTRIBUTION TO YORKSHIRE An assessment of the impact we have and the value we create for society. May 2018 CONTENTS FOREWORD As a finance professional I am drawn to the balance sheet, but I am equally passionate about considering value beyond the traditional financial Summary Report 2 perspective to help business focus on what really matters to people. That is Foreword 3 why I am delighted to publish the findings of our first Total Impact and Value Assessment (TIVA). By looking at a broad range of economic, environmental What we do 4 and social priorities, we are considering our impacts and associated economic value like never before. This new approach is providing fresh insight that is What is Total Impact and Value Assessment? 8 helping us shape our strategy to ensure the resilience of our services, enhance Headline results 12 our positive impact on the economy and the environment, and maximise the value we create for society. Our conclusions and next steps 16 Yorkshire Water has a history of trialling innovative accounting and assessment What others think about our new approach 18 techniques that help towards more sustainable approaches. For example, we piloted Ecosystem Services Assessment with Natural England in 2012 and tested Findings Report 20 the draft Natural Capital Protocol in 2016. By bringing together these and other Financial capital 21 techniques, we are working to develop and embed practical approaches that help advance how we monitor, report, manage and improve our impact and add Manufactured capital 24 value to the society we serve. Natural capital 27 This work is helping us find new opportunities to enhance our positive impact and resulting economic contribution. Throughout this report we share our Human capital 43 learning about the needs and opportunities to, for example, further strengthen the resilience of our services for customers, become more inclusive, improve Intellectual capital 49 resource efficiency, and reduce environmental damage. In the spirit of transparency and openness, we have also published a full breakdown Social capital 52 of our methodology in a separate report available on our website. Conclusions 59 The findings from our first TIVA stem from a mix of best practice quantitative techniques, supported by qualitative assessment in parts where further maturity Methodology Report is needed. Whilst techniques continue to develop, I am confident that we and others can start to deploy the latest sustainable accounting approaches to The methodology and a series of case inform decision making that enhances value for customers. In fact, in light of studies can be found on our website: the risks facing the water industry and wider society, I see an imperative for us www.yorkshirewater.co.uk/capitals and others to broaden our understanding of value creation and develop new approaches that can effectively ensure the sustainability of our business and our essential public services. Trusting this information We publish this report as part of our programme to co-create with our This report is unlike our other publications because we are sharing latest findings customers and stakeholders the future strategy for Yorkshire Water. To ensure from a new approach that we continue to develop and which involves a mix a highly efficient and resilient approach we are collectively considering how to of traditional and innovative analysis techniques. We have taken steps to ensure best optimise resources and manage inherent trade-offs to deliver the priorities openness and clarity in this report because we always want to provide you with our customers need and want. Please send us your feedback and ideas to help information you can trust. We summarise these steps on page 11 and you shape and improve our thinking. can find an independent expert opinion about the validity of our approach on page 18. Get in touch We would welcome your feedback and questions. Gordon Rogers Hannah James Liz Barber Head of Sustainability Lead Sustainability Advisor [email protected] [email protected] Group Director of Finance, Regulation and Markets P 2 P 3 WHAT WE DO WHAT WE BELIEVE We provide essential water and wastewater services to the people and businesses of the Yorkshire and Humberside region, playing a key role in the region’s health, 1. WE DO LOTS OF GOOD 2. ECONOMIC VALUATION 3. THIS APPROACH IS wellbeing and prosperity. AND WANT TO DO MORE HELPS MAKE BETTER DELIVERING REAL BENEFITS We think we make a net-positive DECISIONS Using the six capitals approach contribution to society. After all, Estimating the economic value is helping us change for the better our services protect public health, of impacts which are not typically by improving our understanding sanitation and the environment. considered in financial terms helps of the risks and dependencies we Whilst we’re very proud of the us to quantify the impact we have. are managing, and the impacts enormous positive impact we We’ve focused where we could we have, both positive and have, in this report we’re focused do meaningful valuation, rather negative. By thinking of ‘value’ on the areas we can and need than trying to monetise our ‘total in the broadest terms, we are ha to do better, because we see an impact’. Where we have done moving beyond traditional financial imperative for change to ensure Managing 28,000 Investing over £1m economic valuation, we recognise accounting and decision making. hectares of land to every day to maintain the long term resilience of essential Collecting, treating that this is only an estimate based The more we have considered protect water quality and enhance Yorkshire’s water and wastewater services. and enable recreational and supplying around network of pipes, on the best available information, this approach, the more we 1.3bn litres opportunities that pumps and Working innovatively and in and in many cases we will not have have seen opportunities to go benefit health and of water every day treatment works wellbeing partnership will help us here. captured the full impact (either even further. We’re committed positive or negative). No matter to developing and embedding how good the valuation, we know the approach into our standard this can only ever be an aid to business processes. LAND MANAGEMENT WATER COLLECTION decision making, and there is no substitute for human and scientific judgement. 133 9 45 Reservoirs Water Abstractions Boreholes Led by around 2,800 colleagues using a fleet Managing £1bn of Collecting, treating, water bills every Recycling nutrients of over 2,000 vehicles and safely returning to and increasingly year and providing the environment 1bn and generating energy customer service from leftover human complex technology, WATER TREATMENT litres of water waste delivering for today when it’s needed every day 48 Water Treatment Works and planning for the long-term 611 2m 140k Customer Wastewater Sludge Recycling & Recycle Nutrients Service Centre Sewer Treatment Works Energy Centres To The Land Homes Businesses Escape Surface Returning Leaks Water Treated Water Emergency Relief Overflows WATER SUPPLY CUSTOMER WASTEWATER WASTEWATER TREATMENT & RECYCLING SERVICE COLLECTION Note: Statistics in this graphic refer to our position at 31st March 2018 P 4 P 5 APPLYING THE CONCEPT WHAT IS TIVA? OF ‘THE CAPITALS’ AN IMPERATIVE FOR CHANGE AND The term ‘financial capital’ has become widely accepted and understood in society, commonly used to refer to a stock of money that can deliver a flow of services that have benefits to people. A CONCEPT FOR A NEW APPROACH Sustainability leaders such as Forum for the Future and the International Integrated Reporting Council go beyond convention and expand the concept to recognise other assets (and liabilities) At Yorkshire Water we play a key role in the wellbeing and prosperity of that are important to a healthy and prosperous society. the society we serve. By supplying water and taking away wastewater we safeguard people’s wellbeing, underpin the regional economy, maintain critical infrastructure and protect the environment. Whilst we do all this Financial capital good, we don’t always gets things right first time and we want to do better. FINANCIAL CAPITAL HUMAN CAPITAL We see an imperative for change to further improve our services and to Our financial health and efficiency Our workforce’s capabilities and wellbeing ensure we can affordably sustain them for the growing population for years to come, despite pressures such as climate change and resource constraints. Total Impact and Value Assessment (TIVA) is helping us achieve this goal. MANUFACTURED CAPITAL INTELLECTUAL CAPITAL Our pipes, treatment works, offices and IT Our knowledge and processes TIVA is the name for our work to enhance our understanding of our impact Natural Capital Social Capital on customers and the environment, both positive and negative. TIVA goes beyond traditional approaches by applying a mix of best practice accounting, NATURAL CAPITAL SOCIAL CAPITAL The materials and services we rely on Our relationships and customers’ trust in us economic and sustainability techniques to quantify our impact throughout from the environment, especially water our value chain, and where sensible, to put a monetary value on the impact to aid comparison. This innovative approach is providing a broader view of the risks to our We have examined our impacts and dependencies across the capitals, assessing a range of services and the value we create. It is also highlighting opportunities to economic, environmental and social attributes associated with our activities. By quantifying enhance our impact and value, and the inherent trade-offs that need to be our negative and positive impacts and value across the capitals we are basing our strategy on considered when making decisions. We are using this fresh insight to shape a rich understanding so that we can ensure the resilience of our business and public services.