Infrastructure

Buildings, equipment, machinery, pipework and other infrastructure.

For us to be operating sustainably, in terms of our infrastructure, would mean developing and maintaining our assets without using materials that can result in damage to human health or the environment. This means:

• having operational assets fit for purpose and in a stable condition
• fully integrating sustainability principles and practice within our capital programme and scheme options 
• preference for soft engineering and water demand management over material-intensive alternatives
• minimising the embodied energy and resource footprint of construction and infrastructure projects
• eliminating non-productive disposal of waste (eg, landfilling) from construction schemes and asset operation
• having a supplier and contractor base dominated by companies that incorporate sustainability into their goods and services and are locally based where possible

To try and achieve this, areas of focus over the last year include:

• innovative ways of maintaining and repairing our assets – eg, technology that avoids the need to dig up roads to access pipes
• use of specialist technology to identify and reduce leakage
• construction of new assets to resolve and prepare for potential flooding issues 
• ongoing environmental assessments and implementation of softer engineering options where possible.

Explore this section to find out more about our work in these areas.