Since it announced its first Green Bond in 2017, Anglian Water has funded a remarkable 850 capital investment projects through financing from Green Bonds totaling £811 million.
The water company is leading the way in green financing with five Green Bonds now in operation and a sixth ready to draw down in 2020.
Anglian became the first European utility company to issue a sterling Green Bond in 2017. The investments made through the Green Bonds issued to date are expected to save or avoid 160,736 tonnes of carbon - a 61% reduction from the company's 2010 capital carbon baseline.
Projects funded by the Green Bonds must contribute to five environmental objectives:
- Climate change mitigation
- Climate change adaptation
- Natural resource conservation
- Biodiversity conservation
- Pollution prevention and control
Uniquely for a utility company, the sustainability focus at the heart of its business means all Anglian Water's capital expenditure qualifies for the Green Bond.
Anglian Water has committed to a range of ambitious environmental goals, including pledging to reach net zero carbon by 2030. The goal is just one part of the water industry's recently pledged Public Interest Commitment.
Earlier this year, Anglian became the first water company to change its Articles of Association to enshrine its long-term commitment to deliver wider public interest outcomes for society and the environment by altering the core documents that govern the overall management of the business.
Embedding public interest objectives in this way means the company's Board must take account of the wider impact Anglian Water has on customers, communities and the environment, as well as delivering a fair return for shareholders.
Steve Buck, Chief Financial Officer for Anglian Water, said:
"We made history in 2017 when we became the first ever public utility to launch a Sterling Green Bond, and we are very proud that all our capital activity meets the strict environmental criteria set for Green Bond investment. Sustainability is simply how we do business, all day, every day."
Operating in one of the driest, yet fastest growing regions of the UK, means that the water company selects some of its largest, and stand out schemes to be funded by Green Bond investment all of which directly tackle these challenges.
These have included:
- innovative water abstraction technology
- drought and flood resilience schemes
- progressive water recycling and water resource management projects
Click here to read the 2019 Anglian Water Green Bond Impact Report
With the UK government demanding a 50% reduction in storm overflow spills by 2029, the era of reactive management is over. Speaking in the House of Commons on 21 July 2025, then environment secretary Steve Reed said, “This Government will cut water companies’ sewage pollution in half by the end of the decade.”
ERG, the leading supplier of odour control systems and industrial gas cleaning & thermal systems, has been awarded the coveted King’s Award for Enterprise.
Welsh Water’s new artificial intelligence-driven tool, ORAI, has been shortlisted for three categories at the prestigious British Data Awards 2026 – underscoring the company’s commitment to using cutting-edge technology to deliver better outcome for customers.
Barhale has completed work on two separate Rapid Action Taskforce Spills projects it is carrying out for Severn Trent.
Hear how Scottish Water has completed its £235 million Ayrshire Glasgow Resilience Project - customers across Greater Glasgow, Ayrshire and East Renfrewshire will now benefit from a more secure and resilient water supply.
Hear how United Utilities is accelerating its investment to reduce spills from storm overflows across the Northwest.
Find out more about the remarkable career opportunities on offer at WSP - scroll down to watch the inspirational video.