Report - COP Prototype

2022 Communication on Progress

Sydney Water

Published date

June 28, 2022

No. of questions

Supplemental files

CEO Statement

Signed

Governance

Policies and Responsibilities

1. Does the Board / highest governance body or most senior executive of the company:

Issue an annual statement about the relevance of sustainable development to the company

Issue an annual statement that addresses impacts on both people and the environment

Issue an annual statement highlighting a zero tolerance for corruption

Sign off on organizational sustainability targets

Supervise Environmental, Social, and Governance reporting

Regularly review potential risks related to the business model

None of the above

2. Does the company have a publicly stated commitment regarding the following sustainability topics?

	No, this is not a current priority	No, but we plan to have a commitment within 2 years	Yes, and the commitment is focused on our own operations	Yes, and the commitment includes our own operations and the value chain	Yes, and the commitment includes our own operations and the value chain along with communities and society
Human Rights
Labour Rights / Decent Work
Environment
Anti-Corruption

Optional comment

Labour: Complying with Modern Slavery Act 2018 (Cth), we publish an annual Modern Slavery Statement that is available on a public register. Environment: Environmental policy link https://www.sydneywater.com.au/content/dam/sydneywater/documents/environmental-policy.pdf Anti corruption - supplier code of conduct https://www.sydneywater.com.au/content/dam/sydneywater/documents/supplier-code-of-conduct.pdf

3. Does the company have in place a code of conduct regarding each of the following sustainability topics?

	No, this is not a current priority	No, but we plan to have a code of conduct within two years	Yes, focused on employee conduct	Yes, focused on employees and suppliers	Yes, focused on employees, suppliers, and other business relationships
Human Rights
Labour Rights / Decent Work
Environment
Anti-Corruption

Optional comment

Modern Slavery policy covers Supplier code of Conduct. It's also part of new supplier registration and pre-qualificaiton processes.

4. Has the company appointed an individual or group responsible for each of the following sustainability topics?

	No one is specifically responsible for this topic	Yes, with limited influence on outcomes (e.g., limited access to internal information, limited decision-making authority)	Yes, with moderate influence on outcomes (e.g., has access to relevant information, reports to senior manager)	Yes, with direct influence of some outcomes (e.g., has access to relevant information, includes one or more senior manager with decision making rights	Yes, with direct influence at the highest levels of the organization (e.g., has access to relevant information, includes most senior members of organization)
Human Rights
Labour Rights / Decent Work
Environment
Anti-Corruption

Optional comment

Labour: We've formed a Modern Slavery working group led by the Procurement group consisting of representation from Legal, Training, Corporate Compliance, Procurement, Planning Safety groups. Anti-corruption: We have a monthly panel meeting with the Managing Director to discuss all reported matters and all completed investigations are reported to the Audit & Risk Committee.

5. Does the company have a formal structure(s) (such as a cross-functional committee) to address each of the following sustainability topics?

	No formal structure	Yes, and with limited influence on outcomes (e.g., limited access to internal information necessary to understand risks, poor representation from relevant departments or functions)	Yes, with moderate influence on outcomes (e.g., it includes representatives of some functions, departments, or business units most relevant for addressing the risks concerned, has access to relevant information, reports to senior manager)	Yes, with direct influence on some outcomes (e.g., it includes representatives of functions, departments, or business units most relevant for addressing the risks concerned, has access to relevant information, it involves one or more members of senior management)	Yes, and with direct influence at the highest level of the organization (e.g., full access to relevant information, it involves members at highest level of organization)
Human Rights
Labour Rights / Decent Work
Environment
Anti-Corruption

Optional comment

Anti-corruption: We have a monthly panel meeting with the Managing Director, 2 General Managers, and 3 Heads of Business to discuss all reported matters and all completed investigations are reported to the Audit & Risk Committee.

Prevention

6. Does the company have a process or processes to assess risk?

	No, this is not a current priority	No, but we are planning to develop one in the next two years	Yes, related to our own operations	Yes, related to our own operations and entire value chain and other business relationships
Human rights risks
Labour rights risks
Environmental risks
Corruption risks

Optional comment

The Sydney Water Modern Slavery working group meets regularly to discuss our actions to eradicate modern slavery practices. We continuously assess the effectiveness of our initiatives to make sure that we are up to date with the requirements of the legislation and current events in the society. We're also engaging with other water providers to learn from each other on how to minimize the risks.

6.1. During the assessment of risk, which business relationships are reviewed?

	A few suppliers or business relationships [approximately less than 25 %]	Several suppliers / business relationships (i.e., first tier or other high priority) [approx. 25 - 50 %]	Most suppliers / relevant business relationships [approx. 51 - 99 %]	All suppliers / relevant business relationships outside the supply chain
Human rights risks
Labour rights risks
Environmental risks
Corruption risks

Optional comment

Our annual modern slavery statement covers potential modern slavery risks in our operations and supply chains.

7. Does the company have a due diligence process through which it identifies, prevents, mitigates, and accounts for actual and potential negative impacts on sustainability topics?

	No, this is not a current priority	No, but we are planning to develop one in the next two years	Yes, related to our own operations	Yes, related to our own operations and entire value chain and other business relationships
Human rights risks
Labour rights risks
Environmental risks
Corruption risks

Optional comment

Our annual modern slavery statement covers potential modern slavery risks in our operations and supply chains. We do proactive screening of suppliers to ensure none have been involved in corrupt conduct.

7.1. During the due diligence process, which business relationships are reviewed?

	A few suppliers or business relationships [approximately less than 25 %]	Several suppliers / business relationships (i.e., first tier or other high priority) [approx. 25 - 50 %]	Most suppliers / relevant business relationships [approx. 51 - 99 %]	All suppliers / relevant business relationships outside the supply chain
Human rights risks
Labour rights risks
Environmental risks
Corruption risks

Concerns and grievance mechanisms

8. Are there any processes through which members of the company’s workforce can raise concerns about the company’s conduct related to human rights, labour rights, environment, or anti-corruption?

No, this is not a current priority

No, but we plan to within two years

Yes, we have an informal process (e.g., through supervisors, others)

Yes, we have a formal process

8.1. Please provide additional detail regarding the process(es) the company has through which members of the company’s workforce can raise concerns about the company’s conduct.

	No	Yes
Is the process communicated to all employees/workers in local languages?
Is the process available to non-employees (e.g., contractors, vendors, suppliers)?
Is the process confidential (e.g., whistleblowing process)?
Are there processes in place to avoid retaliation?
Can concerns be raised about suppliers or other business relationships (e.g., clients, partners, etc.)
Other (Please provide additional information)

9. Does the company provide or enable access to effective remedy to right holders / stakeholders where it has caused or contributed to the adverse impact?

	No process to enable remedy to stakeholders	Remedy available to some stakeholders (i.e., some geographies, employees only)	Remedy is available to all affected stakeholders	Remedy is available to all stakeholders, and suppliers are expected to have similar policies
Human Rights
Labour Rights / Decent Work
Environment
Anti-Corruption

Lessons

10. How does the company capture lessons regarding each of the following sustainability topics?

	No lessons are regularly captured	Conducts root cause analyses/investigation of major incidents	Conducts root cause analyses/investigation and changes organizational policies, processes, and practices accordingly	Systematically conducts root cause analyses/investigation and leverages learnings to influence both internal and external affairs
Human Rights
Labour Rights / Decent Work
Environment
Anti-Corruption

Executive Pay

11. Is executive pay linked to performance on one or more of the following sustainability topics?

Board Composition

12. Percentage of individuals within the company’s Board / highest governance body by:

	Number/Percentage	Not applicable (Please provide additional information)
Total number of board members (#)	10
Male (%)	80
Female (%)	20
Non-binary (%)	0
Under 30 years old (%)	0
30-50 years old (%)	0
Above 50 years old (%)	100
From minority or vulnerable groups (%)	0
Executive (%)	10
Independent (%)	90

Optional comment

Sydney Water welcomed the introduction in April 2022 of formal gender diversity targets by the State Government to increase women in leadership positions. The targets include that no less than 40 per cent of board director positions be filled by women.

Data Assurance

14. Is the information disclosed in this questionnaire assured by a third-party?

No assurance for any metrics

Limited assurance for minority of metrics (e.g., GHG emissions only)

We are audited annually by our external regulator iPART which includes assurance of some of these metrics (mainly environmental metrics). National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting audit report of energy and emissions report - Scope 1 and Scope 2 Emissions.

Limited assurance for majority of metrics

Reasonable assurance for minority of metrics

Reasonable assurance for majority of metrics

Other (Please provide additional information)

Human Rights

Commitment

2. Does the company have a policy commitment in relation to the following human rights issues?

	No, and we have no plans to develop a policy	No, but we plan to in the next two years	Yes, included within a broader policy	Yes, articulated as a stand-alone policy
Rights of women and/or girls
Freedom of expression
Rights of refugees and migrants
Digital security / privacy
2019
Rights of indigenous peoples
Access to culture
Free, prior and informed consent
Access to water and sanitation
2021

Optional comment

Access to water and sanitation - Comprised of a selection of policies including payment assitance policy. Digital security/privacy: Information security policy and privacy policy.

2.1. For each human rights policy, is it:

	Aligned with international human rights standards?	Publicly available?	Approved at most senior level of the company?	Applied to the company’s own operations?	Applied to the company’s supply chain and/or other business relationships?	Developed involving human rights expertise from inside and outside the company?	Other (Please provide additional information)
Freedom of expression
Digital security / privacy
Rights of women and/or girls
Access to culture
Rights of indigenous peoples
Free, prior and informed consent
Rights of refugees and migrants
Access to water and sanitation

Optional comment

Privacy - We have used an external privacy specialist, the Information and Privacy Commissioner, and internal SMEs. The policy is informed by the NSW & Comonwealth privacy laws.

Prevention

3. In the course of the reporting period, has the company engaged with affected stakeholders or their legitimate representatives in relation to the following human rights issues?

	No engagement on this topic	To better understand the risks/ impacts in question	To discuss potential ways to prevent or mitigate the risks/ impacts in question	To agree on a way to prevent/ mitigate the risks/ impacts in question	To assess progress in preventing /mitigating the risks/impacts in question	To collaborate in the prevention/ mitigation of the risks/ impacts in question
Rights of women and/or girls
Freedom of expression
Rights of refugees and migrants
Digital security / privacy
Rights of indigenous peoples
Access to culture
Free, prior and informed consent
Access to water and sanitation

4. What type of action has the company taken in the reporting period with the aim of preventing/mitigating the risks/impacts associated with this human rights issue?

	Provided internal training/ capacity building for the direct workforce	Building capacity among relevant business relationships (e.g., partners, suppliers, clients, etc.)	Conducting an audit process and/or corrective action plan	Collective Action with peers or other stakeholders to address the issue	Collaboration with governmental or regulatory bodies	Other (Please provide additional information)	No action within reporting period
Rights of women and/or girls
Freedom of expression
Rights of refugees and migrants
Digital security / privacy
Rights of indigenous peoples
Access to culture
Free, prior and informed consent
Access to water and sanitation

5. Who receives training for the following human rights issues?

	No training provided	Select employees	All employees	Contractors	Direct suppliers of the organization	Indirect suppliers of the organization	Other – such as partners, clients, etc.
Rights of women and/or girls
Freedom of expression
Rights of refugees and migrants
Digital security / privacy
Rights of indigenous peoples
Access to culture
Free, prior and informed consent
Access to water and sanitation

6. How does the company assess progress in preventing/mitigating the risks/impacts associated with the following human rights issues?

	No monitoring of progress	Review issues on ad-hoc basis	Set annual targets/ goals, track progress over time (internal programs only)	Set annual targets/ goals, track progress over time (internal and external programs)	Other (Please provide additional information)
Rights of women and/or girls
Freedom of expression
Rights of refugees and migrants
Digital security / privacy
Rights of indigenous peoples
Access to culture
Free, prior and informed consent
Access to water and sanitation

Optional comment

Privacy - Sydney Water tracks and reports on activities and raises matters of concern through a formal process.

Response

7. During the reporting period, has the company been involved in providing or enabling remedy where it has caused or contributed to adverse impact associated with the following human rights issue(s)?

	Yes	No	Choose to not disclose	Not applicable (Please provide additional information)
Rights of women and/or girls
Freedom of expression
Rights of refugees and migrants
Digital security / privacy
Rights of indigenous peoples
Access to culture
Free, prior and informed consent
Access to water and sanitation

Optional comment

Privacy - We investigate complaints and data breaches for root cause analysis and then attempt to improve the practices that led to these occurring.

8. Briefly describe practical actions the company has taken during the reporting period and/or plans to take to implement the human rights principles, including any challenges faced and actions taken towards prevention and/or remediation.

Sydnery Water is committed to protecting the personal information of our customers, business partners and employees, and the public. We treat personal information according to the applicable provisions of the Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1998 (NSW) and the Health Records and Information Privacy Act 2002 (NSW) as stated in clause 13.3 of our Customer Contract. In 2020–21, we: • processed 212 privacy matters, of which: 173 were general privacy enquiries, eight of which were raised by external parties, 15 were investigated using NSW Privacy Commissioner protocols, 24 were reviewed for privacy impacts, 175 were closed (along with 52 from previous years) • completed a review of our internal processes and published those to our intranet • provided feedback on the NSW Government’s proposed changes to the NSW privacy laws • promoted Privacy Awareness Week and hosted an event for NSW Government agencies • presented to work groups to promote better understanding of privacy • participated in and hosted NSW Right to Information and Privacy Practitioners Network events. We support customers experiencing payment difficulties by offering specialised programs to ensure equal access to essential water and wastewater services. We assess each case individually, if a customer is not eligible for financial relief, we refer them to external support options that can help. We also run our Community Outreach program to ensure customers are aware of our hardship programs and to help overcome barriers to customers accepting assistance. This became even more important with an increased number of calls from people seeking financial assistance with their water bills during the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, Sydney Water undertook a pro-active outbound campaign to promote support available from August 2020 through to March 2021, which demonstrated our massive effort in response to COVID-19. We reached out to customers whose debt was increasing, to talk to them about the various support options available at Sydney Water. In 2020–21, we assisted customers via the Payment Assistance Scheme (PAS) at a total cost of about $1.2 million. Safety, diversity and a high-performance culture are in focus at Sydney Water as we recognise that our people enjoy being a part of a positive, ethical, inclusive and contemporary experience. Our safety team, along with wellbeing and safety representatives across the organisation, have been working hard this year to support the wellbeing of our employees. This has been especially important given the uncertainty of the external environment due to COVID-19. An Infectious Diseases Management Team continually monitors COVID-19 issues across our area of operations, ensuring the safety of our employees. Despite these challenges, our continued focus on our people’s safety, health and wellbeing, has enabled Sydney Water to achieve the following: • Keeping our people and contractors safe is our top priority, and we note an improvement in our Total Recordable Injury Frequency Rate (TRIFR) over the year to 5.7, down from 6.4 in 2019–20 and well below 23.0 just four years ago. • We have reduced the number of worker’s compensation claims by 20 per cent and cut related insurance premiums by $400,000. • We have improved employee engagement to 84 per cent through our safety, health and wellbeing initiatives. • Participation in our Flu Vaccination Program rose 33 per cent, with 685 of our people receiving the flu vaccine at a Sydney Water location.

Labour

Commitment

1. Does the company have a policy commitment in relation to the following labour rights principles?

	No, and we have no plans to develop a policy	No, but we plan to in the next two years	Yes, included within a broader policy	Yes, articulated as a stand-alone policy	Not applicable (Please provide additional information)
Freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining
2020
Forced labour
2021
Child labour
2021
Non-discrimination in respect of employment and occupation
2018
Occupational safety and health
2021
Working conditions (wages, working hours)

Optional comment

The Modern Slavery statement was completed November 2021. Sydney Water publishes annual Modern Slavery Statement which outlines the ptential modern slavery risks in Sydney Water's operations and supply chains, actions taken to assess and address those risks, including due diligence and remediation processes and how we assess the effectiveness of those actions.

1.1. For each labour rights policy, is it:

	Aligned with international labour standards?	Publicly available?	Approved at most senior level of the company?	Applied to the company’s own operations?	Applied to the company’s supply chain and/or other business relationships?	Developed involving labour rights expertise from inside and outside the company?	Other (Please provide additional information)
Freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining
Forced labour
Child labour
Non-discrimination in respect of employment and occupation
Occupational safety and health
Working conditions (wages, working hours)

Optional comment

Our annual Modern Slavery Statement is in accordance with Modern Slavery Act 2018 (Cth).

Prevention

2. In the course of the reporting period, has the company engaged with affected stakeholders or their legitimate representatives in relation to the following labour rights issues?

	No engagement on this topic	To better understand the risks/ impacts in question	To discuss potential ways to prevent or mitigate the risks/ impacts in question	To agree on a way to prevent/ mitigate the risks/ impacts in question	To assess progress in preventing/ mitigating the risks /impacts in question	To collaborate in the prevention/ mitigation of the risks/ impacts in question	Other (Please provide additional information)
Freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining
Forced labour
Child labour
Non-discrimination in respect of employment and occupation
Occupational safety and health
Working conditions (wages, working hours)

Optional comment

We have a Modern Slavery Policy working group consisting representation from Procurement, Legal, Training, Corporate Compliance, Planning, Safety to discuss and implement actions to manage Modern Slavery Risks. Our Modern Slavery Statement is reviewed and approved by the Head of Procurement, CFO and signed off by the Board.

3. What type of action has the company taken in the reporting period with the aim of preventing/mitigating the risks/impacts associated with this labour rights issue?

	Provided internal training/ capacity building for the direct workforce	Building capacity among relevant business relationships (e.g., partners, suppliers, clients, etc.)	Conducting an audit process and/or corrective action plan	Collective Action with peers or other stakeholders, in particular workers' organizations, to address the issue	Collaboration with governmental or regulatory bodies	Other (Please provide additional information)	No action within reporting period
Freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining
Forced labour
Child labour
Non-discrimination in respect of employment and occupation
Occupational safety and health
Working conditions (wages, working hours)

Optional comment

In regards to forced and child labour Sydney Water have rolled out internal communications on the importance of the Modern Slavery Policy. Along with; online Modern Slavery training, putting our commitment to Modern Slavery in our open tender publications. inserting Modern Slavery questionniares in our Tender Documents (currently being developed), revamping modern Slavery questionnaires and asking for more evidence/justification in our Supplier Pre-Qualification Sydney Water is making headway in addressing these important issues.

4. Who receives training for the following labour rights issues?

	No training provided	Select employees	All employees	Contractors	Direct suppliers of the organization	Indirect suppliers of the organization	Other – such as partners, clients, etc.
Freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining
Forced labour
Child labour
Non-discrimination in respect of employment and occupation
Occupational safety and health
Working conditions (wages, working hours)

Optional comment

2020-2021 Finanacial year Sydney Water conducted a live Modern Slavery session for our Procurement members and mandatory training for them to complete. In 2021-2022 financial year, we've launched internal communication along with Modern Slavery Online training to all SW employees. The matrix answers reflect the 2020 - 2021 financial year.

5. How does the company assess progress in preventing/mitigating the risks/impacts associated with the following labour rights issues?

	No monitoring of progress	Review issues on ad-hoc basis	Set annual targets/ goals, track progress over time (internal programs only)	Set annual targets/ goals, track progress over time (internal and external programs)	Other (Please provide additional information)
Freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining
Forced labour
Child labour
Non-discrimination in respect of employment and occupation
Occupational safety and health
Working conditions (wages, working hours)

Optional comment

Sydney Water strives for zero instances of child labour and forced labour. The Sydney Water Modern Slavery working group meets regularly to discuss our actions to eradicate modern slavery practices. We continuously assess the effectiveness of our initiatives to make sure that we are up to date with the requirements of the legislation and current events in the society. We're also engaging with other water providers to learn from each other on how to minimize the risks.

Performance

6. What is the percentage of employees covered under collective bargaining agreements?

	Percent of employees (%)	Unknown
Employees covered under collective bargaining (%)	92

Optional comment

We have 1000 employees that are partially covered by the enterprise agreement although they are employed on an Individual Contract due to a provision in the enterprise agreement to include them.

7. What is the percentage of employees in a trade union or other workers' organization?

	Percent of employees (%)	Unknown	Not applicable (Please provide additional information)
Employees in a trade union or on a worker committee (%)	35

Optional comment

Most recent reporting on this statistic is 2019.

8. In the course of the reporting period, what was the percentage of women in:

	Percent of women (%)	Unknown
Senior leadership level position	42
Non-executive board	22

Optional comment

Sydney Water understands the benefits of a diverse workforce and has set targets to improve female representation at senior leadership leavel (Level 3 and above) as well as across the enterprise and women in STEM / operational roles.

9. What was the average ratio of the basic salary and remuneration of women to men (comparing jobs of equal value) during the reporting period?

	Salary ratio (%)	Unknown	Choose to not disclose
Women / Men (%)	99

Optional comment

Specific program achievements throughout 2020–21 include: reducing our gender pay gap to just less than 1 per cent for women on individual contracts of employment - Annual report. Sydney Water is committed to regular analysis, monitoring, communication, and ongoing improvements to support its commitment to achieving and maintaining gender pay and workforce participation equality.

10. In the course of the reporting period, how frequently were workers injured (injuries per hour worked)?

	Frequency of injury	Unknown	Choose to not disclose
Frequency of injury	5.7

Optional comment

Calculated Total recordable injury freqency rate = 5.7. The TRIFR is the number of recordable injuries for each million hours worked. The total recordable injuries (TRIs) include lost time injuries (LTIs) and medical treatment injuries (MTIs).

11. In the course of the reporting period, what was the company’s incident rate?

	Incident rate	Unknown	Choose to not disclose
Incident rate	9.3

Optional comment

The employee High Potential Incident Frequency Rate (HiPoFR) in 2020–21 was 9.3. HiPoFR is number of significant incidents (high potential incidents) per million worked hours.

Response and Reporting

12. In the course of the reporting period, has the company been involved in providing or enabling remedy where it has caused or contributed to the adverse impact associated with the following labour rights issues?

	Yes	No	Choose to not disclose	Not applicable (Please provide additional information)
Freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining
Forced labour
Child labour
Non-discrimination in respect of employment and occupation
Occupational safety and health
Working conditions (wages, working hours)

Optional comment

We investigate incidents and injuries and once the causes are established, we identify and carry out corrective actions to prevent recurrence.

13. Briefly describe practical actions the company has taken during the reporting period and/or plans to take to implement the labour rights principles, including any challenges faced and actions taken towards prevention and/or remediation.

Our Diversity Index, which measures our performance against targets at various levels of the organisation, reached 71.5 per cent, and we are working towards further improvements in 2021–22. We celebrate and continue to build diversity and inclusion within our workforce. We continue to focus on increasing the participation of women, including in STEM areas, operations and leadership. We have also implemented strategies to reduce our gender pay gap and we seek a gender balance in our early career programs. Our employees celebrate diversity through internal events such as International Women’s Day, NAIDOC Week, Sorry Day, National Reconciliation Week, Wear it Purple Day and other culturally significant diversity days and events. Additionally we have a focused employment campaign to increase First Nations employment representation and Sydney Water is a corporate member of Supply Nation, which promotes business between corporate Australia, government agencies and First Nations–owned businesses. Through our membership we aim to increase the number and annual spend with First Nations–owned businesses in our supply chain. Sydney Water supports the objectives of the Modern Slavery Act 2018 (Cth) which closely aligns with our core corporate values. We are strongly committed to ensuring that our operations and supply chain are free from modern day slavery practices; that as a business we do not profit from exploitation of others; and the products and services we deliver to our five million customers are ethically sourced. We have reduced the number of workers compensation claims by 20 per cent and cut related insurance premiums by $400,000. Injury analysis points to musculoskeletal injuries as the most significant contributor (38 per cent) to recordable injuries in 2020–21, so our focus in 2021–22 is on broadly deploying a Manual Handling initiative that we piloted in 2020–21. The initiative involves the use of wearable sensor technology, providing individuals with tailored feedback and training about how they interact with their task and how they might correct their body movements towards the desired range of movement. Also, considering the age profile of many of the contributing musculoskeletal injuries, those over 50 years of age will also undergo a more rigorous fit-for-work assessment, where tailored action plans will be developed to support individuals to maintain their fitness for work.

Environment

Commitment

1. Does the company have a formal policy on the following environmental topics?

	No, and we have no plans to develop a policy	No, but we plan to in the next two years	Yes, included within a broader policy	Yes, articulated as a stand-alone policy	Not applicable (Please provide additional information)
Climate Action
2021
Water
2021
Oceans
2021
Forests / Biodiversity / Land Use
2021
Air Pollution
2021
Waste (e.g., chemical spills, solid waste, hazardous, plastic, etc.)
2021
Energy & Resource Use
2021

Optional comment

Environment policy: https://www.sydneywater.com.au/content/dam/sydneywater/documents/environmental-policy.pdf Recycled Water, Storm Water and Water Management processes are in place.

1.1. For each environmental policy, is it:

	Aligned with international environmental standards?	Publicly available?	Approved at most senior level of the company?	Applied to the company’s own operations?	Applied to the company’s supply chain and/or other business relationships?	Developed involving environmental expertise from inside and outside the company?	Other (Please provide additional information)
Climate Action
Water
Oceans
Forests / Biodiversity / Land Use
Air Pollution
Waste (e.g., chemical spills, solid waste, hazardous, plastic, etc.)
Energy & Resource Use

Optional comment

Aligned with ISO14001

Prevention

2. In the course of the reporting period, has the company engaged with affected stakeholders or their legitimate representatives in relation to the following environmental issues?

	No engagement on this topic	To better understand the risks/ impacts in question	To discuss potential ways to prevent or mitigate the risks/ impacts in question	To agree on a way to prevent/ mitigate the risks/ impacts in question	To assess progress in preventing/ mitigating the risks/ impacts in question	To collaborate in the prevention/ mitigation of the risks/ impacts in question	Other (Please provide additional information)
Climate Action
Water
Oceans
Forests / Biodiversity / Land Use
Air Pollution
Waste (e.g., chemical spills, solid waste, hazardous, plastic, etc.)
Energy & Resource Use

Optional comment

Collaborating with EPA on many environmental topics. Sydney Water - Annual Environmental Performance Report.

3. What type of action has the company taken in the reporting period with the aim of preventing/mitigating the risks/impacts associated with these environmental topics?

	Provided internal training/ capacity building for the direct workforce	Building capacity among relevant business relationships (e.g., partners, suppliers, clients, etc.)	Conducting an audit process and/or corrective action plan	Collective Action with peers or other stakeholders to address the issue	Collaboration with governmental or regulatory bodies	Other (Please provide additional information)	No action within reporting period
Climate Action
Water
Oceans
Forests / Biodiversity / Land Use
Air Pollution
Waste (e.g., chemical spills, solid waste, hazardous, plastic, etc.)
Energy & Resource Use

4. How does the company assess progress in preventing/mitigating the risks/impacts associated with the following environmental topics?

	No monitoring of progress	Review issues on ad-hoc basis	Set annual targets/ goals, track progress over time (internal programs only)	Set annual targets/ goals, track progress over time (internal and external programs)	Other (Please provide additional information)
Climate Action
Water
Oceans
Forests / Biodiversity / Land Use
Air Pollution
Waste (e.g., chemical spills, solid waste, hazardous, plastic, etc.)
Energy & Resource Use

4.1. For each environmental topic in which the company sets timebound goals / targets, what kind of targets has the company set?

	Description of targets (e.g., what is the target, absolute vs. intensity, externally verified, on track, etc.)
Climate Action
Energy & Resource Use
Water	* Environment Protection Licence (EPL) monitoring to achieve compliance with EPLs. * Sewage Treatment System Impact Monitoring Program (STSIMP) monitoring to acheive guideline values from sources including Healthy Rivers Commissions (HRC, 1998), ANZECC (2000), National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC, 2008). * Stormwater quality targets for developers discharging into our systems. Water Conservation Report - Economic Level of Water Conservation Economic Level of Leakage (ELL) Target
Forests / Biodiversity / Land Use
Air Pollution
Waste (e.g., chemical spills, solid waste, hazardous, plastic, etc.)
Oceans	* Environment Protection Licence (EPL) monitoring to achieve compliance with EPLs. * Sewage Treatment System Impact Monitoring Program (STSIMP) monitoring to acheive guideline values from sources including Healthy Rivers Commissions (HRC, 1998), ANZECC (2000), National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC, 2008). * Stormwater quality targets for developers discharging into our systems.

Optional comment

We collect a range of data but do not have set targets for the metrics below: Forests / Biodiversity / Land Use * Native vegetation removal and net gain, year on year comparison Air pollution * Odour complaints, year on year comparison * Compliance with EPL requirements Waste * Waste generation and re-use quantities, year on year comparison Energy & Resource Use * Greenhouse gas emissions/1,000 properties - year on year comparison * Achieve grid electricity consumption equivalent to 1998 levels (366 GWh). * External reporting to National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting (Measurement) Determination (2008) - NGER Scheme is reported year to year, but no targets influenced by scheme.

4.2. For each environmental topic in which the company sets timebound goals / targets, how is progress against target / goal tracked?

	Progress is reviewed against goals annually or more frequently	Progress is reported internally to the most senior level	Progress is reported externally	Other (Please provide additional information)
Climate Action
Energy & Resource Use
Water
Forests / Biodiversity / Land Use
Air Pollution
Waste (e.g., chemical spills, solid waste, hazardous, plastic, etc.)
Oceans

Optional comment

Energy and Resource Use - NGERS (External) and IPART reported year to year, but not set targets.

5. In the course of the reporting period, has the company been involved in providing or enabling remedy for any actual impacts associated with the following environmental issue(s)?

	Yes	No	Choose to not disclose	Not applicable (Please provide additional information)
Climate Action
Water
Oceans
Forests / Biodiversity / Land Use
Air Pollution
Waste (e.g., chemical spills, solid waste, hazardous, plastic, etc.)
Energy & Resource Use

Optional comment

We are counting 'overflows' as this type of pollution.

Climate Action

6. What were the company’s gross global greenhouse gas emissions for the reporting period?

Scope 1 Emissions

Full

None

Emissions (tCO2e)

39970

Scope 2 Emissions

Full

None

Emissions (tCO2e)

295946

Scope 3 Emissions

Full

Partial

None

Emissions (tCO2e)

Optional comment

Scope 1 and 2 - Full proportion measured Scope 3 - Partial proportion measured (391769(tCO2e)) 2020-2021 NGERS figures

7. What percentage of the company's revenue was invested in R&D of low-carbon products/services during this reporting period?

Percent of revenue (%)

Unknown

Not applicable (Please provide additional information)

Optional comment

Approximately less than 0.03% Assumption $1M R&D spend on revenue of $3billion. - Race to 2030, Smartcrete, Arboretum, Sodium Ion Batteries, Hydrogen Roadmap, Biochar.

8. Has the organization acted to support climate change adaptation and resilience?

We have taken action to increase organization-wide resilience to climate change

We have taken action to increase resilience in our supply chains

We have taken action to increase resilience in the communities in which we operate

We have provided funding for climate change adaptation and resilience initiatives and projects

We have not taken actions to build climate change resilience in the reporting period

Other (Please provide additional information)

Unknown

Energy / Resource Use

9. Please report the company's renewable energy consumption as a percentage of total energy consumption in the reporting period.

% of total energy consumption

15.5

Unknown

Optional comment

Excludes Sydney Desalination Plant/Build Own Operate Transfer plants (plants that are run on our behalf by other companies), as those figures were not included in gross emissions.

Technology

10. What percent of the company's revenue came from environmentally friendly products / services during this reporting period?

Percent of total revenue (%)

Unknown

Not applicable (Please provide additional information)

Sector-specific: Water

12. Please provide details regarding the company's water withdrawal and consumption (own operations) during the reporting period.

Water withdrawal (volume of water in megaliters):

	Mega-liters	Unknown	Not applicable (Please provide additional information)
Total	361751
Groundwater:	0
Surface water:	524082
Rainwater:	0
Wastewater:	37669
Percentage of water withdrawn in regions with high or extremely high water stress (%)	0

Water consumption (volume of water in megaliters):

	Mega-liters	Unknown	Not applicable (Please provide additional information)
Total
Groundwater:
Surface water:
Rainwater:
Wastewater:
Percentage of water consumed in regions with high or extremely high water stress (%)	0

Optional comment

Sydney Water sources water from the Kurnell Desalination plant and has reported this number within surface water as requseted. The desalination component of the total surface water withdrawl is 19,609 ML

13. Please provide details about the company’s water intensity of products in regions with high or extremely high water stress.

Water intensity of products (cubic meter/$):

Unknown

Not applicable (Please provide additional information)

We are a water utility located outside of a high water stress environment.

Sector-specific: Air pollution

17. Where applicable, please report the company's emissions of the following pollutants during the reporting period.

	Emissions (tCO2e)	Unknown	Not applicable (Please provide additional information)
NOx
Water sub-sector not applicable
SOx
Water sub-sector not applicable
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC)
Water sub-sector not applicable
Hazardous air pollutants (HAP)
Water sub-sector not applicable
Particulate matter (PM10)
Water sub-sector not applicable
Persistent organic pollutants (POP)
Water sub-sector not applicable
Other (please specify in text box)
Water sub-sector not applicable

Sector-specific: Waste

18. Please report the company's total weight of waste generated in metric tonnes during the reporting period.

Waste Generated (t)

Unknown

Not applicable (Please provide additional information)

Water sub-sector not applicable

19. Please report the percentage of the company's waste that was hazardous waste (i.e., hazardous waste ratio) during the reporting period.

Hazardous Waste Ratio (%)

Unknown

Not applicable (Please provide additional information)

Water sub-sector not applicable

20. Please report the company's estimated metric tonnes of single-use plastic consumed wherever material along the value chain during the reporting period.

Single-use plastics (tonnes)

Unknown

Not applicable (Please provide additional information)

Water sub-sector not applicable

Overall Environment

21. Briefly describe practical actions the company has taken during the reporting period and/or plans to take to implement the environment principles, including any challenges faced and actions taken towards prevention and/or remediation.

• Environment Plan for 2020-21: The Environment Plan includes directional actions to achieve improvement in our environmental performance within the next four years (2020-2024) and beyond. Key actions in the plan are highlighted and if something isn’t on track, it is escalated through Executive and Board forums (Environment Portfolio Steering Committee (EPSC) and Board Planning and Infrastructure Committee (PIC)). Escalation may be necessary to inform the Executive and Board of the risks, or to gain support for increased resourcing or funding to deliver the action. • Annual Environment Performance Report 2020-21: Incorporates our statement on the implementation of our special objectives as required by the Sydney Water Act 1994 (the Act) and our Environmental Indicators Performance Report 2020-21. The report summarises how we addressed the special objectives identified in Section 22 (6) of the Act between 1 July 2020 and 30 June 2021. Sydney Water integrates environmental and public health management into its business decision-making and operational activities. The special objectives are implemented within a total business context, rather than as separate considerations. This approach ensures that balancing social, economic, public health and environmental considerations is part of the usual way we provide services. • Water Conservation Report 2020-21: Sydney Water’s water conservation initiatives are designed to be economically viable and environmentally sustainable, without compromising the value provided to customers and the community. Core to water conservation efforts is contributing to Sustainable and efficient management of our water resources, Developing water resilient and water smart communities, and Enabling liveability outcomes for the community.

Anti-corruption

Commitment

1. Does the company have an anti-corruption compliance programme?

No, it is not an immediate business priority

No, but we plan to in the next two years

Yes

2020

2. Does your company have policies and recommendations for employees on how to act in case of doubt and/or in situations that may represent a conflict of interest, e.g. with regard to gifts and hospitality, donations, sponsorship, or interactions with public officials?

No, and we have no plans to develop a policy

No, but we plan to in the next two years

Yes, included within a broader policy

Yes, articulated as a stand-alone policy

Optional comment

Sydney Water has a 'Gifts and benefits policy' adressing this issue.

Prevention

3. Who receives training on anti-corruption and integrity?

3.1. How often is such training provided?

	One time only	Every year	Every two or more years	We do not collect this data
All employees
Select employees
Contractors
Direct suppliers of the organization
Other – such as partners, clients, etc.
Indirect suppliers of the organization

4. Does the company monitor its anti-corruption compliance programme?

No, we do not monitor the anti-corruption compliance programme

Review issues on ad-hoc basis

Yes, through internal employee self-evaluations

Yes, through automated controls monitoring

Yes, through external independent monitoring

Yes, through other mechanisms

We have periodic reporting to the Audit & Risk Committee on our performance in this area.

Response and Reporting

5. Please report the company's total number and nature of incidents of corruption during the reporting year.

	Number of incident(s)	Unknown	Choose to not disclose
Confirmed during the current year, but related to previous years	2
Corrupt conduct
Confirmed during the current year, and related to this year	15
Corrupt conduct

6. Within the reporting period, what measures has the company taken to address suspected incidents of corruption independently or in response to a dispute or investigation by a government regulator?

Initial case assessment

Internal investigation

Review by risk / ethics committee

Review by board of directors

External audit / review

Other (please provide additional information)

Not applicable/no incidents in the reporting period

7. Does your company engage in Collective Action against corruption?

No, it is not an immediate business priority

No, but we plan to in the next two years

Yes (please explain)

8. Briefly describe practical actions the company has taken during the reporting period and/or plans to take to implement the anti-corruption principle, including any challenges faced and actions taken towards prevention and/or remediation.

We report internally to our people on corruption matters as well as to the ICAC and the Audit & Risk Committee. We also report to the NSW Ombudsman statistics on public interest disclosures.