Our Sustainability Strategy

Our Sustainability Strategy builds on our strong foundations, evolving our ambition on climate change, nature, and communities, powers the next phase of sustainability leadership through a focus on how we deliver, and connects us world leading science and best practice.

Our vision

A legacy of thriving people and places.

As sustainability leaders, we are committed to supporting people and places to thrive, while doing the right thing for our planet.

Our mission

Delivering a network for net zero in a fair and sustainable way.

The network growth needed to achieve net zero and deliver clean power brings social, environmental, and economic consequences, impacting people, places, and our planet in many different ways.

This can include both positive and negative impacts. We have a responsibility to minimise potential negative impacts while at the same time seizing the opportunities to build resilience, restore nature, increase value and share the benefits of this transition with communities.

Our values

We do the right thing for people and the planet.

Our actions and decisions are informed by our values. As part of SSE, sustainability is one of our core values. To us it means doing the right thing for people and the planet. In doing so, we also aim to create and share value with our stakeholders and wider society.

 

Our Sustainability Strategy structure

At the core of our Sustainability Strategy are three focus areas that build on our strong foundations in tackling climate change, protecting and restoring nature, and engaging with communities. In each of these areas, we aim to leave a positive legacy, ensuring our network is resilient to the impacts of climate change, helping the natural environment to thrive, and leaving a positive legacy for communities.

We will power the next phase of our sustainability leadership through a stronger focus on people, procurement, and our performance. That means growing our skilled workforce in a just and sustainable way, whilst driving an inclusive wellbeing culture. It means partnering with our supply chain to deliver excellence together, while procuring responsibly for people and planet. And it means strengthening our data, systems, and processes to better manage our performance. Together, these elements of our Sustainability Strategy empower us to connect with world leading sustainability practices and to deliver on our ambition.
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In developing our detailed Sustainability Action Plan, we reviewed the potential impact of each action against our responsibilities to minimise negative impacts and maximise benefits.

The six focus areas of the Strategy are also underpinned by a series of enablers:

  • Good governance.
  • Stakeholder engagement and partnership.
  • Innovation.
  • Risk management.

Our Strategic Responsibilities

A set of responsibilities act as a sense-check for all other actions and targets in this Strategy.
These responsibilities are:

Our Hero Commitments

  • Climate

    Actively reduce our emissions whilst building a resilient network for a climate-changed world.

  • Nature

    Take a nature positive approach, to protect and restore nature.

  • Communities

    Ensure benefits are shared with communities and any adverse impacts are minimised.

  • People

    Grow our skilled workforce and continue to drive inclusion and wellbeing.

  • Procurement

    Forge partnerships for excellence in procurement, ensuring responsible sourcing.

  • Performance

    Understand our impacts from a global to local scale by enhancing data and processes