Yarra Valley Water is the largest of Melbourne’s three water corporations, providing water supply and sanitation services to over 1.8 million people and over 50,000 businesses in the northern and eastern suburbs of Melbourne. As well as supplying drinking water, most of which comes from Melbourne’s protected catchments, we also produce and supply recycled water for use in new homes or for the irrigation of sports fields or open space. We own and manage assets valued at more than $4.2 billion and our licence area covers about 4,000 square kilometres.
Our activities are overseen by an independent Board of Directors appointed by the State Government of Victoria.
Sustainability is embedded into our DNA – clearly articulated by our strategic purpose, which is to provide exemplary water and sanitation services that contribute to the health and wellbeing of current and future generations. Within this, we have identified the key commitments that underpin this – relating to the environment, our customers, our financial performance, our internal culture, a commitment to working safely, and also sharing, collaborating and learning from the broader water industry.
In order to deliver sustainable, innovative and forward-thinking urban water solutions, we are continually challenging ourselves to improve and evolve within a rapidly changing operating environment. Some examples of our approach include:
- Considering the total-community cost in decisions about how we provide our services,
- An ongoing commitment to GHG neutrality and a self-imposed cap on nutrient discharges to Port Phillip Bay
- World-leading behavioural change programs for reducing water use
- Award-winning programs for supporting vulnerable customers
- Supplier Code of Conduct, that articulates our expectations of the companies that we work with
Our commitment to the UN Global Compact is an important reinforcement of our sustainability commitment, and we are looking forward to continuing to build on our sustainability credentials by engaging with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
