Severn Trent PLC

In October 2022, we established our Get River Positive Independent Advisory Panel with the objective of helping to oversee our progress against each commitment and ensure we maximise the benefits our campaigns will deliver. The Panel meets on a quarterly basis to support activity around the pledges, providing advice and recommendations, and bringing new perspectives as well as feeding in relevant national plans, programmes and policies, especially in relation to the wider environmental agenda." [...] "The Severn Trent Plc Disclosure Committee oversees the reporting obligations of the Group, considering the materiality, accuracy, reliability and timeliness of information disclosed, and reviews the level of assurance received. The effectiveness of the controls over reporting are monitored by the Audit and Risk Committee, which receives regular reports of the assurance conducted by the external auditors. Overall accountability for the preparation and production of the APR, which includes reporting of performance against performance commitments and associated Outcome Delivery Incentives ('ODIs') rests with the Chief Financial Officer.

Governance

We established our Taxonomy Working Group in February 2023 to embed new processes and adapt our existing reporting approach so it was in line with the EU Taxonomy requirements. The working group includes finance and sustainability professionals, is sponsored and guided by senior Finance leadership, and reports monthly to the Chief Financial Officer ('CFO').

The working group coordinates the analysis of activities, relying on Subject Matter Experts ('SMEs') from across the business to provide their expertise. To ensure the robustness of this analysis, we made an investment in licensing specialised EU Taxonomy analysis software from Celsia.

The working group manages and controls the governance of the analysis in line with the EU Taxonomy. This includes undertaking external benchmarking and coordinating review by external advisors and stakeholders, as well as ensuring assurance processes are created and followed in line with our assurance policies.

For more information on our assurance [polices, refer to The Regulatory](https://www.stwater.co.uk/content/dam/stw/regulatory-library/The-Regulatory-Reporting-and-Assurance-Approach-2023-25.pdf)
**[Reporting and Assurance Approach](https://www.stwater.co.uk/content/dam/stw/regulatory-library/The-Regulatory-Reporting-and-Assurance-Approach-2023-25.pdf)**

This includes the appointment of our third line external assurance provider, DNV Business Assurance Services UK Limited ('DNV'), who assured this disclosure before publication. Their assurance statement is included at the back of this report.

Third line assurance is not currently a mandatory requirement of the EU Taxonomy. We chose to engage one of the highest regarded sustainability assurance providers to add a level of rigour to our disclosure and the underlying processes.

We have gone through the same governance processes for this disclosure as we do for those included in our ARA. The data and the narrative in this report are reviewed and signed off by our Disclosure Committee, Audit and Risk Committee, Corporate Sustainability Committee, and Board.

Describe the process(es) your organization has in place to ensure that your engagement activities are consistent with your overall climate change strategy[…]We engage with policy makers on policy / legislation that will have an impact on the climate – for example the new Environment Bill, and Defra consultations on environmental targets,

Although the topics might vary, engagement within our regulatory framework is ongoing. We have a public, clear sustainability framework which outlines our ambitions. Our engagement activities are cognisant of these commitments and we ensure that all engagement activities are appropriately reviewed and signed off.