Scottish Water has enhanced the equivalent of more than 1,000 football pitches of land through its net zero programme, with peatland restoration and new woodland helping nature recover while protecting vital water sources.

During 2025/26, work at locations including Loch Katrine and Backwater Reservoir restored or enhanced 733 hectares, while renewable energy projects and other measures helped avoid around 10,000 tonnes of carbon emissions.

The scale of the land improvements shows how the organisation’s drive towards net zero is increasingly extending beyond cutting emissions, with projects designed to improve biodiversity, water quality and Scotland’s resilience to a changing climate.

Large scale peatland restoration and woodland creation formed an important part of that work during the year, helping protect landscapes which also contain some of the country’s most important sources of drinking water.

Scottish Water says the 10,000 tonnes of carbon emissions avoided through its wider programme is equivalent to more than 2,700 return flights between Glasgow and Tokyo.

Its latest Net Zero Routemap annual update also records around 4.5 GWh of energy savings during the year alongside 3.88 GWh of renewable electricity generation, which the organisation says is enough to power around 3,000 homes for a year.

Lower carbon fuel is also playing a role where electrification is not yet practical, with Scottish Water installing dedicated Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil fuelling stations in Inverness, Glasgow and Edinburgh.

The fuel is being used for vehicles and equipment where operational demands such as distance and load mean switching to electric alternatives is not currently suitable.

Elise Cartmell, General Manager for Net Zero at Scottish Water, said:

“Our net zero programme is continuing to deliver benefits across the environment, our operations and the communities we serve.

“From restoring peatlands and expanding native woodland to generating more renewable energy, we’re helping tackle climate change while supporting biodiversity, improving water quality and strengthening resilience to the impacts of a changing climate.

“These projects demonstrate that climate action can deliver multiple benefits for Scotland, both now and in the future.”

Scottish Water acknowledges that the next stage will become increasingly difficult as it turns towards emissions which are harder to eliminate, including those created by water and wastewater treatment processes, treatment chemicals and activities throughout its supply chain.

Cartmell said:

“The next phase of the journey will be more challenging as we focus on emissions that are harder to abate.

“We’ve already demonstrated that meaningful reductions can be achieved across our operations, our land and the way we invest in new infrastructure.

“Since 2021, we’ve substantially lowered the carbon intensity of our investment programme, with lower-carbon design, materials and construction methods now embedded across project delivery.

“The challenge now is to build on that progress by tackling emissions associated with treatment processes, chemicals and wider supply chains.

“Reducing these emissions will require new technologies, continued innovation and close collaboration with partners across the sector, but we’re continuing to build the knowledge, capability and partnerships needed to meet that challenge.”

Scottish Water says it will continue investing in research, innovation and lower carbon solutions as it works towards net zero, with the restoration of hundreds of hectares of Scotland’s landscape demonstrating that some of the benefits can already be seen far beyond the carbon figures.