SGN

Does the core business genuinely avoid or reduce emissions, or build climate resilience? Share of revenue that is actually 'green'. Fossil-dependent models score low.

SGN's core business distributes fossil natural gas, and methane shrinkage (leakage + own-use) constitutes ~98% of its operational carbon footprint; incremental biomethane injection and a single 30 km hydrogen pilot are meaningful demonstrations but do not materially alter the emissions profile of the network today.

Credible, science-based targets (SBTi), a real net-zero plan with progress to date, and CDP disclosure — not just a dated press release.

SGN has a 2045 net-zero commitment aligned to the Scottish Government target and has achieved the Carbon Trust 'Taking Action' tier, but no SBTi-validated near-term or long-term targets were found on the SBTi dashboard; CDP supplier engagement earned an 'A' Leadership grade (2022), but that covers supply chain engagement only, not SGN's own absolute emissions trajectory.

Operational footprint, labour and social practices, and governance quality across the company's own operations and supply chain.

SGN publishes annual environmental reports aligned to UN SDGs, runs an Environment Advisory Panel, has a Sustainable Procurement Supplier Code covering 80%+ of supply chain ESG topics, and is investing in pipe replacement and biodiversity projects; however Scope 1+2 emissions rose 3% in 2024-25, indicating operational decarbonisation has not yet taken hold.

Quality of disclosure, independent third-party verification, and how much hard data backs the company's claims.

SGN publishes detailed annual environmental reports with emissions data and CDP disclosures, uses the Carbon Trust Route to Net Zero Standard for third-party validation of operational carbon reductions, and openly shares biomethane data via Open Net Zero; however, no independently assured SBTi-validated targets exist, and the scope of third-party verification on Scope 1 absolute emissions is limited.

Controversies, litigation, pollution, fossil-fuel lobbying, conflict-zone involvement and governance scandals. Higher means cleaner.

SGN and Cadent voluntarily paid into Ofgem's £8m Energy Redress Fund in 2025 for missing 97% emergency callout targets in 2022-23; Southern Gas Networks (SGN subsidiary) was fined £1.2m by a court after pleading guilty to a Health and Safety at Work Act breach following a gas main explosion injuring workers; and Ofgem opened a Competition Act Chapter II investigation in 2024 into potential abuse of dominant position on above-7-barg connections, resolved by binding commitments in December 2025 — a pattern of moderate but recurring regulatory and safety incidents.