Drax is reinforcing its commitment to sustainability with a bold, enhanced strategy designed to drive measurable progress in climate action, biodiversity, and community support. By implementing a comprehensive framework, the renewable energy leader is setting new standards in environmental responsibility, ensuring long-term resilience and value creation for stakeholders.
The company has collaborated extensively with scientists, academics, employees, investors, and environmental NGOs to develop a robust sustainability framework. This approach features 26 concrete, time-bound targets that will shape Drax’s strategy on critical areas such as emissions reduction, sustainable forestry, biodiversity enhancement, water efficiency, and local community support.
A cornerstone of this initiative is Drax’s ambitious goal to achieve net zero across its value chain by 2040. This involves decarbonising supply chains, prioritising low-carbon biomass fibre delivery to Drax Power Station, and advancing the use of renewable energy in its pellet production operations.
Drax’s new framework includes key initiatives aimed at driving meaningful change. The company will invest in STEM education and green skills training to uplift underprivileged communities, ensuring a skilled workforce for the future of renewable energy. It is also leveraging automated digital data gathering to enhance governance and traceability across its supply chain. By 2030, nature-positive action plans will be implemented at Drax sites and within priority biomass sourcing areas to foster biodiversity and ecosystem resilience.
Additionally, Drax is intensifying efforts to permanently remove carbon from the atmosphere through its carbon removal projects in collaboration with Elimini. Biodiversity enhancement is another priority, with targeted initiatives across all company sites to reinforce ecosystem sustainability. The company is also committed to prioritising health and safety while fostering inclusivity within the communities it serves.
Miguel Veiga-Pestana, Drax Group’s Chief Sustainability Officer, emphasised the significance of this strategic shift: “Our new sustainability framework represents a transformative change in how Drax manages its environmental and community impact. We have actively engaged with stakeholders to shape a plan that ensures our renewable biomass power generation remains as sustainable and responsible as possible for the future.”
“This is just the beginning,” Veiga-Pestana added. “As the climate crisis intensifies, the urgency for action will grow. Carbon removals will play a pivotal role in mitigating climate change, and we must continue to innovate and push our sustainability efforts further to reduce humanity’s impact on the planet.”
Drax Group plc (LON:DRX), trading as Drax, is a power generation business. The principal downstream enterprises are based in the UK and include Drax Power Limited, which runs the biomass fuelled Drax power station, near Selby in North Yorkshire.
