Sustainability Report
2020

As we introduce the stakeholders to the Acea Group’s 2020 sustainability performance, we look to the past year with the knowledge that we are not yet clear of the health emergency caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Italy and the entire world have suffered an immense loss of human life and we are all coping, day by day, with the social and economic consequences of these circumstances. And yet, though in March 2020 we felt dismay, twelve months later we share the belief that we can overcome the pandemic, defeat it even, thanks to the joint effort of the scientific community and all those who have worked to support it. We see a country that is down but not out and that is also seeking to restart with renewed enthusiasm.

Our Company has been fortunate to operate in business sectors – public services – that have experienced rather limited repercussions, as it plays a key role for the community and the local region. In the final quarter of 2020 and with our responsibility in mind, we wanted to define the Group’s growth prospects and strengthen its ability to create value over time, by approving the new business and sustainability strategies for 2020-2024 in line with the Development Objectives of Agenda 2030, the values of our Code of Ethics and the principles of the United Nations “Global Compact”, which Acea continues to adhere to year after year.

Our idea of the future and the challenges that we have undertaken are in agreement with those set out by the European Green Deal, which the international community has confirmed and backed over the course of the previous year. As we know, the European Union’s growth strategy is aimed at the gradual transformation of development models, with a view to circular economy and the preservation of the natural environment, beginning with the fight against climate change and the protection of biodiversity. It targets carbon neutrality, providing for investments in renewable energy sources, energy efficiency, transport with a low environmental impact and the redevelopment of buildings. It specifies technology and innovation as key enablers and makes inclusivity an essential point of reference.

In this sense, the Action Plan to fund sustainable growth and the “Next Generation EU” growth tool will increasingly drive investment.

Acea has embraced the suggestions that arose from the new context and defined its path of growth in the circular economy. It has made the challenge of climate change its own, by planning and launching the development of energy production from renewable sources, by continuing energy efficiency measures and the adoption of green energy for internal use and by challenging itself to make use of additional tools for analysing and reporting aspects related to climate change, thanks to a steady alignment with the recommendations of the Taskforce on Climate-related Financial Disclosure.

The Company will continue to optimise the resilience of its strategic electrical and water infrastructure, to strive towards the protection and preservation of water resources and to develop research activities, even initiating partnerships with start-ups, aimed at applying technological innovation to the management of infrastructure and organisational and production processes, as well as the definition of more advanced stakeholder interaction tools and methods.

In 2020, Acea was quick to focus on all stakeholders, especially the categories hit hardest by the times, such as customers, employees and suppliers, ensuring not only the continuity of operations and services but the development of innovative projects on infrastructure and further developments in digitisation. Acea made particular commitment to its customers, by developing the functionality of remote contact channels and creating new ones, in order to adequately meet new requirements. In the same way, thanks to upgraded IT infrastructure, 3,700 people were able to switch immediately from office-based to remote working, by centring working methods around employee empowerment and a relationship of trust. It became absolutely essential to protect the health and safety of our people, which we managed by establishing a Coronavirus Prevention Committee, tasked with coordinating and implementing all necessary measures, and similar attention was paid to the issues of contractor health and safety, thus preserving the continuity of relations with the 2,500 suppliers that supported the Group’s activities over the year.

We wanted to express our active presence in the local region by participating in various events and supporting numerous initiatives. We followed up on our recurring commitments to the community, such as the Acea School initiatives, which we carried out online for the first time, with the successful involvement of over 4,000 young people.

This is the meaning that we have taken from the past year: perseverance in continuing activities and a forward-looking perspective. We are confident of our Company’s prospects for growth and Italy’s economic and social recovery, to which we will continue to contribute, including through significant investments in sustainability and innovation which will guarantee the development of the local regions we operate in.