ESG issues have become increasingly important in investment decisions: the world's largest asset managers are investing more and more funds in companies that comply with sustainability criteria, and they refer to ESG ratings for their evaluations.

These ratings are given by agencies specialised in collecting and analysing such data. In this context, the awards we received from a number of leading international ESG rating agencies for our achievements in our business's sustainability are therefore of the utmost importance.

In December 2022 ERG entered on the 'A List' (previously A-) rating under the Carbon Disclosure Project CDP - Climate Change programme which, by monitoring corporate governance and performance in the fight against climate change, guides companies and governments towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

ERG thus consolidated its position in the CDP ranking within the "Leadership" bracket, which includes all companies that adopt best practices in the fight against climate change, ranking above the European average (B rating) and above the average for renewable energy companies (C rating).

The Group's many best practices, including its governance model for managing climate change, combined with its efforts to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by developing renewable energies (wind and solar) led to its inclusion on the 'A list'.

In February 2022, CDP itself assigned ERG an A rating in the Supplier Engagement Rating, recognising the foundations of the "Sustainable Procurement" project with which ERG has committed to ensuring the sustainability of the entire supply chain with actions aimed at measuring and reducing environmental risks, in line with the SDGs.

The recognition obtained from ISS ESG is also significant, which assigned ERG the "A-" Corporate Rating: we are the first Group among the 125 companies assessed at international level in the "Electric Utilities" sector to obtain this recognition.

(1) With a score <10 [scale from 0 to 100] ERG is placed at the very top of the utility universe

 

An important recognition during the year also derived from ERG's inclusion in several ESG indices, in particular:

the S&P Global Clean Energy Index, the stock market index of Standard & Poor’s, which incorporates 82 companies at international level that are key players in the production of green energy with high ESG standards;

the new MIB ESG Index, the first ESG index dedicated to the 40 most important Italian listed issuers that stand out for their best practices in the field of sustainability and combines the measurement of economic performance with ESG assessments, in line with the principles of the United Nations Sustainable Development according to the criteria established by Vigeo Eiris;

Bloomberg's Gender Equality Index (GEI), which includes 418 companies in 45 countries worldwide and measures companies' commitment to supporting gender equality by promoting a more inclusive environment, ensuring the transparent and comprehensive representation of information. In particular, the effectiveness of ERG's gender pay equality initiatives and the creation of an inclusive corporate culture were acknowledged, as well as the clarity and quality of its reporting.

These recognitions confirm the validity of our corporate strategy, focused on the creation of sustainable value for all our stakeholders, and reward our commitment to ESG, as well as the value of ERG's social responsibility policy.