A new vision of the world, guided by a commitment to the new generations, has shown everyone how we need to plan a future that reconciles the individual and the collective, economy and ecology, local and global.
At A2A, we embrace this challenge and step forward to guide the change, placing all of our know-how and advanced technologies at the service of people’s quality of life and the Planet.
It will be a plan of transformation, ten years long, from multi-utility to Life Company where energy, water and a cleaner environment, thanks to the circular use of natural resources, are the conditions necessary for life. It will be an ambitious plan with the objective of contributing to the country’s sustainable development. About 90% of investments will, in fact, be in line with the SDGs and about 70% with EU Taxonomy: 18 billion euros set aside for the development of the circular economy (7 billion) and for the energy transition (11 billion), spheres which, more than others, are crucial for the preservation of the future of us all.
2021 beyond expectations
The COP26 held in Glasgow highlighted both the need to achieve decarbonization by 2050 and the importance of the targets related to the reduction of greenhouse gases set out in the Paris Agreement.
The geo-political context and the evolution of the climate emergency have contributed to making the strategic mainstays of our Plan – the circular economy and energy transition – even more solid, with all of the Group’s Business Units (Energy, Waste and Smart Infrastructures) playing their part.
The action taken during the first year of the Plan have made it possible to consolidate our businesses and strengthen our presence throughout Italy, constituting the basis to achieve, by 2040, the zeroing of direct and indirect emissions (both Scope 1 and Scope 2) generated by the Group, reinforcing action that can contribute to the country’s ecological transition.
In 2021, in fact, two years ahead of schedule, installed capacity targets for the generation of energy from renewable sources were achieved.
Over the next few years, we will focus our efforts on businesses that are strategic for the ecological transition, speeding up decarbonization, ahead of the goals set out at COP26, and raising the targets for the circular economy and energy transition.
Long-term strategy for long-term investments
Carbon neutrality by 2040
Zero landfills
Sustainable mobility
Our commitment to the Circular Economy
Follow our progress in its key stages through updates on activities, projects and stories.
Our commitment to the Energy Transition
Follow our progress in its key stages through updates on activities, projects and stories.
Social & Governance
ESG factors are increasingly integrated into our strategy. We have identified challenging goals for the “social” and “governance” dimension in which we operate.
Our people
During the Covid-19 emergency, we have guaranteed our services for customers and the community as a whole while paying very close attention to our workforce and our activities so as to ensure their safety. The use of digital platforms has allowed us, in fact, to continue with the activities of talent attraction and employer branding, with 1,300 recruitments and training schemes (a total of 216,000 hours) involving 9,400 employees. In this respect, 60% of employees have been involved in training courses on sustainability and the UN SDGs, with the target of reaching the entire workforce by 2026.
Our approach to diversity and inclusion is based on the principles of integrity and the protection of the individual within the working environment. As confirmation of this, last year, A2A was included in the Bloomberg LP Gender Equality Index, implemented a human rights policy and made a commitment statement on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Moreover, the new Board Gender Balance indicator was introduced in order to ensure that the least represented gender holds at least a third of the places on boards of directors, with a 2030 target of 90%/ (the figure stood at 43% in 2021). Finally, we undertake to reach 50% of women among new hirings by 2026 (+5% compared with 2021F) and to meet the target of 21% of working hours completed in remote working by 2030.
The sustainable supply chain
We are continuing towards a sustainable supply chain. In fact, two new policies have been implemented: Sustainable Procurement in order to promote socially and environmentally responsible practices among our suppliers and stimulate improved ESG performance all along the supply chain; Stakeholder Engagement in order to strengthen our relations with all those we work with.
In 2021, 95% of orders were placed with Italian companies, with 50% from suppliers assessed with ESG indicators (2030 target: 90%), and we confirmed our commitment to reach, by 2030, a level of 30% in sustainability criteria in the vendor rating process.
Responsible innovation
We believe that innovation means creating an open, embracing and interconnected ecosystem. In 2021, in fact, we met with 643 start-ups, of which seven joined our portfolio by means of corporate venture capital (CVC). Within the sphere of the ecosystem of innovation, 43 experimental projects were run, 11 crowdsourcing schemes took place and one patent was applied for. We are also involved in the fostering of an internal culture of innovation, encouraging the continued participation of employees in a range of initiatives (ideas competitions, intrapreneurship programmes, etc.): in 2021, 3,000 people were involved, with 546 proposals put forward and eight of the new ideas resulting in ongoing projects.
The objective for 2030 in the sphere of innovation is that of carrying out investments 100% in line with ESGs, of confirming ours as the top CVC fund for the energy transition and circular economy, of increasing by 40% experimental projects focussed on artificial intelligence (AI).
Sustainable finance
In the course of 2021, the sustainable finance market reported substantial growth. We thus confirm our commitment in this Governance dimension, increasing the percentage of ESG debt on the total. In this context, in 2021, we adopted a new Sustainable Finance Framework, which combines two approaches: the Green Use of Proceeds, which allows maximum transparency on the use of proceeds for specific projects, and the Sustainability-Linked component, which enables an overall interpretation of the Strategy. Thanks to this framework, in the first year of the Plan, were issued onto the bond market a sustainability-linked bond linked with the Scope 1 emissions target and a green bond with investments aligned with taxonomy for a total of 1 billion euros, plus a sustainability-linked revolving credit line related to sustainability goals. We aim at a commitment by 2030 of 80% of ESG debt on the total (2026 target: 70%).
Our people
During the Covid-19 emergency, we have guaranteed our services for customers and the community as a whole while paying very close attention to our workforce and our activities so as to ensure their safety. The use of digital platforms has allowed us, in fact, to continue with the activities of talent attraction and employer branding, with 1,300 recruitments and training schemes (a total of 216,000 hours) involving 9,400 employees. In this respect, 60% of employees have been involved in training courses on sustainability and the UN SDGs, with the target of reaching the entire workforce by 2026.
Our approach to diversity and inclusion is based on the principles of integrity and the protection of the individual within the working environment. As confirmation of this, last year, A2A was included in the Bloomberg LP Gender Equality Index, implemented a human rights policy and made a commitment statement on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Moreover, the new Board Gender Balance indicator was introduced in order to ensure that the least represented gender holds at least a third of the places on boards of directors, with a 2030 target of 90%/ (the figure stood at 43% in 2021). Finally, we undertake to reach 50% of women among new hirings by 2026 (+5% compared with 2021F) and to meet the target of 21% of working hours completed in remote working by 2030.
The sustainable supply chain
We are continuing towards a sustainable supply chain. In fact, two new policies have been implemented: Sustainable Procurement in order to promote socially and environmentally responsible practices among our suppliers and stimulate improved ESG performance all along the supply chain; Stakeholder Engagement in order to strengthen our relations with all those we work with.
In 2021, 95% of orders were placed with Italian companies, with 50% from suppliers assessed with ESG indicators (2030 target: 90%), and we confirmed our commitment to reach, by 2030, a level of 30% in sustainability criteria in the vendor rating process.
Responsible innovation
We believe that innovation means creating an open, embracing and interconnected ecosystem. In 2021, in fact, we met with 643 start-ups, of which seven joined our portfolio by means of corporate venture capital (CVC). Within the sphere of the ecosystem of innovation, 43 experimental projects were run, 11 crowdsourcing schemes took place and one patent was applied for. We are also involved in the fostering of an internal culture of innovation, encouraging the continued participation of employees in a range of initiatives (ideas competitions, intrapreneurship programmes, etc.): in 2021, 3,000 people were involved, with 546 proposals put forward and eight of the new ideas resulting in ongoing projects.
The objective for 2030 in the sphere of innovation is that of carrying out investments 100% in line with ESGs, of confirming ours as the top CVC fund for the energy transition and circular economy, of increasing by 40% experimental projects focussed on artificial intelligence (AI).
Sustainable finance
In the course of 2021, the sustainable finance market reported substantial growth. We thus confirm our commitment in this Governance dimension, increasing the percentage of ESG debt on the total. In this context, in 2021, we adopted a new Sustainable Finance Framework, which combines two approaches: the Green Use of Proceeds, which allows maximum transparency on the use of proceeds for specific projects, and the Sustainability-Linked component, which enables an overall interpretation of the Strategy. Thanks to this framework, in the first year of the Plan, were issued onto the bond market a sustainability-linked bond linked with the Scope 1 emissions target and a green bond with investments aligned with taxonomy for a total of 1 billion euros, plus a sustainability-linked revolving credit line related to sustainability goals. We aim at a commitment by 2030 of 80% of ESG debt on the total (2026 target: 70%).
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