We raise awareness to create value

For some years now we have been monitoring the water and energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions of our supply chain, involving a representative sample of our suppliers, also with a view to encouraging them to adopt initiatives for a responsible management of their environmental impact. Furthermore, during the qualification stage, they are required to complete a mandatory self-assessment questionnaire, which includes environmental and social questions, and we are developing awareness-raising initiatives on social and environmental topics. Moreover, during 2023, we expanded the Group Vendor Rating. The system monitors various supplier performance indicators (punctuality, quality, safety) and generates a “vendor rating indicator”, which in 2023 was calculated for 640 suppliers. This is supplemented with a sustainability rating, in accordance with the model created by Ecovadis, a CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) global rating firm, based on international standards. The Ecovadis model calculates the sustainability rating taking account of 21 CSR criteria concerning environment, labour and human rights, ethics and sustainable purchasing. The average score obtained by the approximately 640 suppliers assessed in 2023 exceeded the national average.

We want to grow alongside the territory, with mutual respect and in a constructive manner. We actively take part in dialogue initiatives with the local community with a view to jointly tackling the problems that emerge, and planning together the development of solutions for the community through targeted and weighted investments.
We describe below some of our most important initiatives and collaborations.

Acea is involved in the PlatOne project (PLATform for Operation of distribution Networks), a European consortium of companies and organisations, whose objective is to develop a technological solution capable of optimising the working and management of the electrical grid, making it more stable and resilient. PlatOne, financed by the European Horizon 2020 programme and already in operation for the past few years, has become the basis for development also of other projects, such as ‘RomeFlex’, aimed at creating a flexibility market for Rome’s electricity grid.
The Group collaborates with ENEA, the Italian National Institute of Health (ISS), the National Research Council (CNR) and other major scientific organisations for the development of projects concerning the sustainable management of the waste cycle and water, with the objective of applying innovative technologies and solutions to industrial projects.
From a smart city perspective, in 2021 Acea, in keeping with its strategy for electric mobility and with its charging point installation plan, launched the Acea e-mobility App which enables customers to charge their electric vehicles at over 15,000 authorised points in Italy, thanks to the interoperability agreements signed with other industry players.
In the water sector, Acea continues and consolidates its community involvement commitment via the Waidy Wow initiatives.

Moreover, Acea is continuing its participation in Rome’s Casa delle Tecnologie Emergenti (CTE - House of Emerging Technologies), promoted by the Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Labour, for the development of smart cities of the future. In particular, in 2023 a tender was launched for the selection of start-ups with innovative project solutions concerning emerging technologies or 5G networks, to be developed in the following areas: mobility, tourist services, commerce, training, work, environment and waste management, transformation and urban regeneration, social innovation, equal opportunities and wellbeing, cultural activities, urban safety and cybersecurity.  

Lastly, in line with the memorandum of understanding signed in 2022, during the course of 2023 Acea Ambiente continued its collaboration with the Metropolitan City of Turin to verify the feasibility of reusing recycled polymers to create road surfaces, in keeping with the principles of circular economy and environmental sustainability.

It is important for residents to become increasingly conscious of how they use natural resources. Thus, each year we organise campaigns to raise awareness and engage on topics concerning water and energy saving and protection of the environment. In particular, the new generations represent our future.

The involvement of young people is therefore essential to the sustainable development of the planet. For this purpose, in 2023 the Group continued its commitment vis-à-vis students by carrying out the entirely digital event “Acea School - ProteggiAmo l’ambiente”, a training course that introduces youngsters to best practices, projects and technologies set up by the Group to manage activities in a sustainable manner, looking more closely at certain aspects, such as alternative energy sources.

We are also planning Work experience paths to stimulate the interest of young people approaching working age for the sustainable management of our businesses, encouraging them to reflect on our common future. With this in mind we created the project GenerAzione 2030 involving approximately 400 students from 13 senior schools in the Lazio, Umbria, Tuscany and Campania regions, aimed at offering the students the opportunity to get to know the Group’s companies operating in their areas in order to learn more about the firms and their businesses.

“Acea per la comunità” (Acea for the community) is one of the Group's projects aimed at supporting people and the territories where it operates. In fact, the initiative has the purpose of making the elderly more aware of their consumption, with an eye on saving and protecting resources. During meetings at the senior centres of the Municipality of Rome, which sponsors the event, and the municipalities located within the metropolitan City of Rome, staff from Acea Ato 2, Acea Energia and Waidy Wow endeavour  to raise the awareness of the community about various issues concerning sustainability, energy saving and the supplementary water bonus.

During the holiday period, on 7 January 2024 Acea supported a solidarity lunch in collaboration with the Community of Sant’Egidio, with the attendance of 300 people, including refugees from Syria and Afghanistan and numerous Eritrean families. The initiative, carried out together with the Group’s Company Recreational Club (CRA), also involved the collaboration of some employees as volunteers.