Our stakeholders

We involve our people in every aspect of our work and pay close attention to issues concerning health and safety, training, life-work balance, diversity and equal opportunities.
We promote organisational well-being and are committed to encouraging inclusion, fairness and the enhancement of diversity within the firm.
In 2022 the Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Committee was created, the annual Equality & Care Plan was adopted at Group level and our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Manager was appointed. Acea also obtained gender equality certification (UNI/PdR 125:2022) and, for the second year running, received Top Employers Italy certification.
In 2023, for the third consecutive year, the company obtained Top Employers Italia certification and was again included in the Bloomberg Gender Equality Index.

Moreover, Acea has adopted the People and Participation Charter, a protocol signed with the Trade Unions, providing for the valorisation of the company’s professionalism, the insourcing of contracted works, the development of co-planned training courses, interventions for the upgrading of workspaces, the introduction of measures with regard to training and parenting.

Smart working, already utilised by the Company as an experimental method prior to the emergency, again in 2023 was the predominant method of working.

The main initiatives we have undertaken along the supply chain concern the strengthening of contractual forecasts to protect social and environmental aspects. For example, in our tenders we valorise the companies that can demonstrate their monitoring of sustainability aspects, such as safety training and the use of ecological equipment during operations, and their joint possession of quality, environmental and safety certifications.

In 2023 there were 14,2524 safety inspections carried out at worksites, demonstrating Acea’s commitment to overseeing aspects concerning the safety of supplier personnel. Moreover, development of the Group Vendor Rating system continued; this system assesses the performance of suppliers based on indicators relating to punctuality, quality and safety. We also extended sphere of application of the Ecovadis model , conceived for the purpose of analysing suppliers based on 21 ESG criteria and assessing their sustainability. Thanks to this tool, in 2023 a total of 640 suppliers were assessed.

We promote the responsible and efficient use of resources, the protection of springs, the conservation of natural areas where our infrastructures (plants and networks) are located and the mitigation of physical impacts and external effects generated by operational processes on the ecological context. This is why we encourage the companies in our Group to use environmental Management Systems, considered by us to be essential tools for the sustainable administration of our businesses. The Group has embarked on a major plan to increase production from renewable energy sources and has set itself the goal of achieving high efficiency in the internal end uses and process uses of energy and reducing carbon intensity.

In the digital era, technology is influencing and rapidly changing not only the infrastructures, but also the dynamics and contact channels between companies and customers. Alongside the customer satisfaction surveys, which for years we have used to record the satisfaction of our customers and citizens regarding the services provided, thanks to new technologies and the Group's renewed digital ecosystem we are able to communicate in a high-tech manner and can monitor in real time our services, their level of efficiency and compliance with territorial requirements.  After listening carefully, we decided to support the adoption by our customers and residents of sustainable styles of consumption, for example via campaigns to promote renewable energy sources, the use of electronic bills or awareness campaigns on water saving and protection. 

In order to consolidate the good relationships with our customers, we are constantly committed to maintaining the highest level of trust, via dedicated confrontation and reconciliation channels and activities, including those of the ADR Body for out-of-court settlement of disputes, the regularisation of abuse phenomena in the water sector and the prevention of cases of unfair or non-competitive trade practices.

We maintain an open dialogue of trust with the financial community, which we meet at numerous roadshows in conjunction with major corporate events in the key European piazzas. Here again we must surely give importance to sustainability aspects, which we know are receiving more and more attention from the financial world: we hold increasingly frequent discussions with ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) analysts to effectively communicate our commitment to creating a shared value with our stakeholders.

In 2023 Acea once again took part in the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), receiving an A- rating, which positions the company in the leadership class, with an improvement over the result obtained in 2022 (B). The Group also improved its sustainability solicited rating from Standard Ethics (EE+), with long-term vision and positive outlook.
From 2022, the Group was also added to two key reference indices for Italian listed companies: MIB ESG, maintained by Euronext, and SE Mid Italian Index, maintained by Standard Ethics. Lastly, Acea is included among the 15 largest EU listed Multi-utilities comprising the SE European Multi-Utilities Index and its performance is evaluated by other major sustainability analysts, such as Sustainalytics, MSCI ESG Rating.

To be forerunner and create value means making our networks and plants more efficient, safer and technologically advanced, so that the services can be integrated in an increasingly rapid and reliable manner. This is the direction taken, for example, by our projects and investments in innovation as regards the urban network from a smart city perspective, intelligent public lighting and multiservice metering systems. In this way, we endeavour more and more to actively involve the local populations by means of specific projects, such as stakeholder engagement activities. From a safety standpoint, we ensure the smooth running of our services by enhancing the resilience of the system when faced with critical environmental and fraudulent or terrorist events.

At the same time, we are working with the local communities, and with young people in particular, to disseminate principles of environmental education and valorise our monumental heritage, via initiatives conducted in collaboration with the competent authorities. In 2023 our commitment turned into projects and initiatives associated with the promotion of health, safety, sport and culture, conceived for all age groups.

In March 2024 the Acea Group approved the new 2024-2028 Business Plan, named ‘Green Diligent Growth’. The new strategy continues to pursue the development path undertaken by the company during the period 2020-2024, with sustainability representing the cornerstone of the strategic pillars. The Business Plan, in addition to setting out new and ambitious objectives for the Group and investments totalling €7.6 billion, is characterised by the strongly transversal nature of ESG criteria within the company’s businesses. Moreover, the strategy remains aligned with the material issues and Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda.

The synergy and complementarity of the Business Plan and the Sustainability Plan is essential for building a sustainable growth path, while respecting the environment and work conditions, and for the creation of a value shared with the local community.
We are also careful to maintain an efficient internal organisational infrastructure (procedures, rules, organisation) that is suited to the emerging needs. Worthy of note is the full operativity during the year of the Ethics Officer, a collective body whose purpose is to pursue business ethics, and the constantly enhanced management of business risks, including those pertaining to sustainability.