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Social innovation refers to new ideas, concepts, services, organizational models or approaches that aim to tackle and solve social challenges. In light of this perspective, the Acea Group is committed to actively contributing to the welfare of the communities and territories in which it operates.
To understand and define what social innovation is, it is necessary to prioritize the community and its needs. Social innovation refers to the products, services and projects that bring improvements to society. Acea Group is committed to social innovation by paying particular attention to the well-being of its people, the quality of services offered to citizens, and sustainability and circularity throughout its value chain. These goals have a positive impact on the lives of the people involved, thereby aiding in the achievement of the concept of social innovation.
The well-being of people is a key element of social innovation for a better quality of life in the company.
A work environment that is founded on communication, inclusivity, listening and meeting needs, integration and diversity appreciation, in accordance with an active Diversity, Equity and Inclusion policy, enables employees to optimally manage their professional aptitude and proactively integrate the personal sphere with the work sphere. This synergy supports an environment in which well-being becomes not only a shared goal but also a driving force for business success.
Acea Group is committed to supporting people's growth through training projects. Therefore, based on an analysis of the needs expressed by people, each year a training plan is developed and shared with team leaders. Furthermore, the skills required to achieve business goals are identified together with the Group managers. Thanks to this evaluation, the training plan is defined. The plan mainly focuses on digital, governance, security, managerial, and technical topics related to the role.
Acea also provides a series of webinars open to everyone, regardless of their specific role. The topics are addressed to people interested in learning more about current organizational topics such as Diversity and Inclusion, Digital Transformation and Sustainability.
Online learning paths and recordings are then created for an ongoing personal development experience.
Acea Group is actively involved in numerous innovative social initiatives and projects aimed at improving individual well-being and supporting the growth of people, responding flexibly to emerging needs.
The Company Welfare Plan focuses on six main pillars:
A further step was taken in May 2023 with the presentation of "Acea's Person and Participation Charter," a new model of industrial relations signed with labor organizations. With this agreement, the Group has reaffirmed its commitment to developing professional skills and improving the well-being of the entire corporate staff both individually and collectively. Acea also aims to generate increasing value for the local area through the commitment of its people.
Social innovation also means providing citizens with quality services that contribute to a more sustainable future and improve their daily lives.
The contribution that each Group company can make towards the achievement of social innovation becomes crucial within Acea's diverse businesses.
Acea is the first water national operator and it distributes water to more than 9 million citizens in Lazio, Tuscany, Umbria, Molise and Campania. The Group, through its Water division companies, is involved in the management of integrated water service by following the principles of sustainability and committing to safeguarding water sources and the surrounding natural areas. Acea monitors water quality during the whole process of collection and distribution. The purification phase is also carefully executed to return the water resource to the environment. Additionally, technological innovation and digitization of infrastructure enable timely maintenance and upgrading interventions, as well as constant monitoring, which ensures the quality of services to all citizens.
Acea is engaged in waste valorisation in the context of circular economy and service to the territory. In particular, through the Environment division companies, the Group is involved in materials recycling, waste composting, energy recovery from waste-to-energy and biogas, liquid waste treatment, and waste disposal in landfills.
Through such processes Acea is committed to improving the lives of citizens by offering quality services and contributing to Italy's ecological transition, combining social innovation and environmental protection
Thanks to the companies operating in the Commercial area, the Group is engaged in the sale of energy on the free market for domestic, small business, and large enterprise customers, as well as being involved in the provision of higher consumer protection service in the city of Rome. The Group also brings to the market innovative solutions to support the energy transition in the areas of sustainable mobility, energy renovation of buildings, and large-scale composting.
Moreover, Acea supplies electricity to users in Rome and Formello through the company Areti. Additionally, Acea conducts experiments in resilience and flexibility with the objective of facilitating the escalating electrification of consumption.
Areti plays a pivotal role in the contexts of public lighting and artistic illumination of the Capital's streets, squares, and monuments. The illumination of works of art and monuments, which is always designed with a focus on energy conservation, promotes the city's rich cultural heritage and enables citizens and tourists to enjoy them at all times.
Acea also encourages social innovation throughout the supply chain by building partnerships with suppliers who embrace the Group's principles. Therefore, Acea encourages collaborations with companies that adopt sustainability criteria, invests in supplier training and safety, and conducts targeted verifications.
Evaluations of efficiency and performance related to the supply chain are carried out by using Vendor Rating. It is a tool that evaluates the eligibility of suppliers by assigning scores based on four key criteria: baseline requirements (behavior before and during the contract performance), quality, timing, and safety.
In line with the increasing effort to monitor the supply chain, Acea has also adopted the Ecovadis model to assess sustainability performance assessment of its suppliers. Ecovadis is Europe's most important platform for certifying socio-environmental sustainability in the supply chain. By introducing the Ecovadis rating, it is possible to monitor the ethical, social and environmental footprint throughout the supply chain, rewarding the most virtuous companies in terms of sustainability.
In conclusion, Acea is committed to social innovation and aims to positively contribute to improving people's quality of life and the progress of the communities and territories in which the Group operates.
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