Sustainability integrated into our business
Sustainability is an integral part of our business strategy: we ensure the resilience and safety of our infrastructures, we protect water and the environment, we create shared value for people, suppliers and the communities.
To develop and manage safe and sustainable infrastructure and, via our people, to ensure essential resource access and circularity for residents, businesses and the local community”: this is the objective defined in our “Green Diligent Growth” Business Plan.
Water, energy and environment are our business areas. On a daily basis, we commit to ensuring the management of these fundamental resources according to a logic of efficiency and innovation, integrated with our vocation of serving the areas and the communities where we operate, from a perspective of the company’s responsibility towards the creation of shared value.
Accordingly, attention to the environment, resources, communities and people is the cornerstone of our activities and sustainability is therefore a fundamental and indispensable prerequisite for all our decisions.
Our 2024-2028 Sustainability Plan, approved by the Board of Directors in November 2024, was defined in close correlation to our “Green Diligent Growth” Business Plan and formalises our objectives with regard to positively impacting people, the environment and the territories, which Acea intends to pursue in carrying out its business, reflecting its commitment to the integration of sustainable development principles into business decisions and enterprise management.
The Sustainability Plan is aligned with the value-driven principles referred to in our Code of Ethics and with the European Green Deal targets and the Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations 2030 Agenda.
The first three goals - “Infrastructure resilience and security”, “Water protection” and “Environmental Protection”- are closely connected to our core businesses and our role as an infrastructure operator. They generate environmental benefits that support the transition to a sustainable economy, also with a view to mitigating and adapting to the effects of climate change. In addition, they contribute to improving the services provided to the territory and to the communities by upgrading and securing water and electricity infrastructures, as well as enhancing their resilience and flexibility.
The other three strategic goals - “Centrality of People”, “Evolution of the supply chain”, “Value for the community”- are focused on the creation of shared value. We are committed to the well-being and growth of our Group’s people, our suppliers, and the territories where we operate. For the first time, the Sustainability Plan is extended to include our overseas companies, with specific environmental and social targets as regards the realities in which we operate and where we can make a significant contribution, particularly to support the local communities.
Our strategic objectives are divided into 20 lines of intervention with 87 targets, each monitored via specific indicators to ascertain activity performance with respect to the result anticipated.
INFRASTRUCTURE | WATER | ENVIRONMENTAL | CENTRALITY | EVOLUTION | VALUE FOR | |
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Lines of
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N° Target | 17 | 6 | 19 | 20 | 8 | 17 |
Learn more about our sustainability strategy
Download the Sustainability Report from the 2024 Consolidated Financial Statement
“Acea manages natural resources and provides public utility services by way of an integrated approach that harmonises the management of environmental and social impacts, risks and opportunities. Sustainability is at the core of our strategies and business decisions as a key element of innovation and value creation, for our group, for the territories and for the communities where we operate.”
Caterina Dentoni Litta
Acea Group Head of Sustainability
Some projects fully embody our commitment to addressing global challenges as infrastructure operator of excellence, dedicated to serving the nation and its communities.
The Peschiera-Capore pipeline doubles |
INFRASTRUCTURE RESILIENCE AND PROTECTION
An essential project for securing the water supply of the Capital.
The Peschiera-Capore pipeline doubles
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Reduction of water losses
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WATER PROTECTION
The management of networks and facilities through artificial intelligence to monitor the health status of our assets.
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Renewable energy production
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
Renewable energy production We aim to grow in the photovoltaic sector with 870 MW installed by 2028, contributing to emissions reduction.
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Acea Scuola |
VALUE FOR THE COMMUNITY
We work to raise awareness among young generations about respecting natural resources and addressing environmental issues.
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Acea Academy |
CENTRALITY OF PEOPLE
Our training program focused on business management and leadership, digitalisation, and robotics.
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Our commitment to sustainable development is integrated into our governance system, to ensure the creation of value over the long term for the benefit of all our stakeholders, the environment and the territories where we operate. Our sustainable governance undertakings are formalised in the Sustainability Plan.
We operate in a responsible manner in observance of shared moral and social principles, by adopting guidelines and rules and monitoring their application.
Definition and revision of codes of values and policies: code of ethics, human rights policy, anti-corruption policy, integrated management and sustainability systems policy, etc.
Training and monitoring of policy application
We incorporate sustainability into our decisional processes and operations, via specific structures and tools and constant monitoring.
Adaptation of our organisational structure by way of committees and specific responsibilities with regard to sustainability
Inclusion of ESG objectives in performance management models (Long Term, MBO)
Monitoring and reporting of public sustainability commitments (e.g. targets validated by SBTi)
Integration of sustainability factors into the risk assessment process
Enhancement of the recourse to green/blue financing tools and relations with shareholders, investors and the financial community from an ESG perspective
We raise awareness and train our people, associates, suppliers and stakeholders with regard to sustainability, causing it to become a value shared and effectively applied on a daily basis:
Training of employees via the «Sustainability professionals» programme
Involvement of internal and external stakeholders in sustainability decisions
Development of a sustainable value chain
Via dedicated processes and structures, Acea undertakes to operate responsibly vis-à-via the environment and the community, monitoring its impact and guaranteeing external transparency.
The Ethics, Sustainability and Inclusion Committee advises the Board of Directors on ESG issues. The Committee promotes the integration of sustainability into business strategy and culture, supervises communications with stakeholders and the pursuance of sustainability objectives, examines guidelines, monitors implementation of the Sustainability Plan and oversees the adequacy and implementation of the Code of Ethics.
The Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Committee is a technical advisory body whose purpose is to steer the cultural trend and promote a work environment based on understanding, inclusion, fairness and promotion of diversity.
The mission of the Chief Risk Management, Compliance & Sustainability Officer, who reports directly to the Chief Executive Officer, is to ensure the valorisation of ESG criteria within the Acea Group, integrating sustainability principles and issues with business and financial operational aspects, contributing towards the Group’s positioning in international sustainability ratings and preparing the related reports.
The Integrated Management and Sustainability Systems Policy outlines the principles and values for carrying out the Group’s sustainability ambition, valorising the commitments with regard to quality, environment, workers’ health and safety, energy management and customer satisfaction as an integral part of the management systems that we have adopted for governing our activities.
Through its Human Rights Policy, Acea undertakes to protect the human rights of communities and workers and to ensure the sustainable management of natural resources. The policy is defined in observance of the main references on the subject, including the UN, OECD, ILO and Global Compact guidelines.
The Sustainable Procurement Policy encourages the involvement of suppliers and their supply chain in a partnership collaboration, with a view to enhancing synergies and reducing potential negative environmental and social impacts associated with the procurement chain.
In February 2025, Acea published its first “Green & Blue Financing Framework”, confirming the Company’s commitment to the use of sustainable finance tools for carrying out investments, starting with the integrated water service. As regards the previous Green Financial Framework, Acea has already placed two Green Bonds for the total amount of 1.6 billion Euro.