Sustainability has been an integral part of our corporate strategy for several years. We have implemented key measures and achieved major progress towards sustainability in our core business, our financing and our integrated reporting. We are a longstanding member and supporter of relevant sustainability initiatives and are in dialogue with all internal and external stakeholder groups.
Sustainability concept and organisation
We will more consistently benchmark our future decisions and investments against sustainability criteria and align our growth accordingly. EnBW is thus taking a clear stance, even though we have been aligned towards sustainability since we began remodelling the company in 2013, for example through our investment in renewable energies and electricity grids. Now is the right time to explicitly adopt a holistic concept.Sustainability concept
For us, sustainability means making all of EnBW's activities economically, ecologically and socially compatible. Every decision and every investment must be measured along the three dimensions of sustainability (ecology, economy and social issues).
To put this ambition into practice, our sustainability agenda follows four key strategic themes. The strategic themes "New energy & climate neutrality" and "Infrastructure transition" address opportunities and challenges in the area of generation and grid infrastructure. With the strategic theme "Culture of sustainability," we are aligning our corporate culture even more closely to sustainability and, for example, examine every investment we do. In the fourth strategic theme, "Protecting the natural environment" we are committed to comply with ecological standards, human rights, and health and safety.
EnBW sustainability agenda
The measures published in the fall of 2020 in our 25-point sustainability program were either implemented or pushed forward as a priority in 2021 and will in the next stage be transferred into our EnBW sustainability agenda that we will start to implement in our operating business in 2022. The aim is to anchor sustainability in our strategic business activities and thus strengthen our competitiveness. The flagship projects and measures developed as part of the EnBW sustainability agenda will make an important contribution to the long-term success of our business and integrate sustainability in our activities and solutions. They will thus make a clear contribution to value added and to minimizing risks. We developed the EnBW sustainability agenda in a multi-stage process that incorporated both relevant stakeholders and also our corporate values. The EnBW sustainability agenda defines four key strategic themes:
Sustainability management
The sustainability department is headed by Katharina Klein nad Dr. Lothar Rieth. The Sustainability Team reports directly to the CEO, addresses sustainability risks and opportunities, and coordinates and supports the activities of group units. The team serves as a central point of contact for sustainability issues in the group (for functional and business units as well as shareholdings).
Sustainability issues are developed in the CSR Committee, in which the heads of relevant departments (environmental protection, risk management, controlling etc.) are represented. This and other formats ensure cooperation between the sustainability team and the functional and business units (including renewables, grids, sales).
Our contribution to the UN Sustainable Development Goals
Our business activities and projects contribute most of all to the following four SDGs:
Our business activities and projects also contribute to the following five further SDGs:
Quality education (SDG 4), Gender equality (SDG 5), Clean water and sanitation (SDG 6), Decent work and economic growth (SDG 8), Responsible consumption and production (SDG 12).