Materiality and Ambitions

Clear goals for sustainable management

GRI 102-15, GRI 102-46, GRI 102-47, GRI 103-1, GRI 103-2, GRI 103-3, GRI 201-2

Undeniably, the energy transition is one of the greatest social challenges of this century. With the 50Hertz vision "For a successful energy transition - in a sustainable world" and our new strategic goal "From 60 to 100 by 2032 - new energy for a strong economy", we are making it clear that we are an active driver when it comes to decarbonising society and industry. To this end, we are developing the grid, the system and the market of the future.

Marco Nix

CFO 50Hertz

„With our new 50Hertz strategy #from60to100by2032 and the Elia Group Sustainability Initiative, we are making a significant contribution to achieving European, national and regional sustainability goals. The fact that investors trust us with regard to our activities, projects and plans under the currently applicable regulatory framework is reflected in the successful placement of our first Green Bond in May 2020.“

Our sustainability strategy is guided by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations. Last year, we defined five fields of action, the dimensions, which include combating climate change, increasing biodiversity, diversity and inclusion, the safety of our employees and integrity.

Sustainable Development Goals

In 2015, the international community of states represented by the United Nations has agreed 17 goals for sustainable development.

Within the context of Agenda 2030, these global goals, which apply equally to all states, are intended to reduce inequalities, promote equal opportunities and stimulate sustainable economic growth.

All - governments and companies alike - are called upon to meet this challenge, but also to focus on opportunities and risks and tap the potential of sustainability.

The Elia Group has a strong, positive influence on SDG 7 "Affordable and Clean Energy" with its business model of increasingly integrating sustainable energies into the grids. At the same time, this also creates positive influences that lead to sustainable cities and communities (SDG 11). The Group contributes to a good employment situation and stable growth in the various regions of its grid areas, thus strengthening SDG 8 "Decent Work and Economic Growth". Overall, Elia Group's business activities and revenues contribute 100% positively to SDGs.

This positive influence is offset by both opportunities and risks, the alignment of which with the corporate strategy is carefully examined. These include, for example, more intensive investigation of the effects of climate change and other related risks on the Group's own business activities and those of the supply chain.

Our internal sustainability programme "Act Now" now makes this even more concrete and has defined measurable goals. These are further integrated into our strategy and help determine what we do and the decisions we make. As we are an important catalyst for the energy transition as a grid operator, we firmly believe that sustainability must be embedded in all our activities.

Act Now ambitions

The ultimate objectives of our Act Now programme are outlined below.:

Climate Change

Becoming carbon-neutral by 2040

Circular Economy & Environmental Protection

Ensuring eco-design and adhering to recycling requirements for system components
Increasing biodiversity in and around our substations and under our pylons, and finding alternatives to herbicides – so extending the Ecological Aisle Management

Safety leadership

Putting in place strict measures to ensure accident prevention
Implementing an uncompromising culture of safety, both internally and externally for our contractors

Diversity and inclusion

Ensuring all staff are given equal opportunities to succeed and creating an inclusive work environment
Increasing the number of women on our executive board, across our management teams, and in 50Hertz’s workforce, so that at least 30% of positions in these areas are occupied women
Increasing the number of staff who have severe disabilities at 50Hertz

Ethical values and standards

Zero tolerance for ethical breaches
Strengthening compliance further regarding the external and internal law

#from60to100by2032

While "Act Now" serves an internal guideline for corporate activities along our value chain, we want to go further at 50Hertz and actively promote sustainability in our grid area: With our new strategic objective “From 60 to 100 by 2032: for an economy with prospects", we are aiming to cover 100% of the annual electricity consumption with renewable energy in our grid area by 2032. We support renewable energy providers in implementing their projects quickly as well as the industry in their efforts to decarbonise their processes. This enables us to contribute effectively to the fight against climate change and to the strengthening of sustainable industrial sites.

With Elia Group’s sustainability programme "Act Now" and 50Hertz’s strategic objective "From 60 to 100 by 2032: for an economy with prospects", we are making an ambitious contribution to reaching the European, national and regional renewable energy and climate targets as well as to the decarbonisation of society, both internally and externally.

Materiality

Our main economic, ecological and social issues were already consolidated at the level of Elia Group in 2019. We are planning to align the new materiality matrix with the interests of the relevant stakeholders. Our stakeholders include our partners, the public, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), politicians, regulatory agencies, investors, the media, customers, suppliers and representatives of 50Hertz employees.