A2A, involving stakeholders creates value and accelerates green transition

Measuring the value generated by stakeholder engagement activities for companies and local communities, demonstrating that the Just Transition is a path that benefits territories and companies. This is the objective of the Engagement Value Index, the Report with which A2A has measured the impacts generated on territories, with SDA Bocconi School of Management, and on business, with the contribution of TEHA (The European House - Ambrosetti), proposing two complementary indices. Starting from an assumption. In an increasingly complex economic and social scenario, the ability of businesses to build solid and structured relationships with their stakeholders represents a key factor for the creation of value and for the competitiveness of territories. Measuring the impact of these relationships therefore becomes a strategic lever to guide corporate decisions and sustainable development policies.

The study, based on the annual dialogue and listening programme developed by A2A in the areas in which it is present, reveals that stakeholder involvement improves the quality of the relationship with the company by almost 30% and that, in 80% of cases, the reputational benefits are reflected on the entire organisation. "The involvement of the territory is fundamental for the achievement of the objectives of the group's Industrial Plan and is an integral part of our way of acting," - comments Carlotta Ventura, Chief Communication, Sustainability and Regional Affairs of A2A - "This is not just a civic issue. In an increasingly complex scenario, the business continuity of companies depends on the relational ecosystem in which they operate, on their ability to intercept the signals coming from the territories and to return adequate responses," adds Ventura. "For this reason, we considered it fundamental to introduce a scientific system of measurement: the first results show that engagement generates reputational impacts for the company, improving the quality of relations with stakeholders by almost 30%. But above all, it strengthens the empowerment of local communities in order to deal with the ecological transition for maximum benefit," he concludes.

Integration into business processes

Engagement initiatives encourage knowledge sharing and facilitate the creation or strengthening of synergies between different actors on issues that require a cooperative approach. More than 75 per cent of the participants in the study say they feel more motivated and confident in their ability to contribute concretely to the sustainable transition, and 65 per cent say they intend to resume or consolidate contacts with other participants to initiate sustainability projects. "Stakeholder involvement is a strategic lever in the pursuit of Just Transition, but for it to be truly effective it must besystematically integrated into decision-making processes and corporate culture," points out Roberto Tasca, chairman of A2A. "In our group, since 2015 the ESG and Territory Relations Committee has supported the board of directors in defining engagement initiatives and, in 2022, promoted the drafting of a structured policy that defines its strategic and operational framework. The commitment to measuring the effects of these processes on the company and the territories involved is a natural consequence for us. The returns are tangible in dialogue and participation, but we wanted to assess the concrete impact and empowerment capacity they enable'. For this reason, Tasca added, we welcomed with participation the latest guidelines issued by the Committee for Corporate Governance, which aim to strengthen the role of the board in defining strategies for listening to and involving stakeholders. We recognise ourselves in these indications that confirm the importance of engagement tools for the creation of long-term value and the centrality of dialogue to trigger synergy dynamics for sustainable development'.

In essence, a fundamental paradigm shift is taking place with the passage from the "green revolution" to a "competitive transition". In a global context characterised by geopolitical uncertainties and economic pressures, the A2A Group proposes a model in which sustainability is no longer just an ethical duty, but a strategic lever for the growth of the company and the development of the territories. The heart of the document lies in the scientific measurement of the value generated by engagement through two complementary models: the Engagement Business Value Index (EBVI), focused on internal impacts, and the Engagement Social Value Index (ESVI), dedicated to benefits for communities. The objective is twofold: to strengthen reputation, increasing trust and consensus to accelerate decision-making processes, and to foster co-creation, activating collaborations with shared value.