Historic milestone for Enel taking top spot in 2020 Dow Jones Sustainability World Index

  • The index acknowledged Enel’s outstanding track record on tackling climate change and fostering decarbonization of the global economy, promoting open innovation and responsible business management practices
  • Now at its seventeenth year in the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index (DJSI World), Enel achieved a score higher than 90/100 in more than 70% of the criteria, among which climate strategy and market opportunities
  • Enel also ranks first in DJSI Europe for the “Electric Utilities” sector and second globally in the overall family of Dow Jones Sustainability Indices for the same sector
  • The Group’s Spanish subsidiary Endesa has also been included in the DJSI World Index; Enel’s South American subsidiaries Enel Américas and Enel Chile have been confirmed in regional Dow Jones Sustainability indices

 

Rome, November 14th, 2020 – Enel’s global sustainability leadership was acknowledged by a number one ranking in this year’s Dow Jones Sustainability World Index (DJSI World), an unprecedented milestone in the company’s seventeen year presence in the index. During the DJSI World selection process, Enel stood out in most of the 27 criteria assessed by SAM[1]. Specifically, the company achieved a score higher than 90/100 in more than 70% of the criteria, among which some of the most significant ones are climate strategy and market opportunities, both criteria aimed at assessing the performance of electric utilities on leading the transition towards a low-carbon energy model. Enel also ranks first in DJSI Europe for the “Electric Utilities” sector and second globally in the overall family of Dow Jones Sustainability Indices for the same sector.

The recognition of our worldwide sustainability leadership by DJSI World represents for us an incentive to keep growing our environmental, social and governance performance,” said Francesco Starace, Enel CEO and General Manager. “Enel’s leadership in renewables, network digitalization and advanced energy solutions aimed at decarbonizing other sectors, such as transportation, are some of the main best practices that contributed to this acknowledgement. By embedding innovation and sustainability into the Enel Group’s business practices we are leading the energy transition towards a zero carbon model, protecting the global environment while creating long term value for our stakeholders. I would like to extend my gratitude to all of Enel Group’s employees, it is thanks to them that we could reach this historic milestone.

The company also excelled in other criteria focused on assessing responsible business management practices including risk and crisis management, environmental policy and management, operational eco-efficiency, water-related issues, human rights, human capital development as well as transparency on social and environmental performance.

The Group’s Spanish subsidiary Endesa has also been included in this year’s DJSI World, marking the company’s twentieth straight year in the index. Enel and Endesa are two of the eight companies admitted to the index at the global level in the electric utility sector. In addition, the Group’s South American subsidiary, Enel Américas, has been confirmed in the Dow Jones Sustainability Emerging Markets Index and Dow Jones Sustainability MILA[2] Pacific Alliance Index for the third consecutive year, as well as in the Dow Jones Sustainability Chile Index for the fourth straight year, while Enel’s Chilean subsidiary Enel Chile has been confirmed in the three indices for the third time.

Enel’s sustainability leadership is globally acknowledged through the Group’s presence in several other renowned sustainability indices as well as rankings, such as the MSCI ESG Leaders Indices, CDP Climate “A” List, the Euronext Vigeo-Eiris 120 indices, the FTSE4Good Index series, the STOXX Global ESG Leaders index,  the ISS “Prime” rating, the Bloomberg Gender Equality Index,  the Refinitiv TOP 100 Diversity and Inclusion Index, the Equileap Gender Equality in Europe Ranking, the Corporate Knights Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World ranking, the ECPI indices and the Thomson Reuters/S-Network ESG Best Practices Indices.

The Group is increasingly attracting the attention of Socially Responsible Investors, whose stake in the company is steadily growing, representing about 10.8% of Enel’s share capital in 2019, almost double compared to 2014 levels. This increase, which is in line with the growing recognition of the importance of non-financial elements in the creation of long-term sustainable value, reflects the bolstering of Enel’s global sustainability leadership.

Furthermore, Enel’s Open Innovability model continued to be a reference for the DJSI, as the company stood out on the innovation management criterion for the fifth consecutive year. By combining Innovation and Sustainability, Enel aims to develop solutions that meet society, environmental and energy-related challenges. In particular, Enel’s innovative solutions in the field of renewables are revolutionizing the way these facilities are operated, thereby fostering the sector’s expansion. A concrete example of an innovative model combining energy production and the preservation of the environment can be found at the dual-use plant Aurora Solar, where the generation of sustainable energy is combined with the implementation of vital ecosystem services creating shared operational and environmental benefits:

https://www.enelgreenpower.com/stories/articles/2020/10/aurora-solar-plant-sustainable.

 

[1] The S&P Global Division in charge of ESG (environmental, social and governance) related research acquired in 2020 from RobecoSAM, an affiliate of asset management firm Robeco.

[2] Mercado Integrado Latinoamericano (Latin American Integrated Market).

PR ENEL DJSI 2020

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