Press releases

Hera can now boast one of the most ambitious targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions certified on a scientific basis for a company in Italy: down 37% by 2030 compared to 2019. This has been certified by the prestigious international network Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), born out of a collaboration between CDP, the United Nations Global Compact, the World Resources Institute and the WWF, which today – World Earth Day – formalized its validation of the Group’s greenhouse gas reduction targets.

Hera is committed in particular to the “Well below 2°C” goal, aimed at limiting the increase in global temperature to considerably below 2°C compared to pre-industrial levels, in line with the path set out by the Paris Climate Agreement.

Hera at the forefront in the energy transition and the fight against climate change
Hera’s focus on sustainability is fully integrated in the Group’s business strategies and goes hand in hand with its creation of increasing shared value, with its stakeholders and the areas in which it operates. Hera has long been at the forefront in the fight against climate change, taking action and making investments for the energy transition towards carbon neutrality and the transition to a circular economy, as reiterated in the 2024 Business Plan.

And in order to focus its objectives even more concretely, Hera extends its outlook to 2030, also including the targets validated by SBTi, following the most rigorous scientific criteria.

Hera’s objective of a 37% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions is all the more ambitious considering that it is not limited to the emissions produced by the Group’s own activities but also covers those of its customers, in electricity and gas sales, and its suppliers. In fact, Hera has introduced numerous solutions for individuals and companies to promote energy efficiency, accompanied by broader initiatives intended to increase involvement and awareness, aimed at encouraging reduced consumption.

The initiatives planned include an additional expansion of district heating, energy upgrading for buildings and new projects aimed at developing hydrogen as an energy vector, as well as increased use of electricity from renewable sources for internal consumption, which will rise from 83% in 2019 to 100% as early as 2023. Internally, Hera already achieved a 6.2% drop in energy consumption in 2020 (compared to 2013) and has set itself the goal of achieving a 10% reduction by 2030. Water footprint reduction projects are also aimed at reducing the Group’s water consumption by 25%, once again by 2030 (compared to 2017).

As regards businesses, the projects developed thanks to the Group companies dedicated to energy efficiency services, Hera Servizi Energia and AcegasApsAmga Servizi Energetici, range from energy diagnoses, to constructing “turnkey” plants and targeted requalification interventions. Through the multi-service proposal named Hera Business Solution, moreover, the Group can also offer companies a sustainable and integrated management of waste, water and energy. Retail customers as well already use 100% energy from renewable sources and have free tools at their disposal such as the Consumption Log, in order to better evaluate their own habits and the savings that can be achieved by reducing wasted energy.

“The SBTi’s validation of our emissions reduction target confirms the validity of our commitment to the climate and the environment”, states Stefano Venier, CEO of Hera Group. “This is a particularly challenging target, bearing in mind the ‘Well below 2°C’ scenario, as regards reductions in our own emissions as well as those of our customers and suppliers. But we are on the right track: in 2020, greenhouse emissions were reduced by 5.4% compared to 2019 and we are now aiming at a decrease coming to over 15% by 2024. The results already achieved, together with the targets defined for the time covered by the Plan, thus allow us to look with confidence towards the goal of a 37% reduction in emissions by 2030. This path is consistent with our history of sustainable growth, and we will report on it in both our Sustainability Report and our Value for Energy report.”

In defining its targets, the Hera Group used technical consultancy provided by Carbonsink.