Hera, a global leader in sustainability: once again at the top of the Dow Jones Best-in-Class Index
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Hera, a global leader in sustainability: once again at the top of the Dow Jones Best-in-Class Index
The Group, included for the sixth year in both the Dow Jones Best-in-Class Europe and World Indices, confirms its position as the most sustainable Multi & Water Utility at global level. A further recognition that rewards the results achieved and the Group’s approach to creating shared value for all stakeholders.
According to S&P Global, the Hera Group has once again been ranked the world’s leading company in the Multi & Water Utility sector and has been included, for the sixth consecutive year, in the Dow Jones Best-in-Class Index (formerly known as the Dow Jones Sustainability Index), both at European and global level.
This result follows an in-depth assessment of performance across environmental, social and governance (ESG) dimensions. The Dow Jones Best-in-Class Index, a leading international stock market index, comprises listed companies demonstrating the highest performance in Environmental, Social and Governance & Economic dimensions.
In particular, the multi-utility has reaffirmed its global leadership in its sector, achieving a score of 83/100 compared with a sector average of 37/100.
This recognition rewards the quality of the Group’s sustainability reporting, the results achieved by a company that has always been aware of its role within its operating ecosystem, and its strategy of pursuing the creation of shared value for all stakeholders, in line with its purpose.
The Group is considered a best practice across multiple areas:
- In governance, it stands out for the transparency of its reporting, its careful and effective risk management – including cyber risk – and its exemplary ability to manage the supply chain sustainably;
- In the environmental dimension, it ranks first for the efficient management of energy in its internal processes and for safeguarding biodiversity in the territories in which it operates, and has distinguished itself in particular for its reporting and management of climate change-related risks and opportunities;
- In the social dimension, it has achieved the highest global score in respect for human rights, the development of its employees’ human capital, customer engagement, data privacy protection and relations with local communities.
These assessments confirm the aspects most highlighted by analysts: a company capable of combining economic growth with sustainable development, continuing to generate value for its stakeholders and not only for shareholders. This is also evidenced by a shared value EBITDA, which rose in 2025 to 60% of Group EBITDA (in line with the 2029 target of 68% set out in the business plan), and by an expected double-digit average annual Total Shareholder Return.
Listed since 2003 and included in the FTSE MIB since 2019, Hera stock has been part of the Dow Jones Best-in-Class Index Europe & World (formerly the Dow Jones Sustainability Index) and the FTSE4Good Index since 2020, and is also included in the Italian ESG MIB blue-chip index dedicated to best ESG practices. For a decade, the Group has been included in the FTSE Diversity & Inclusion Index Top 100 and, in 2025, reached the global Top 10, according to FTSE Russell certification, in recognition of its commitment to promoting diversity, inclusion and people development. Furthermore, for the past five years it has ranked among the top three companies in the ESG Identity Corporate Index, acknowledging the full and conscious integration of sustainability policies into its governance and business strategies.
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The multi-utility tops the ranking, marking its sixth consecutive year on the podium, the only Italian company to achieve this result. The recognition rewards the credibility and consistency with which the Group integrates ESG factors into its strategy, governance and corporate culture.
Hera Group ranked first in the 2026 ESG Identity Corporate Index, developed by ET.Group to measure the extent to which ESG factors are integrated into companies’ strategies and decision-making processes. The results of the eleventh edition were presented today in Milan at the ESG Business Conference.
The Group’s growth, together with the progressive evolution and increasing maturity of its ESG model, has gone hand in hand with continuous advances in governance, enabling the multi-utility to rank among the Top 10 for 9 consecutive years and on the podium for six years in a row.
A more selective assessment focused on ESG credibilityThe recognition is even more significant as it is the outcome of a rigorous assessment process carried out against a benchmark that continues to rise. The 2026 edition included a record 109 companies, all demonstrating increasingly advanced levels of ESG maturity.
The assessment itself has also become more demanding, shifting the focus from disclosure alone to companies’ ability to demonstrate the effective integration of ESG factors into strategy, decision-making processes and corporate culture. The analysis centres on the development of a robust and coherent ESG strategy geared towards value creation, transparent reporting of results, and the ability to anticipate and manage risks.
For Hera Group, particular emphasis was placed on:
- governance as an enabler, supported by the active involvement of dedicated governance bodies;
- the integration of ESG targets into remuneration policies and long-term strategies;
- the ability to foster a cross-functional ESG culture involving all business functions and the entire value chain.
Hera Group builds its ESG narrative on its strategy, its commitments and its ability to translate them into tangible results. Over more than twenty years, the multi-utility has combined sustained economic growth with the evolution of its governance towards increasingly demanding targets, clear accountability and measurable performance. The credibility of the Group’s commitments rests on a consistent track record of delivery, as demonstrated by significant investments, completed projects and reported impacts. The same rigour underpins investment in people development through skills, inclusion and professional growth, as well as incentive systems that embed sustainability targets.
For Hera Group, ESG is therefore the practical framework through which the company governs, grows and creates value over time.