Hera Group: best Multi & Water Utility according to S&P
For the sixth consecutive year, Hera has been included in the S&P Global Sustainability Yearbook, ranking in the “Top 1%” of the world’s best-performing companies in its sector, with outstanding results particularly in governance and social performance
According to Standard & Poor’s, the Hera Group is the world’s leading company in the Multi & Water Utility sector and has once again earned a place in S&P Global’s Sustainability Yearbook. This achievement follows an in-depth assessment of the Group’s performance across environmental, social and governance (ESG) dimensions.
In particular, Hera ranked first globally in its reference sector with a score of 83 out of 100, compared with an industry average of 37 out of 100.
The multi-utility is recognised as an international best practice across several areas:
- Governance: Hera stands out for the transparency of its reporting, its careful and effective risk management – including cyber risk – and its exemplary approach to managing the supply chain in a sustainable way;
- Environmental performance: the Group achieved top results in efficient energy management within its internal processes and in safeguarding biodiversity in the areas where it operates. It also excelled in the reporting and management of risks and opportunities related to climate change;
- Social dimension: Hera obtained the highest global score for respect for human rights, the development of its employees’ human capital, customer relations, privacy protection and engagement with local communities.
S&P Global’s analysis therefore portrays a forward-looking company that leads a benchmark made up of the sector’s top performers worldwide.
These highly positive assessments – released shortly after the publication of the new Business Plan – confirm the Hera Group’s ability to pursue a sustainability strategy based on continuous commitment across the entire value chain, while keeping a close eye on international best practices. The evaluations also highlight the key strengths identified by analysts: a company that continues to deliver significant shared value creation, reflected in a forecast double-digit average annual Total Shareholders Return.
Listed since 2003 and part of the FTSE MIB since 2019, Hera shares have also been included since 2020 in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index Europe & World (recently renamed the Dow Jones Best-in-Class Index) and in the FTSE4Good. In addition, the company is part of Italy’s ESG MIB blue-chip index, dedicated to ESG best practices, launched by Euronext and Borsa Italiana in 2021. Finally, for almost ten years Hera has featured in the FTSE Diversity & Inclusion Index “Top 100”, certified by FTSE Russell, in recognition of its commitment to diversity, inclusion and people development. It has also ranked on the podium of the ESG Identity Corporate Index for five consecutive years, thanks to 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.
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