Press releases

According to Top Utility, the Hera Group is the leading Italian utility in terms of economic and financial policies, sustainability, research and innovation, communication and the positive effects on the areas served. This prize has been assigned over the last ten years following an analysis of the main companies in the water, energy and waste management sectors, carried out by a research team from Althesys, a consultancy firm specialising in the public utility sector. The award ceremony was held during an online event entitled “Digitalization and sustainability for the future of Italian utilities”.

The Hera Group’s best practices rewarded over the 10 years of Top Utility

In particular, this year the Hera Group was awarded the overall Top Utility prize for the following reasons: “For the excellent results achieved in all areas analysed, with particular reference going to stakeholder relations, transparency and communication. Hera has also confirmed itself at the forefront in digitalising business processes and in the sustainability of operations”.

This is the second time that Hera has received this important award, an even more significant achievement since this marks the twentieth anniversary of the Group’s establishment, which occurred in 2002 when 11 municipal companies in the Emilia-Romagna region merged. Today, Hera is the first operator nationwide in the waste management area, second in the integrated water cycle and third in electricity and gas sales. Over this award’s history, Hera’s efficiency and good practices have been abundantly confirmed: in addition to receiving the overall Top Utility in 2012, in 2014 and 2019 it received a prize in the communication and transparency category, in 2015 and 2018 in the sustainability category, and in 2021 in the gender equality and diversity and inclusion category.

Looking to the future: a focus on generating shared value

These two anniversaries are important in conceiving the future of this sector, examining the growth and evolution that municipal utilities have undergone to date and the strong impact they have had on local communities. In this sense, the core of the Hera Group’s strategy and identity consists in uninterrupted economic growth accompanied by sustainable development of its businesses and the areas served. Its commitment to generating shared value has indeed been confirmed as the cornerstone of its relations with all the stakeholders with whom Hera interacts, starting from its own employees and including institutions, local communities, customers, shareholders, citizens and suppliers.