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scolarships_110 Hera Group repeated its commitment to support the school-age children of its employees and enriched the programme once again, for 2018. In fact, in addition to the 40 scholarships provided for the second year in a row to the most deserving university students, this year ten more have been added for high school students, who will be able to participate in study experiences abroad in collaboration with the Intercultura foundation. The initiative, launched to reward scholastic achievement based onto principles of fairness and meritocracy, as well as the ability to rise to challenges right from the educational stage, reached its conclusion today as prizes were awarded during a ceremony held in Bologna, at the Spazio Hera, attended by the Executive Chairman, Tomaso Tommasi di Vignano. The forty most deserving university students were identified by an excellence ranking drawn up according to the following parameters: being on schedule with the 2016-2017 academic year exam deadlines, the number of credits obtained and the average number of exams passed during the year. The company received more than 170 applications (more than twice as many as last year). Each of the 40 winners (graduates and undergraduates in economics, engineering, humanities and medicine) was awarded an individual scholarship worth 750 euro, for a total of 30,000 euro invested by the company. Among the winners there were also students studying abroad: a way to support a more complex life choice and to stimulate value creation, determined by acquiring experience in a range of settings. For high school students, on the other hand, the selection was carried out entirely by Intercultura's experts and consisted of aptitude tests, individual and group interviews, a meeting with the family and a health check-up. The ten winners were awarded 2,000 euro grants that will support the cost of attending a one-month study period abroad in Europe (UK, Finland and Denmark are the most popular destinations), the US (Washington is the favourite location) and South America (Argentina). scolarships_870 20180621_scholarships_for_the_children_of_its_employees.1534759933.pdf 2018-08-20 Read more borsedistudio_870.1534759932.jpg In addition to the 40 scholarships of 750 euro each awarded for the second year in a row to the most deserving university students, ten 2,000 euro scholarships were also awarded to high school students to help them participate in study experiences with Intercultura. The initiative, backed by a total investment of 50,000 euro, is part of "HExtRA", the multi-utility's corporate welfare plan scolarships_110

sachs_110 Among the conference guests there was Prof Jeffrey Sachs, of Columbia University, who played an important role in drawing up the Sustainable Developments Goals identified by the UN Agenda for 2030, which the Hera Group has chosen as a guideline for its commitment to sustainability. In its sustainability report, in fact, the multi-utility reports the shared value, i.e. the portion of EBITDA that comes from activities that generate operating margins for the company and also meet 10 of the 17 sustainability objectives set out in the Global Agenda. This share, up 10% compared to 2016, amounted to 329 million euro in 2017 (1/3 of total EBITDA) and the objective is to increase it to 40% of the EBITDA by 2021, thus contributing more and more to the needs of the area it serves and to the challenges for change. The investments already made were quite significant, and in 2017 alone contributed to generating the shared value of 200 million euro, i.e. 41% of the total. Among the main measures, there was the construction in Sant'Agata Bolognese of an important plant to produce biomethane from organic waste. In addition, the development of waste recycling through the Aliplast and Waste Recycling companies is also essential in order to fully implement the circular economy. The upgrade of the wastewater treatment service, the digitalisation of services from a Utility 4.0 perspective and, lastly, investments in innovation to make networks increasingly smart, complete the picture. [block]div:row-fluid::db:hr_press_comunicazione::box:111[/block] Moreover, in the new edition of the Sustainability Report, which from this year also offers useful food for thought on the national and international scenario, shared value has become the true hub around which Hera has organised the document's entire content, so as to highlight the contribution that the various activities make to its generation. The information contained in the report is divided into three main areas: smart use of energy, efficient use of resources, innovation and contribution to local development. 2017 Sustainability report embraces shared value https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRUqhHO3MGI 20180604_Sustainability_a_Hera_conference_in_Bologna_to_rethink_development.1533303274.pdf 2018-08-01 Read more valore_condiviso_870x320_eng.1533281374.png At the European Week for Sustainable Development, the multi-utility relaunches the debate on the challenges facing companies, countries and the international community, and illustrates the excellent results contained in its sustainability report, with almost 2 billion euro distributed by Hera in 2017 alone to local stakeholders and suppliers. Among the guests there was also Prof Jeffrey Sachs, one of the proponents of the UN's sustainability objectives, to which Hera contributed around 330 million euro of shared-value EBITDA last year alone sachs_110

sedeGH_110 Today, the Hera Group formalised an agreement with four credit institutions to activate a new € 200 million sustainable revolving credit line, intended to contribute to and maintain its financial solidity while at the same time enhancing the mix of financial products and instruments adopted by the company. This agreement is the first of its kind in Italy. The new credit line, named “ESG Linked RCF Facility”, introduces elements of sustainability through a bonus mechanism tied to specific environmental, social and governance objectives (ESG). In the commitment signed with the banks, indeed, a number of ESG performance measures were defined, which will determine the Group’s ability to benefit over time from more favourable rates. The sustainability objectives concern, for example, further reductions in the carbon footprint from energy production, new targets in energy efficiency and improvements in sorted waste collection. Hera has been a leader in all these areas for some time, as is recorded in its latest sustainability report, which at 2017 showed a 16% fall in the carbon footprint, a 3.6% reduction in the Group’s own energy consumption since 2013, with the goal of reaching a 5% decrease within 2020, and sorted waste at 57.7%, above the national average. After launching Italy’s first green bond in 2014, the Hera Group thus confirms its role as a pioneer in identifying innovative financial instruments linked to sustainability. "Environmental, social and governance objectives have long been a significant part of our Group's strategic planning", comments Stefano Venier, Hera's CEO, "and contribute to charting our course, in line with the goals set out in the UN's 2030 Agenda. We therefore consider it to be natural, perhaps even inevitable, for our financial instruments as well to reflect this vision, in addition to respecting the market's increasing sensitivity towards ESG issues. Hera has proven able to keep in step with this renewal in basic terms, interpreting the changes currently underway and providing itself with innovative models that now allow it not only to be appealing for the market, but also to explore paths that have never been followed before". In defining the agreement, the Hera Group collaborated with Vigeo Eiris, a leading European social and environmental rating agency. Vigeo Eiris formulated a second-party opinion concerning the importance of the measures defined and the degree of future improvements that can be expected as regards these same measures, which will determine the success of the operation. Hera was sustained within the club deal by: BBVA acting as Sustainable Coordinator, BNP Paribas and UniCredit acting as Documentation Agents, Crédit Agricole CIB acting as Facility Agent. All financial institutions acted also as Mandated Lead Arrangers. Sede Hera 20180517_press_release.1526553280.pdf 2018-05-17 Read more Sede Hera After launching the first green bond in 2014, the Group now confirms its place at the nations' forefront in the use of new sustainable financial instruments. Signed with four financial institutions, the € 200 million credit line is linked to a system of bonuses subject to reaching specific goals in environmental sustainability /group_eng/investor-relations/debt-and-rating/bond-issuances /group_eng/investor-relations/hera-strategy Hera Green Bond Hera Group strategy and shared value centrata sedeGH_110