Hera Group approves Code of Conduct for suppliers
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Hera Group approves Code of Conduct for suppliers
Today, Hera’s Board of Directors approved the document also known as the Sustainability Agreement, in an initiative that ranks the Group among the first Italian companies to adopt this innovative tool. The Code reinforces Hera’s commitment to promote a more responsible supply chain, aligning it with the company’s sustainability principles and ethics
Today, the Board of Directors of the Hera Group, one of Italy’s leading multi-utility companies in the waste management, energy and water sectors, approved its new Code of Conduct for suppliers. This is an innovative “supplier sustainability agreement” that reinforces the Group’s commitment to promoting a supply chain that is increasingly responsible and in line with ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) principles.
This Code was conceived through a participatory process, which actively involved a representative group of suppliers with whom principles and rules on sustainability and business ethics were shared and a true sustainability deal was co-designed, to stimulate the sustainable growth of the entire value chain. With the Code of Conduct, the Hera Group renews its commitment to recognising and valuing companies that adopt high ethical, social and environmental standards, including through the introduction of bonuses in tenders or in the supplier qualification process.
This Code is closely linked to the Hera Group’s Code of Ethics, reflecting its fundamental values of responsibility, integrity, transparency and consistency. Its introduction is thus a further step along the path towards a business model that considers sustainability a driver of growth and competitiveness.
“We are among the first in our sector to implement such a structured and participatory approach to supply chain sustainability. Our new Code of Conduct for suppliers,” comments Marco Del Giaccio, Director of Purchasing and Procurement of the Hera Group, “is not simply a formal document, but a true mutual commitment. It reinforces our role as a “responsible supply chain leader”, supporting suppliers along their path of growth and innovation. We firmly believe that the quality and sustainability of our services also depend on our supplier network. Therefore, investing in sharing sustainability-oriented goals and best practices is strategic and helps us understand our expectations and become more competitive. This is a path of shared growth that allows the Hera Group to achieve excellence along with its suppliers. After all, the Code we have developed is not a simple set of rules, but a real tool for sharing our values with all suppliers”.
Collaboration with suppliers: a strategic element for creating value
The Hera Group has always focused on communication and collaboration with its stakeholders, first and foremost suppliers, as key elements for generating value. Hera, indeed, plays a strategic role in promoting sustainable development, enhancing its supply chain as an essential lever for sustaining the economy. The Hera Group adopts a rigorous approach in selecting its suppliers, which goes far beyond mere economic considerations: it deeply assesses their sustainability profile, actively favouring those who comply with the most stringent environmental and social standards. The company’s commitment, therefore, does not end with the selection, but extends to proactively supporting suppliers to constantly improve their sustainability performance, building a more responsible future together.
Code of Conduct for suppliers: a further element of empowerment for creating shared value in line with the Hera Group’s purpose
The Code of Conduct for suppliers is part of the Group’s broader path towards creating shared value and implementing a business model guided by its Code of Ethics, which was updated in 2023 on the basis of the company’s purpose. Hera also stands out for its collaborative and non-imposing approach to its suppliers, focusing on empowerment and joint growth.
More specifically, within the Code of Conduct the ethical vision and outlook commitments, shared by the Hera Group and its suppliers, are broken down into three sections modelled on ESG (Environment - Social - Governance) factors, proposing in each section a path of growth that begins with a set of minimum mandatory commitments and goes on to suggest the adoption of a series of recommended best practices. On the one hand, the “Obligations and stipulated requisites” represent a set of mandatory requirements. These go beyond legal provisions, including specific binding rules and minimum performances required by Hera, and provide the ethical and operational foundation on which every business relationship with the company is based. On the other hand, the “Good practices and recommended requisites” indicate an outlook of virtuous actions that, while not mandatory, are strongly encouraged. Hera is actively committed to enhancing these initiatives taken by suppliers, recognising their fundamental contribution to achieving the Group’s sustainability objectives.
The Hera_Pro_Empower programme and the “Supplier Sustainability School”
Since 2024, the Hera Group has been engaged in a capacity-building programme called “Hera_Pro_Empower”, born from the awareness that most suppliers, especially small and medium-sized enterprises, need support to meet sustainability challenges. As part of the programme, Hera offers an ecosystem of services at subsidised rates, such as: paths for obtaining management system certifications; services for personnel recruitment and selection; services for energy efficiency; and services for industrial waste recovery.
The Hera Group has also activated its Supplier Sustainability School, a free academy open to all Group suppliers that provides training courses aimed at raising awareness and skills on ESG issues. So far, the school has been extremely well attended, involving over 800 participants and 500 suppliers through four main training programmes. These programmes have covered crucial aspects such as worksite safety, with targeted seminars for supplier managers on the high standards required by Hera, and an introduction to the Group’s sustainability principles and expectations. Also offered were in-depth studies on significant energy issues, partially in view of the new regulations on sustainability reporting (CSRD), and a specific path to guide suppliers in understanding and applying the new Code of Conduct.
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A collaboration agreement has been signed to support companies and local areas on their path towards the energy transition and circular economy, through innovative solutions that combine sustainability with competitiveness
Saipem, a global leader in the engineering and construction of major projects in the energy and infrastructure sectors, and Hera Group, one of Italy’s leading multi-utilities, have signed a strategic collaboration agreement, initially lasting three years, with the aim of supporting Italian companies in their energy efficiency, decarbonisation and circular economy journeys.
The partnership draws on Saipem’s engineering and technological expertise and Hera Group’s long-standing experience in waste, water and energy services. Both companies share a firm commitment to sustainability and emissions reduction.
The agreement between the two organisations aims to support companies and local areas in the energy transition, offering concrete, integrated solutions to reduce emissions, improve consumption efficiency and enhance resource recovery. Particular attention will be paid to the needs of the most energy-intensive industrial sectors, such as ceramics, glass, paper, chemicals, cement, steel and other industries characterised by processes that are difficult to electrify, all of which face an increasingly complex and challenging path towards Net Zero.
Through this partnership, Saipem and Hera Group will make their multidisciplinary expertise available, offering a comprehensive portfolio of technologies and integrated solutions for energy efficiency, renewable energy, hydrogen and carbon capture systems. The objective is to identify, on a case-by-case basis, the most effective energy transition pathway from a technical, energy and economic perspective.
Interested companies will be able to benefit from a free preliminary audit designed to assess the best possible decarbonisation pathway from an energy and economic standpoint, as well as support in evaluating incentive schemes available at national and European level to help make projects feasible. This represents a concrete contribution across the entire energy transition value chain, a rapidly evolving sector that is increasingly strategic for the competitiveness of the production system.
For Saipem, the agreement with Hera Group forms part of its strategy to support the energy transition of the most complex industrial sectors. The partnership enhances the Group’s engineering and technological expertise and its ability to integrate innovative solutions, strengthening Saipem’s role as a technology partner for Italian industry. It also broadens access to solutions for energy efficiency, renewables, hydrogen and CO₂ capture, in line with Saipem’s evolution towards increasingly sustainable business models.
This agreement is fully aligned with the path outlined by Hera Group in its Business Plan to 2029, which envisages €3 billion in investments dedicated to the energy transition and circular economy of local areas and businesses. Also moving in this direction is the cutting-edge project for the capture of CO₂ emissions at the Ferrara waste-to-energy plant, proposed by Hera Group as lead partner in collaboration with Saipem. The project was selected in October 2024 to receive funding under the fourth call for mid-scale projects of the EU Innovation Fund, confirming the multi-utility’s commitment to promoting advanced technologies and strategic partnerships to make a concrete contribution to national and European climate targets.
Hera Group
Hera Group is one of Italy’s largest multi-utilities and operates in the environment, energy and water sectors, with over 10,500 employees. More than 7.5 million citizens receive at least one service provided by the Group. Listed since 2003, it is among the top 40 Italian companies by market capitalisation, is included in the FTSE MIB index and has been part of the Dow Jones Sustainability Index since 2020, recently renamed the Dow Jones Best-in-Class Index.
https://eng.gruppohera.it/group_eng/
Saipem
Saipem is a global leader in the engineering and construction of major projects in the energy and infrastructure sectors, both offshore and onshore. Saipem is a “One Company” organised into business lines: Asset Based Services, Drilling and Sonsub, Energy Carriers, Offshore Wind and Sustainable Infrastructures. The company has five fabrication yards and an offshore fleet of 17 owned construction vessels and 12 drilling rigs, nine of which are owned. Always focused on technological innovation, the company’s vision is “Engineering for a sustainable future”. For this reason, Saipem is committed every day to supporting its clients on their energy transition journey towards Net Zero, using increasingly digital means, technologies and processes geared towards environmental sustainability. Listed on the Milan Stock Exchange, Saipem operates in more than 50 countries worldwide and employs around 30,000 people of over 130 nationalities.
Website: www.saipem.com