Sustainable development, also in its connotation of protection of the quality of the environment and rational use of natural resources, is at the centre of Iren Group’s attention and is embodied in its business model, mission and growth strategy.
This commitment is also expressed in the Group’s Integrated System Policy (Quality, Environment and Safety), which is implemented in full compliance with all applicable environmental regulations, in the optimisation of company processes and in investments in research and innovation, and in activities to sensitize and create awareness of environmental issues among its stakeholders. In particular, the involvement and conscious participation of employees, through information and training activities, is a necessary condition for the implementation of any program of prevention and dissemination of the culture of sustainability and environmental protection.
In order to guarantee the lowest environmental impact of the processes and to implement an adequate operational control, Iren has adopted a structured Environmental Management System (ISO 14001, ISO 50001, UNI CEI 11352, F-GAS certifications and EMAS registrations) (see page 94).
The commitment to environmental protection is made even more concrete by the goals of the 2030 Business Plan, which places green transition among its three pillars of future growth, to be implemented through:
- progressive decarbonization of all activities through the growth of energy production from renewable sources, innovation of technologies and processes in district heating management, preparation of gas networks for hydrogen transport and reduction of the power generation carbon intensity to achieve the targets validated by Science Based Target Initiative (SBTi) and carbon neutrality by 2040;
- strengthening of the leadership in the circular economy through the continuous increase in sorted waste collection, the transfer of the Group’s best practices to newly acquired areas, the investment in automation and digitalisation and the development of new plants in the material recovery chain that will also allow the production of biomethane from the organic fraction of waste;
- the efficiency of the integrated water service, significantly reducing network leaks, with a consequent reduction in the consumption of water and energy resources, increasing the wastewater treatment capacity and reuse of purified water.