Companies increasingly green: CDP's ESG Community meets in Genoa

Companies increasingly green: CDP's ESG Community meets in Genoa

Hosted by Ansaldo Energia, the meeting was attended by leading Italian businesses that came together to discuss regulations, strategies and future prospects related to responsible development

Established in 2023, the Community fosters debate and the exchange of good practices between the companies in the network, promoting training initiatives and discussion, and promoting the sharing of good practices and tools for stakeholder engagement
 

Genoa at the centre of the sustainability debate: the first meeting of the year of the ESG Community, the network promoted by Cassa Depositi e Prestiti, was held on 25 March at the headquarters of Ansaldo Energia. The event brought together some of Italy's leading businesses to discuss regulations, strategies and future prospects related to responsible development.

The debate highlighted how for the companies involved, sustainability means taking a pragmatic approach, effectively integrating ESG principles into business models. The day continued with a visit to the Genoese group's production facilities and the Ansaldo Foundation, offering an opportunity to learn more about the solutions already adopted by the company.

Established in 2023, the Community continues to grow as a space for dialogue and collaboration, fostering discussion between the network's members, including Ansaldo Energia, Autostrade per l'Italia, CDP Equity, CDP Real Asset SGR, CDP Reti, CDP Venture Capital, ENI, Euronext, Fincantieri, Fintecna, Fondo Italiano di Investimento SGR, Greenit, Italgas, Maticmind, NEXI, Open Fiber, Polo Strategico Nazionale, Poste Italiane, Renovit, Saipem, Simest, Snam, Terna, Hotelturist (TH Resorts), Trevi Group, Valvitalia and Webuild.

The discussion in Genoa focused on the evolution of the European regulatory framework, with particular attention on the first applications of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) in 2024 financial statements and the simplification measures presented by the European Commission in the Omnibus package last February. New regulations pose increasingly complex challenges for companies, requiring a shared approach to sustainability management.

The “on the road” format, introduced in 2024 with the first stage hosted by Autostrade per l'Italia, brings the meetings directly to the headquarters of the participating companies, encouraging a concrete exchange on projects and good practices.

At each stop the Community has promoted training and in-depth discussions on topics such as sustainable finance, the role of investors and ESG rating agencies, materiality assessments, responsible communications and greenwashing risks, as well as the sharing of tools and projects for stakeholder engagement.

For example, in November 2024, the new edition of the programme Sustainability Transition Management and ESG Analysis was launched in cooperation with the Bologna Business School. After the success of the first edition the project was extended to large CDP investee companies, involving 37 young professionals with an average age of 34, with the aim of developing cross-cutting skills and promoting a common language on sustainability.
 

Focus: CDP and stakeholder engagement
The community is part of the CDP Group's strategy of engagement and dialogue with its key stakeholders. Since 2022 it has organised a series of consultations with the world of civil society on ESG policies, including an annual listening and discussion event, the Multistakeholder Forum. Over the course of three editions it has involved around 1,200 participants in person and some 8,000 via streaming, with the latest edition dedicated to the relationship between youth, sustainability and artificial intelligence. In 2023 CDP also published its General Engagement Policy, one of the first to be dedicated not only to shareholders and investors, but to all categories of stakeholders.