As the world’s largest private energy provider E.ON has a considerable influence on economic development, quality of life and an intact environment. That’s because there is hardly another subject which influences people’s lives as much as energy supply.

This influence also means that we bear a particular kind of responsibility, which E.ON is readily accepting and living up to by acting responsibly in economic, ecological and social terms. We are convinced that the acceptance and economic success of companies in the future is going to hinge on the degree to which they actively and credibly contribute to solving the challenges our society faces. This explains why embracing Corporate Responsibility (CR) has such a long-standing tradition at E.ON, is one of our core corporate values and an aspiration we have to live up to every day in times of global paradigm shifts and changes in the energy sector.

Our objectives

The objective of E.ON is not only to become the world’s leading electricity and gas company, but also to be a role model in Corporate Responsibility in the energy sector. Based on that, the Board of Management has defined four core targets which are the bedrock of CR strategy design and program development. Their progress can be continually evaluated:

• We are going to firmly establish a responsibility driven corporate culture throughout the Group
• We are going to be the leading company in credible and self-critical communications of economic, ecological and social performance in the energy sector
• We are going to take a leading position in improving climate protection and energy efficiency in the industry
• We are going to be perceived as a credible and committed partner in all regions in which we do business 

We also identified five strategic areas which pool stand-alone measures and also act as a bridgehead to our work flows and processes: responsible corporate management, market, environment, region and workplace.

Open communication with our stakeholders is central to CR. In their roles as customers, politicians, investors or local residents they provide us with important information about external expectations and are at the same time a valuable source for us to base measures and communications on.

E.ON recognized as a "sustainable company"

The findings of different sustainability ratings and rankings are an indicator of our successes in CR and a field in which we have made considerable improvements of late. A prime example is being admitted to the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI). This sustainable stock index rates the performance of companies along the dimensions of economic, ecological and social performance and only admits the best listed companies in any given industry.

We have also committed to a number of projects and organizations to reiterate our dedication to social responsibility. These include complying with the ten principles of Global Compact as well as membership in the "World Business Council on Sustainable Development" (WBCSD) as well as the "Global Reporting Initiative" (GRI). Only recently we were awarded the best grade A+ for our CR reporting based on the guidelines issued by GRI.

CR has also become part of assessing the success of our executives. Implementing specific sustainability indicators has become an integral part of the appraisal and management system.