Celebrating European Sustainable Energy Week
Monday 26 June 2023
As in previous years, the 17th edition of EUSEW represented an opportunity to hear from key stakeholders promoting energy efficiency and renewable energies, learn about successful policies, and inspire innovation towards the EU’s energy and climate goals.
The conference took place in a hybrid format in Brussels and online across 20-22 June 2023 under the theme: 'Accelerating the clean energy transition – towards lower bills and greater skills'.
At UniCredit, we are focused on delivering a positive and sustainable transition to green energy which does as little harm to the planet and its people as possible.
In order to make a just and fair transition for all, we work consistently towards having a positive social impact in line with our role and responsibilities as a social actor.
This starts close to home, across our premises:
• In 2022, 87% of our total electricity consumption was from renewable sources.
• Moreover, we reduced our own GHG emissions (scope 1 and 2, market-based) by 14% YoY.
• Last July, we became the first financial institution committed to a corporate PPA (Power Purchase Agreement) in Italy – signing a partnership for the supply of electricity produced from renewable sources for our data centres in Verona.
• On the mobility side of things, we launched a car-pooling app for employees in Italy and Germany and are currently installing re-charging stations in our premises in Austria and Italy. Also in Germany, we recently adopted a new car policy which will see a further reduction in company cars, from over 3,000 in 2017 to slightly over 1,000 by 2023 – with a fleet comprising only battery electric vehicles.
• What’s more, in Italy, bike parking lots have been installed in our main HQs and the installation of stations for maintenance and charging of bikes is ongoing.
• Finally, in response to last year’s global energy crisis, we implemented various special measures to play our part – reducing the heating temperature across our buildings, limiting the running hours of heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems in our main headquarters and switching off signs on façades and other unnecessary lighting earlier.
What we embody ourselves, we demand from those we work with and have set clear objectives to support our clients in their transition.
- At the end of 2022, we had a EUR 7 billion exposure to renewable energy projects – 82% of which was dedicated to wind energy and photovoltaic plants.
- We are committed to the Net Zero goal on financed emissions by 2050 – recently publishing our targets on the first carbon intensive sectors, Oil & Gas, Power Generation and Automotive, calculated using the International Energy Agency (IEA) Net Zero 2050 pathway as the benchmark scenario.
- In this way, we can play a prominent role in supporting our clients in the development and scaling up of innovative climate solutions.
Through concrete, everyday actions, we can make a real difference – and continue to ensure ESG is at the heart of all our activity as we build a bank for Europe’s future.
For more information on how we are keeping ESG at the very core of our bank, please visit the microsite dedicated to our 2022 Integrated Report, with additional colour around our efforts to protect Natural Capital available here.