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The sustainability model

Commitment to sustainable development (Photo)

Snam considers sustainability to form an integral part of its business model. It is in fact a leading factor in defining the Company’s strategic and operational decisions and a lever for long-term sustainable growth. Meanwhile it delivers the shareholders’ expected results, sharing the value generated with all of its stakeholders including in terms of environmental and social issues.

The Company bases the day-to-day conduct of its activities on the principles set out by international bodies and conventions on the protection of human rights, employment and trade union rights, health, safety and environmental rights, repudiation of forced labour, child labour and any form of discrimination, and on conformity with values and principles concerning fairness, transparency and sustainable development. These principles are listed in the Code of Ethics adopted by all the companies, which are fundamental in orientating the conduct of personnel and for the responsible management of relationships with the stakeholders.

In order to give greater visibility to this commitment, Snam is a signatory to the Global Compact. This international initiative upholds ten universal principles concerning human rights, employment, the environment and anti-corruption, and brings together governments, businesses, United Nations agencies, labour organisations and civil associations, with the aim of contributing to the creation of a more inclusive and sustainable global economy. Snam’s commitment to the Global Compact also continued in 2013 with activities for engagement and dissemination of the ten principles by participating both actively, as a member of the Italian Global Compact Network, in the meetings of the Integrated Reporting Working Group, and in specific initiatives aimed at its own stakeholders.

Snam’s sustainability management model extends to all Group companies and is integrated into all phases of the corporate business process (Planning, Management, Control, Reporting, Communication and Stakeholder Engagement). The Board of Directors takes on a central role in defining the policies, while the Sustainability objectives, submitted for the approval of top management, are pursued by means of specific short- and medium-term projects and initiatives included in the Company’s action plan. All of the activities provided for by the model are coordinated by the Snam sustainability office with the participation of the various Snam offices and subsidiaries.

Snam publishes its sustainability balance sheet annually, which is considered to be an important instrument for strategic control and communication with stakeholders. The Report, approved by the Board of Directors at the same time as the annual financial report, examines the activities carried out according to economic efficiency, environmental protection and social protection, providing the performance indicators on which the business is measured and compared publicly.

In 2013 Snam embarked on a process of analysing sustainability issues (“Materiality Analysis”) that has enabled the definition of the most significant business issues. The analysis also responds to the request of the new guidelines (GRI-G4) published by the Global Reporting Initiative in 2013 regarding the reporting of sustainability reports.

The results achieved and maintained over time have enabled Snam shares to maintain their position in the main ethical indices, such as the Dow Jones Sustainability Index World, the FTSE4Good Europe Index, the FTSE4Good Global Index, the ECPI Ethical Index Euro and the STOXX Global ESG Leaders Index.

In 2013 Snam is also present:

  • in the CDP Italy 100 Climate Disclosure Leadership Index (CDLI), a sustainability index issued directly by the CDP, a non-profit organisation involved in climate change that is among the most important internationally;
  • in the new global index United Nations Global Compact 100 (GC 100), developed by the United Nations Global Compact in cooperation with the research firm Sustainalytics, which includes the 100 companies that have distinguished themselves at the global level both for attention to sustainability issues as well as for performance in the financial sector, and that adhere to the ten fundamental principles of the United Nations on the topics of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption.

Snam has incorporated into its own path to sustainability the Shared Value approach that places high value on the connection between the economic system and society, and redefines the boundaries of corporate social responsibility. The premise of this new concept is that companies need to take action to reconcile business and society by placing a high value on knowledge, best practices and current or possible future initiatives: in short, to create economic value in ways that generate value simultaneously for the Company but also for the stakeholders and the locations where it operates.

Following this approach, during the year the Company has started up further processes for identifying new projects that maximise positive external results, and it has completed several projects (see the table below).

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Scope for generation of Shared Value

Initiative

Within the framework of supplier
relationships
, making corporate know-how available through a system of knowledge sharing, which will help companies in the supply chain in a process of continuous improvement that can increase both their own competitiveness and the dependability of their partnership with Snam, to the ultimate benefit of service quality.

Meet for prevention and improvement
Organised by Snam Rete Gas in Milan, this initiative is part of the strong commitment that the Company is developing on the issues of safety, environment and sustainability in the supply chain and part of a programme launched in 2011 with the “Supplier’s Day for Sustainability” initiative, continued in 2012 with the workshop “My Safety is Your Safety”.

Grow together: the suppliers’ portal
During the year the suppliers’ portal was created and also put online, a new point of reference and interaction between Snam and its suppliers, aimed at simplifying and improving the day-to-day operations of the entire supply chain through the effective management and dissemination of information of common interest for this type of stakeholder. The new portal was also designed to strengthen social responsibility both at Snam as well as at its suppliers, and represents a place for raising awareness of key issues such as health and safety of workers, human rights and respect for the environment.

As part of Snam’s management and enhancement of sites and infrastructure, sharing space and knowledge with stakeholders in the area to encourage public acceptance of the legitimacy of the networks and the creation of competitive advantage for the area.

The Italgas Historical Archive and Museum: a historic asset for the community
The Italgas Historical Archive and Museum contains a wealth of knowledge that is testimony to the life of the Company and of a technological revolution that has helped to change the face of the region: here the Company has sought to enhance its cultural heritage through the creation of ‘Thursday Workshops’, an educational programme aimed at primary and secondary schools that uses archived records to tell not only the history of the Company but also a part of the history of Italy and of the city of Turin.

As part of the implementation of new investments, sharing with local communities and disseminating among local protagonists the knowledge of best business practices in the application of naturalistic engineering techniques in particularly delicate areas with complex ecosystems, such as parks and protected areas.

Sustainable Trails – Julian Prealps Park
Publication, with the patronage of the Ministry of Environment and the Protection of Land and Sea, of the second volume in the series dedicated to Snam’s commitment to environmental protection and enhancement of the area. The book covers the completion of the Malborghetto - Bordano methane pipeline for importing natural gas from Russia, which for a short distance passes through the Val Alba nature reserve. An example of effective cooperation between the Company and the Julian Prealps Park is further testimony of how the construction of the energy infrastructure necessary for the country can coexist with preservation of biodiversity and recovery of the original landscape.

Shared Value Education
Generating value for the Company and, at the same time, for the geographical area, giving the local community a concrete and positive contribution. This is how the cooperation between Snam and the Municipality of Crema was established for the enhancement of six urban areas through the active joint involvement of Snam employees and citizens. The initiative was based on Snam’s specific needs for training designed to enhance the culture and strengthen the integration and the unique expertise of the Information Technology area of the Company. To achieve this goal we have chosen an original path inspired by the methodology of team building, concretely improving the relationship between operational activities and the social context.

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