Italian energy giant Eni has been picked by the United Nations Global Compact as a LEAD company for its continuing commitment to the compact's ten responsible business principles, Eni said in a statement.
Eni was among 34 companies identified as among the most highly-engaged participants of the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative and span every region of the world and 19 sectors.
“This recognition is an important testimony of our commitment to integrate sustainability into each of our activities and an encouragement to continue to combine it with financial stability,” said ENI's chief executive Claudio Descalzi.
“Environmental, social and business sustainability are key to help us shape the future,” Descalzi added, according to Eni's statement.
Eni’s business model emphasises long-term investments and looks beyond "short-term profit goals" to transform the company, prepare it for global challenges and help implement the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the statement said.
Sustainability is incorporated in all the company’s activities – from the reduction of greenhouse emissions to respect for the environment, human rights, training and the promotion of local development to access to energy, the statement went on.
Eni is working in partnership with international organizations, governments and non-governmental organizations to promote sustainable development in host countries, with a specific focus on the SDGs. The company has entered into partnerships with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization for access to clean and safe water and with the UN Development Programme to share expertise on energy access and sustainable development, said the statement.
Eni has also inked a partnership and with the UN Industrial Development Organization to boost youth employment, agricultural value chains, renewable energy and energy efficiency, the statement noted.
The United Nations Global Compact calls on companies worldwide to align their operations and strategies with ten universally accepted principles in the areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption, and to take action in support of the UN goals and issues embodied in the SDGs.
Launched in 2000, the Global Compact operates as a leadership platform for the development, implementation and disclosure of responsible corporate practices. The compact is the largest corporate sustainability initiative in the world, comprising over 9,500 companies and 3,000 non-business signatories based in more than 160 countries. It has close to 70 Local Networks.
