Sustainable Procurement Goals

Dialogue and sharing underpin our relationship with all of our suppliers, with whom we share common values and collaborate to drive the energy transition through a strategy of sustainable growth aimed at achieving the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

This approach is mutually beneficial: on the one hand, the Group can count on a solid, reliable relationship with all the businesses in our supply chain, and on the other, it offers our partners an opportunity for growth in terms of both sustainability and competitiveness. These partnerships also allow us to contribute to restarting our country’s economy.  

Supplier Development Program

In July 2020, Procurement Italy opened a historic new chapter in our relationship with our suppliers thanks to the Supplier Development Program. This program allows us to make resources and experience available to our partners, enabling them to embark on a process of growth in terms of entrepreneurship, competences and sustainable development.  

The Program, which has recently expanded, is now open to over 6,000 Partners, and offers them an ecosystem of opportunities to make the supply chain more resilient, efficient and innovative, while encouraging their financial and managerial growth.

The Program is aimed at our entire supply chain but with particular attention to small and medium enterprises involved in sectors of strategic interest to the Group.  

The companies taking part have access to financial services, managerial and technical training, and consultancy in various areas with a focus on innovation, sustainability and technological development. 

Digital skills in particular are an essential element in the growth of our supply chain. With that in mind, we support companies with practical initiatives for digitalization, such as the recent project in collaboration with Unindustria and the Digital Innovation Hub Lazio. It took the form of a digital assessment of 20 companies that operate near the  Civitavecchia  and Montalto di Castro power plants. This was in order to identify the areas where there was room for improvement and to supply training tools for continuous and sustainable development.

Another practical example of a shared experience with our partners comes in the form of "Sportello imprese" (Business Desk). This consists of periodic individual meetings which are aimed at supporting the companies that work with us in terms of growth and redevelopment, in light of the transformation process taking place in the energy sector. 

Financial services

Thanks to collaboration agreements with our partners, we also make tools offered by our partners available to our suppliers, which can facilitate access to liquid assets as well as promoting and supporting growth. This includes services like confirming, which is an alternative to other methods of invoice factoring, and supply chain agreements, which are instruments whereby banks, given the industrial relationship with the head of the supply chain, can make access to credit and a wide range of financing options easier, particularly options relating to investments in the circular economy and those evolving from an Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) perspective.

Training

Training is a gateway to the world of work and thus is the key to building one’s future. Therefore there can be no social sustainability without training, and that’s why quality education (SDG #4), to which we make a concrete commitment every day, was included on the United Nations’ list of Sustainable Development Goals.

Thanks to dedicated programs, we support the businesses in our supply chain with initiatives aimed at developing and increasing a qualified workforce, in collaboration with accredited training institutes and educational institutions across Italy.  

Also part of this context are our Academy programs, organized in collaboration with the Elis consortium to support businesses in selecting and training newly qualified staff. Thanks to these projects, over 250 people have already received training in the network and renewables sectors.  

There are numerous initiatives designed to bring schools and the business world together, including Career Days, during which our Group’s investment plan and also the various development programs offered by our contractors are presented to students. Between April and July 2021, the first six Career Days were held at technical institutes in Palermo, Syracuse, Reggio Calabria, Bari, Aprilia and Venice.

But training isn’t aimed solely at individuals entering the workforce for the first time: we also offer requalification programs aimed at businesses and their employees that will encourage them to convert their business towards involvement in the energy transition. Specifically, we offer technical training courses in renewable development that include photovoltaic panel and Enel X product installation.  

The Program is constantly growing and evolving, so check out the dedicated site for all our Procurement updates.