An industrial group with the characteristics of Hera must take into account the (frequently conflicting) needs and demands of its many stakeholders. In keeping with our Corporate Social Responsibility policy, corporate decision-making procedures must take into account all the legitimate demands of the various classes of stakeholders and must seek equilibrium and integration among these demands as a part of its corporate strategies.
Corporate stakeholder mapping was carried out over the months leading up to publication of the Sustainability Report. The starting point was a survey of corporate stakeholders and of current listening and dialogue activities. Various stakeholder classes were then identified and, for each, a breakdown was provided. The presence of targets of particular interest and the issues of particular significance to these targets were also identified. Following this process of identification of corporate stakeholders an assessment was made of the influence each group exerts on corporate decision-making processes and the significance of each group with respect to corporate activities. These two aspects were assessed in the light of various considerations, including decision-making power, pertaining legal or contractual obligations, relations of dependence on the company and links with corporate strategies.
Mapping of the stakeholders and key issues to be targeted by involvement actions enabled us to pinpoint the stakeholders of major importance for the company (workforce, customers, shareholders), a group of stakeholders with interests of a broader nature (financial institutions, suppliers, public administration, local communities) and a group of stakeholders whose interests are only indirectly represented (the environment and generations of the future).
