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EDP guarantees best ever assessment in climate management

Wednesday 16, December 2020

Good practices in the combat against climate change and water management have earned EDP the leadership in CDP assessments, in a record year in the number of participations. It was the first time in six years that it achieved the top score in the two main categories.

EDP obtained the best results ever in CDP's evaluation, a non-governmental organization that classifies companies regarding their contributions to combat climate change. Among the nearly 10,000 companies evaluated, EDP achieved the highest level of performance - 'Leadership' - and the highest rating of 'A' in the two main categories: climate change and water security. It was the first time to achieve this in these two aspects.

For the sixth consecutive year, the electrical company stands out among global companies with the best practices in managing environmental risks and opportunities - among energy companies, it is also the Portuguese company with the best performance. For the climate change survey, 9,600 companies were evaluated, with EDP being one of 270 in this category, and one of 19 energy companies to achieve the highest score. In the category of water security, which evaluates the companies that have reduced risks the most and better managed this resource, EDP is one of the four utilities that distinguished themselves with the highest level.

CDP - Disclosure, Insight, Action (formerly known as the Carbon Disclosure Project) is considered the non-governmental reference organization for investors regarding climate change and management of environmental impacts, and every year elects the small group of companies and institutions with the best practices in these fields. In order to evaluate its good practices, CDP considers criteria such as climate targets, sustainable activity reporting, environmental risk management or environmental protection initiatives.

The commitment to sustainable practices and projects that contribute to energy transition, in which EDP has been investing for more than a decade, are reflected once again in this distinction. This strategy also involves setting ambitious goals in the fight against climate change. Among them we highlight the reduction of emissions by 90% by 2030 (compared to the levels of 2015) and the guarantee of 90% of production from renewable sources in the next ten years, among other objectives and decisive measures, in the current moment of climatic emergency.

“To lead the action and environmental transparency process is one of the most important steps that companies can take - and it is even more impressive when they do it in a year as challenging as this one due to the impact of Covid-19,” says Paul Simpson, CDP's CEO, in his congratulatory message to companies distinguished with the classification of Leadership: A. “The level of risk for companies generated by climate change, deforestation and water insecurity are enormous, but we also know that the opportunities far outweigh the risks of downtime. The leadership of the private sector will certainly create a 'cycle of ambition' for greater government action and ensure that the global goals for a sustainable economy become reality,” he stresses.

The complete list of companies classified with the highest score can be seen on the CDP website.