Social impact, growth and sustainable development at the basis of business development, to accompany the Canavese area towards the energy transition and contribute to the general improvement of the well-being of the community: these are the values that guide the development of Azienda Energia e Gas Società Cooperativa, to which Intesa Sanpaolo disbursed an S-Loan (Sustainability Loan) of 2,5 million euro. The operation is aimed at achieving two ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) improvement objectives: the first refers to the purchase and subsequent cancellation of guarantees of origin as proof that the entire electricity requirement comes from renewable sources of the company, while the second concerns the development of corporate welfare programs for the benefit of employees.
The Energy and Gas Cooperative Company, commonly called AEG Coop, is one of the largest Italian cooperatives for the sale of electricity, natural gas and related services. Founded in Ivrea in 1901, the Cooperative maintains the heart of its activities in the Canavese area, although over time it has gradually expanded into Piedmont and, with the liberalization of the market, also into the rest of Italy. The XNUMXs marked the turning point for AEG Coop, which earned an important role in the social and cultural fabric of the community and in its relationship with the local area. The watchwords are confirmed: cooperation, quality of service, solidarity and respect for the environment. In keeping with its principles, the Cooperative has been using green energy for its own consumption for some time, which it also makes available to its residential customers.
Recently, AEG Coop has also prepared a multi-year welfare plan and signed a collective accident policy with Intesa Sanpaolo to protect its employees. The values that inspire AEG Coop are fully shared with the orientation towards a sustainable and inclusive approach, which has already guided Intesa Sanpaolo's business for some time. It is essential for the Bank to promote the development of a sustainable economy, supporting companies active in the transition process towards a circular business model and recognizing the relevance of investments framed in the three guiding criteria known as ESG. With this in mind, S-Loan was launched, innovative medium-long term financing, specifically designed to accompany the efforts of companies in the direction of greater sustainability from an environmental, social and corporate governance point of view. S-Loan envisages dedicated facilitated conditions, which reward the virtuous conduct of companies: in fact, the Bank recognizes a rate reduction for each year in which the improvement objectives in the ESG area are achieved, based on performance indicators shared and monitored in the scope of the notes to the financial statements of the company.
The process of accompanying the sustainable transition of companies is one of the pillars of "Motore Italia", the program of initiatives and loans for the relaunch of SMEs, which makes 50 billion euros of new credit available to companies, of which 4,1 billion euros for Piedmont. «AEG Coop has always been sensitive to sustainability issues - declares the President of Azienda Energia e Gas Società Cooperativa, Andrea Ardissone - Not only economic and financial sustainability, but project sustainability, understood as a concrete commitment that starts from the level of values to be declined at a social, environmental and business level with the aim of generating long-term added value not only for individual members directly, but for our entire community and to our territory."
«Attention to the needs of the territory is at the heart of our Group's commitment and actions – he underlines Teresio Testa, regional director Piedmont Valle d'Aosta and Liguria Intesa Sanpaolo – We are proud to be able to support a company like AEG Coop, which has always promoted a growth model inspired by the principles of environmental and social sustainability. The history of this company bears witness to a way of doing business which contributes to the creation of collective value and which must be developed with the utmost priority. For our part, we provide important ceilings expressly dedicated to investments in sustainability and the circular economy and we integrate these issues into the assessment of creditworthiness, precisely to guide our companies on an effective and credible path. In the three regions of our territory, we have S-Loan disbursements in progress for around 50 million euros and projects financed with the circular economy plafond for a further 30 million euros.»
