Our Contribution to the UN Sustainable Development Goals
In September 2015, more than 150 countries adopted the United Nations 2030 Agenda, committing to ensure a life of dignity for all people by the year 2030. The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) serve as a guiding framework for this agenda. These goals represent a world free from extreme poverty and hunger, with reduced environmental risks and a globally appropriate climate.
We all share a common responsibility in achieving these goals. At EWE, we are committed to contributing to the realization of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Based on our core business, we have identified four goals that are of particular relevance to us—goals to which we can make the most significant contribution:
Goal 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all
Our contribution: We are consistently expanding the share of electricity we generate from renewable energy sources, with a particular focus on onshore wind power. Our goal is to significantly and sustainably increase the share of renewables across sectors in the years ahead. In addition, we offer our customers solutions that help them improve energy efficiency and lay the foundation for a climate-neutral future.
Goal 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization, and foster innovation
Our contribution: We not only maintain grid stability and thus ensure supply security, but also leverage digitalization to create an intelligent energy system. We continuously invest in innovation to meet future challenges—for example, integrating electric mobility with renewable energy. EWE operates the largest public charging network for electric vehicles in northwestern Germany, powered entirely by green electricity. We are also proactively exploring the integration of green hydrogen into the energy system.
Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable
Our contribution: We support cities and communities in advancing sustainable development by providing innovative solutions in energy, telecommunications, IT, and mobility. Through the consistent expansion of our fiber-optic network, we can supply an increasing number of households with very high bandwidths. As part of neighborhood development projects, we also offer integrated solutions combining energy, telecommunications, and mobility services.
Goal 13: Climate Action
Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts
Our contribution: At EWE, climate action has long been a top priority and has guided our activities for decades. We believe energy efficiency and renewable energy are key to achieving climate neutrality. To effectively support the energy transition and reduce the carbon footprint of the energy sector, we are steadily increasing the share of electricity we generate from renewables. We also work to reduce our own CO₂ emissions and take responsibility for upstream and downstream value chain stages that we cannot directly control.
In addition to our core business, we also contribute to other Sustainable Development Goals through a variety of actions and initiatives. We have identified six additional goals to which we make a meaningful contribution:
Goal 3: Good Health and Well-being
Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
Our contribution: The health of our employees is a top priority. EWE has established high standards to promote employee health and to create a work environment that safeguards their well-being. We expect our business partners to meet these same standards.
Goal 4: High-Quality Education
Ensure inclusive, equitable, and quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
Our contribution: Through our wide range of training and development programs across the EWE Group, we aim to give people of all ages access to quality education. We combine learning and living at our own training and education center, offering a variety of future-focused apprenticeships and dual study programs to help shape the energy transition. In addition, the EWE Foundation is committed to supporting high-quality education in our region.
Goal 5: Gender Equality
Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
Our contribution: Across the EWE Group, we are convinced that lived diversity strengthens innovation. Promoting diversity and equal opportunity is therefore an integral part of our corporate strategy and Code of Conduct. In doing so, we foster an inclusive work environment for a diverse workforce with a wide range of life paths—and fulfill our social responsibility as an employer.
Goal 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
Promote sustained, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment, and decent work for all
Our contribution: EWE places great value on offering employees a fair and attractive work environment with transparent structures and processes. We also see respect for human rights as a fundamental aspect of our corporate responsibility. Our goal is to consistently prevent and eliminate human rights violations. We take a holistic view of the related risks along our value chain and align our actions with international standards such as the UN Global Compact.
Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
Our contribution: We apply sustainability criteria when sourcing materials to avoid environmental or human rights impacts in our procurement processes. In waste management, we adhere to the waste hierarchy and aim to consistently avoid waste wherever possible. If reuse, recycling, or recovery is not feasible, we ensure safe disposal - especially for hazardous waste - while keeping social and environmental risks to a minimum. We also educate our customers on sustainable consumption, for example through energy-saving tips in our customer magazine hallo nachbar.
Goal 15: Life on Land
Protect, restore, and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems
Our contribution: Environmental protection and the responsible use of resources are essential to a sustainable future. We continuously aim to reduce our internal energy consumption and to minimize other environmental impacts from ongoing business operations - such as air pollution or land use - while actively promoting biodiversity.
