Hera Group has developed its online CSR communications over the last three years by expanding CSR content across its entire website, publishing sustainability reports concurrently with financial statements, increasing engaging content like videos and projects, and focusing on targets and results. Key developments include new sections on waste plants and water quality, publishing 86 news articles and 12 newsletter issues in 2010, and receiving over 162,000 website visits in the first nine months of 2010, with 10% related to CSR.

1. Online CSR dialogue:
facts and key words to engage
stakeholders
Hera Group’s online communications on corporate
social responsibility
Filippo M. Bocchi, HERA S.p.A.
2nd Global Seminar Online CSR Communications
Milan, 21 October 2010
1/20

2. 4.2
Revenue
billion euros
2.8Gas sold
billion m3
3Population
served
million
6,481
Workforce
62%Public
shareholders
5.1
Waste treated
million
tons
257
Water sold
million m3
Some important information for 2009: 2/20

3. Our defining features
In our online communications, as in our CSR reports, we have
taken into account the fact that:
Gas
Electricity
Water
Environmental services
we are a multiutility (four services provided)
we are addressing a variety of stakeholders
we have close ties to the region
3/20

4. How we have developed our online CSR
communications
In the last three years we have:
changed the publication date of our Sustainability Report to coincide with
our Financial Statements
expanded our CSR content
published our CSR content on our entire website
4/20
made our CSR communications more engaging by:
considerably increasing the frequency of new content
showcasing projects and initiatives that are relevant to stakeholders
focusing our attention on concrete targets and results
seeking dialogue with stakeholders, despite only marginal use of social
media

5. … changed the publication date of our Sustainability
Report to coincide with our Financial Statements
In 2008 we completely overhauled the interactive version of the
Sustainability Report
different navigation levels
CEO video introduction
interactive graphics
extra content
links for further details
Page views have increased tenfold
Key features:
5/20

6. … expanded our CSR content: now there is more
than just the Sustainability Report
Since 2007 our reports have been enhanced by new initiatives, some
of which are available exclusively online
“Discover our waste-to-energy
plants” section
Section on drinking water quality
VedoHera sustainability newsletter
Section on the recovery and
destination of separated waste
(under construction)
A few examples:
6/20

7. … expanded our CSR content: the new
“Discover our waste-to-energy plants” section
This section provides
information in a more
simple and engaging
way, with videos and
animations on
atmospheric emissions
and on how each of the
Group’s waste-to-
energy plants work.
Page views have
tripled.
7/20

8. … expanded our CSR content: the new
“Discover our waste-to-energy plants” section
8/20
Focus on atmospheric
emissions: half-hour
updates and record of
daily averages for each
plant.

9. … expanded our CSR content: the new
“Discover our waste-to-energy plants” section
9/20
Use of interactive
graphics to show how
the emissions
generated by each
waste-to-energy plant
compare with the legal
and IEA limits.

10. … expanded our CSR content: section on
drinking water quality
“Hera water
label” with data
on the quality of
the water
distributed in
each municipality
we serve
Focus on “In safe
waters”, the
annual report
dedicated
exclusively to
drinking water
quality
10/20

11. Social responsibility
projects and initiatives
can now be viewed not
only in the CSR
section, but also in all
the other sections of
our website.
The most important
projects and initiatives
are shown on the
website’s home page.
… published our CSR content in all sections of our
website
11/20

12. … published our CSR content in all sections of our
website
12/20
Our “Customers”
section showcases the
CSR projects and
initiatives relevant to
this category of
stakeholder.

13. … made our CSR communications more engaging:
new features in the CSR section
Focus on targets and
performance for each
category of stakeholder
13/20
FAQs and contacts
Videos on key
CSR projects and
Sustainability
Report
presentation
events (with
testimonials from
stakeholders)
Online sustainability
newsletter
Focus on local CSR projects
News on CSR initiatives
and events

14. … made our CSR communications more engaging:
news and dates for your diary
14/20
In the first nine months of
2010 we published 86
news articles on social
responsibility initiatives
We have introduced a
section on CSR events
involving Hera
We have set up e-mail
alerts and RSS feeds for
news and upcoming events

15. … made our CSR communications more engaging:
video content
In the CSR section we
have uploaded 36
videos of the main
Sustainability Report
presentation events. In
2009 alone, 750 people
and 35 speakers
attended these events.
The videos also contain
testimonials from
stakeholders who
spoke at the events.
15/20

16. … made our CSR communications more engaging:
focus on targets and results
We said we would do…, we have done…, we will do…:
every year we set
concrete, measurable
targets for each
stakeholder category
every year we report back
on the results achieved in
a transparent way
16/20
the targets and results are
easily accessible thanks to
interactive graphics and brief
synopses.

17. … made our CSR communications more engaging:
sustainability newsletter
17/20
Since 2008 we have been
publishing VedoHera, our
online sustainability
newsletter.
To date we have published 8
issues and 12 updates, with
a total of 44 articles and 62
brief news items.
It is sent to 60 thousand
people.
The newsletter has proved to
be an effective tool for
dialogue on our CSR
projects.

18. Sustainability Report now available on iPad 18/20

19. A few statistics about visits to our website 19/20
9
In the first
162,000
months of 2010 a total of
10%
with
of these relating to
CSR news
9
In the first
months of 2010 a total of
5,800contact forms were
filled in
there are 15 contact forms
on the website
35,000views of the
184
videos available on
the website and on
YouTube
page views were
recorded for the news
section
3
In the last
years

20. 20/20
Thanks for listening!