Better Health for All

FirstEnergy invests in renewable energy, with a goal to own at least 50 megawatts of solar generation by 2025, aiming to reduce environmental impact and promote public health.

The FirstEnergy Foundation provided a $250,000 grant to MetroHealth's Institute for H.O.P.E. to address health disparities for disadvantaged patients. In January 2021, the Foundation also donated over $3.4 million to nearly 100 organizations to support health and safety initiatives in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. FirstEnergy launched a 'Stop. Look. Live.' campaign to educate the public on electrical safety and prevent injuries or fatalities. The company offers a HealthyLiving Wellness Program for employees, which emphasizes physical, emotional, social, and financial health. However, the provided articles do not contain the specific quantitative data, such as percentages of revenue, R&D allocation, population reach, or frequency rates of adverse events, required by the rubric to score most KPIs beyond 'Not Applicable'.

Fair Money & Economic Opportunity

JCP&L, a FirstEnergy subsidiary, offers zero-interest loans to small and commercial businesses

. The company does not generate revenue from high-cost financial products or penalty fees. FirstEnergy provides payment assistance and energy efficiency programs for income-qualified customers . The FirstEnergy Foundation awarded $3.43 million to nearly 100 organizations, totaling $7 million under its 'Investing with Purpose' initiative, supporting health, safety, workforce development, and social justice . FirstEnergy settled with the SEC for $100 million and paid $3.9 million to FERC , but these fines were not related to lending practices.

Fair Pay & Worker Respect

As of December 31, 2023, approximately 45% of FirstEnergy's workforce was represented by unions

. The company successfully negotiated new agreements covering 1,303 employees with IBEW and UWUA locals , and extended agreements with seven more unions covering 1,568 employees .

Fair Trade & Ethical Sourcing

FirstEnergy Corporation's Office of Ethics & Compliance oversees compliance, assurance, training, and communications, led by a Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer.

The company emphasizes responsible business practices, supplier diversity, and supplier performance improvement. Its Supplier Code of Conduct mandates that suppliers adhere to fair employment practices, comply with labor and human rights laws, and ensure child labor is not used. In 2021, FirstEnergy launched a Diverse Supplier Development program to support minority-owned businesses, which included five minority-owned businesses in its inaugural year. The company has set a goal to achieve 19% of its supply chain spend with diverse suppliers by the end of 2025.

Honest & Fair Business

FirstEnergy incurred $253.9 million in ethics-related regulatory fines within the past three years. This includes a $230 million penalty in November 2023 for a $60 million bribery scheme

, a $20 million settlement in August 2024 for state-level claims related to the same scandal , and a $3.9 million FERC fine in January 2023 for failing to disclose lobbying and accounting information during an audit . The company entered a Deferred Prosecution Agreement requiring measures to prevent future violations and made leadership changes, including splitting the Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer role . However, consumer advocates have raised concerns about the company's resistance to disclose internal investigations and ongoing transparency challenges related to the scandal.

Kind to Animals

FirstEnergy Corporation is an electric utility, and its core business model does not involve animal testing, animal-derived products, or animal agriculture. Therefore, KPIs related to cruelty-free certification, alternative testing, humane operations, ethical input substitution, supplier audits, cage-free sourcing, animal testing policy and volume, innovation investment in animal-free technology, animal agriculture ethics, and animal-free R&D collaboration are not applicable. The company engages in wildlife conservation efforts, such as installing 64 artificial bat roosts

, creating nearly 190 acres of pollinator habitat by Q3 2022 towards a 225-acre goal by 2025 , installing an osprey nesting platform , and providing browse to zoos . However, the provided articles do not include the percentage of revenue invested in these initiatives, which is a required metric for scoring the 'wildlife_conservation_impact' KPI. Similarly, while collaborations with industry entities and research institutes are mentioned , there is no explicit evidence of active engagement in animal welfare policy improvement or advocacy for higher standards as defined by the 'public_policy_engagement' KPI.

Planet-Friendly Business

FirstEnergy's total Scope 1, 2, and 3 greenhouse gas emissions for 2024 were 33,135,912 tCO₂e.

The company reported 11 environmental compliance violations and excursions in 2024. For its Jersey Central Power & Light subsidiary, 7.57% of the PJM System Mix electricity supplied from June 2024 to May 2025 was from renewable sources. The company indicates alignment with TCFD recommendations. It has a stated aspiration to carbon neutrality of Scope 1 GHG emissions by 2050, with an interim target of a 30% reduction in companywide Scope 1 GHG emissions by 2030 from a 2019 baseline, but these targets are not stated as SBTi-validated.

Respect for Cultures & Communities

FirstEnergy's "Investing with Purpose" program awarded over $3.43 million to nearly 100 organizations supporting health, education, workforce development, and social justice in December 2022.

The FirstEnergy Foundation also donated $10,000 to the West Virginia Black Heritage Festival in October 2023, supporting cultural heritage. Additionally, FirstEnergy established an Environmental Justice Policy in September 2023, which aims for equitable community engagement and integrates environmental considerations into business planning, emphasizing fair treatment and meaningful involvement of community members in decision-making processes.

Safe & Smart Tech

In early 2025, FirstEnergy detected suspicious activity involving numerous attempts to log into customer accounts, with some unauthorized logins occurring

. The company promptly required all online account customers to reset their passwords as a precautionary measure . No sensitive customer information, such as complete bank account or credit card details, was accessible through the online accounts .

Zero Waste & Sustainable Products

FirstEnergy has implemented numerous waste reduction initiatives. In 2024, the company reported recycling over 7,000 tons of materials, including more than 1,500 tons of plastic, metal, and cardboard; over 5,000 tons of wood utility poles and reels; more than 650 tons of shredded paper; and over 50 tons of electronic waste

. The Wood Pole Diversion Program diverted over 2,400 tons of wood poles from landfills in 2023 and nearly 4,900 tons in total, repurposing them for agriculture, parks, or milling into lumber . The Recycling and Investment Recovery Program processed nearly 2.7 million pounds of scrap material and recycled over 2 million pounds of cables and wires in 2023 . Employee-led initiatives include collecting over 1,800 pounds of plastic waste for the NexTrex challenge and repurposing over 250 pairs of blue jeans into home insulation . The company also engages in the beneficial reuse of coal combustion residuals (CCRs) in construction materials, which reduces the need for waste disposal sites . FirstEnergy Stadium diverted 35 tons of food waste from landfills each season . Additionally, recycling drives collected non-traditional recyclables like eyeglasses, pill bottles, crayons, and aluminum pull tabs .