Better Health for All
-20
RWE's 2023 coal-related revenue was approximately 20% of its total Group revenue
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, with coal and lignite operations posing health risks through air pollutants
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. However, the company is undertaking an early coal power phase-out
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and investing approximately 55 billion EUR in renewables by 2030
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, with 81-90% of its 2023 capital expenditure aligned with environmentally sustainable activities that aim to reduce harmful emissions and improve public health
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. Despite RWE Power AG's plants being identified as significant contributors to human toxicity
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, the company implements comprehensive measures to minimize emissions and water pollutants
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. A study funded by RWE on asbestos exposure in March 2017 was criticized by experts as implausible
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, raising questions about the credibility of health risk assessments.
Fair Money & Economic Opportunity
0
RWE AG, an energy company, engages in various initiatives that contribute to economic opportunity and community support. In 2024, the RWE Foundation funded 29 projects with approximately €2 million, focusing on equal opportunities for children and young people across Europe
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. The company also contributed £6.1 million to Community Funds in the United Kingdom in 2024
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, with group donations totaling €2.1 million
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and sponsorships €2.4 million
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in the same year. A joint venture, Community Offshore Wind, committed to invest up to $250 million in local communities to support small businesses and promote economic opportunity
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, and launched a $10 million childcare financial assistance program for offshore wind workers and trainees
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. RWE's energy projects, including solar, battery storage, and wind turbines, are projected to create significant local jobs, with one offshore wind project alone expected to generate nearly 700 direct jobs
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and drive approximately $3 billion in economic activity
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, particularly in rural communities
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. Additionally, the RWE Foundation committed over €1.3 million in March 2024 to social projects in Essen, Germany, aimed at alleviating child poverty
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. RWE also collaborates to engage local supply chains, fostering economic opportunities in regions like Louisiana
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.
Fair Pay & Worker Respect
0
RWE reached a 20-month wage agreement with the IGBCE trade union
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, which includes an 8.8% pay rise in stages
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, a permanent monthly €100 addition for union members
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, and a €1,000 special payment in summer 2024
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. The company scored 6.0 out of 20 in the World Benchmarking Alliance's Social Benchmark
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, indicating areas for improvement in fair pay and worker respect
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. RWE has a Human Rights Risk Management System (HRRMS)
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and a Compliance Management System (CMS)
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to ensure human rights are respected and legal compliance is maintained across operations and supply chains
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. It participates in the UN Global Compact
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and is a member of the Energy Sector Dialogue
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, collaborating to uphold human rights
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. RWE's Code of Conduct, based on UN Global Compact and OECD principles
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, was enhanced in December 2022 to align with human rights standards
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. RWE Generation SE received ISO 45001:2018 certification for its Occupational Health and Safety Management System, valid from December 2022 to December 2025
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. The company emphasizes safety for employees and local residents
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.
Fair Trade & Ethical Sourcing
0
RWE's contracts with direct suppliers include contractual clauses on compliance with human rights and environmental due diligence obligations, supplemented by a "Human Rights Supplier Contract Appendix".
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The company expects its business partners to adhere to its Code of Conduct, which covers human rights, labor standards, and environmental protection, and these principles are included in contractual relationships.
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Honest & Fair Business
10
In fiscal 2024, no Executive Board members or Supervisory Board members reported a conflict of interest, and Supervisory Board members are required to disclose such conflicts.
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The company had some prior-year figures for 2024 restated due to methodological changes implemented when determining figures for the first half of 2025, including retroactive adjustments to taxes on income, net income, and earnings per share.
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RWE has a Group-wide Compliance Management System (CMS) focused on preventing corruption and bribery, overseen by a Chief Compliance Officer, with annual mandatory web-based training that focused on anti-bribery and anti-corruption in 2024.
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It also performs sanctions screening and a multi-stage Know Your Counterparty process for business partners.
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The company operates a Group-wide web-based whistleblowing system, available to employees and third parties, allowing anonymous reporting through an independent external contact.
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Whistleblowers acting in good faith are protected, and reports are promptly followed up.
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Annual compliance training included whistleblowing in 2023.
7
Kind to Animals
0
RWE has a comprehensive biodiversity strategy, aiming for a net-positive impact on biodiversity for all new assets by 2030
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and avoiding industrial activity in UNESCO World Heritage or IUCN Ia/Ib sites.
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The company conducts environmental impact assessments, surveys, mitigation, restoration, and monitors habitats, flora, and fauna.
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Specific projects include biomonitoring for numerous target species (e.g., woodpeckers, bats, butterflies, hare, birds, bees, toads, frogs, kingfishers, orchids, dragonflies) in the Rhenish lignite area from 2022-2024.
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RWE implements Biodiversity Management Plans for projects like the Limondale Solar Farm, which includes wildlife salvage teams and habitat creation.
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They have created 'creotopes' for plants and animals, use sheep grazing and biotope creation at the Schönau solar farm,
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created insect habitats at Polish photovoltaic farms,
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and mitigated noise impact on porpoises during offshore wind farm construction.
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RWE actively engages in advancing animal welfare policy and supporting regulatory reforms. RWE follows best practice guidance from Science Based Targets for Nature (SBTN)
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and adopted recommendations from the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD).
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In 2023, RWE contributed to the development of cross-industry standards,
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supports TNFD in developing guidance for the energy sector,
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and works with SBTN to ensure their guidelines are applicable to the energy industry.
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RWE also collaborated with IUCN to integrate biodiversity protection into corporate decisions.
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No War, No Weapons
-50
RWE has indirect ties to controversial weapons through its one-sixth ownership of Urenco, which has supplied enriched uranium for US nuclear plants producing tritium, essential for nuclear weapons, and has discussed uranium enrichment for military reactors.
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RWE is a signatory of the UN Global Compact
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and has a zero-tolerance policy for human rights violations.
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The company conducts group-wide, risk-based human rights analysis
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and continuously monitors business partners for compliance, including integrity checks and a high-risk supplier process.
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Human rights issues and due diligence activities are reported and discussed annually with the RWE AG board,
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and annual disclosures are made.
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Planet-Friendly Business
-50
RWE's Scope 1 emissions in 2023 were 61.9 million metric tons CO2e, and its water withdrawals in 2024 were 4,225 million m3, resulting in approximately 147,700 m3 per $1M revenue.
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The company's climate targets have been validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) for a 1.5°C pathway.
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In 2023, 35% of RWE's electricity production came from renewable sources, and 89% of its capital expenditure was aligned with the EU Taxonomy for Sustainable Activities.
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RWE aims to achieve net-zero emissions by 2040 with interim targets for 2030.
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The company is a signatory to the TCFD and conducts climate scenario analysis. In 2024, RWE reported zero environmental compliance violations.
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25.92% of RWE's water withdrawals in 2024 were from water-stressed areas.
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RWE has an established just transition program, including income maintenance during retraining and community development funds.
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A biodiversity policy is in effect since 2022, with a target for all new assets to have a net positive impact from 2030, and a pipeline initiative supports local wetlands.
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Respect for Cultures & Communities
-40
RWE has no formal partnership agreements with indigenous or local community groups, despite operating in such areas.
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The company also lacks a formal cultural impact assessment protocol, with its commitment to Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) processes being "Not Met"
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and no examples of obtaining FPIC.
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A 2023 study indicates that RWE's coal mining operations often lead to the alteration of cultural heritage sites.
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RWE withdrew from the Hyphen hydrogen project in Namibia in 2025 following concerns raised about Indigenous People’s rights, demonstrating a reactive response to a cultural incident after public pressure.
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However, RWE has established a central complaints channel accessible to all, allowing complaints to be raised in local languages.
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Safe & Smart Tech
20
RWE AG has established a comprehensive AI governance framework, including an AI Governance Expert role responsible for ensuring legal compliance, developing guidelines and policies, and conducting risk assessments for AI systems.
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The company demonstrates a strong commitment to ethical AI, prioritizing transparency and accountability.
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RWE Group received a high cybersecurity score of 93 out of 100 from SecurityScorecard, reflecting robust cybersecurity measures in network security, patching cadence, and endpoint security.
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RWE Deutschland AG obtained BSI certification for Smart Meter Gateway Administration, and the company's data processing agreements indicate an available IEC/ISO 27001 equivalent certification.
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RWE maintains a very strong regulatory compliance program, explicitly adhering to numerous GDPR articles in its data processing agreements
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and partnering to implement a centralized management system to enhance data protection compliance across various jurisdictions.
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Furthermore, RWE implements data minimization and data retention policies for its Annual General Meetings.
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Zero Waste & Sustainable Products
-10
RWE diverts over 90% of nuclear and coal plant demolition materials into first-rate recyclables.
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Wind farms, excluding blades, are around 90% recyclable, and the company is investing in recyclable rotor blades for offshore wind farms
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, with 50 out of 100 turbines at Sofia and 40 out of 72 at Thor using them.
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An environmental management system covering all operations is in compliance with ISO 14001.
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RWE is actively integrating circular economy principles, particularly in decommissioning assets like wind turbine blades, and is designing for circularity.
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The company has several waste reduction initiatives, including the FUREC project to convert 700,000-800,000 tonnes of non-recyclable municipal waste into hydrogen annually
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, a patented method for producing solid recovered fuel pellets
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, and the installation of reused monopile foundation covers.
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RWE also partners with RenerCycle for circular economy solutions for wind turbine components.
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The company has committed to achieving a recovery rate of over 90% by 2030.
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