Environmental protection

Protecting the environment is a responsibility we all share. As a company, this is something we are very well aware of and we feel committed to protecting the environment, conserving natural resources and reducing emissions. That’s why we have incorporated environmental protection and energy efficiency measures into our business practices, with some surpassing statutory targets. We have committed to using natural resources responsibly and supporting the use of environmentally friendly technologies in our principles of conduct and RWE’s Code of Conduct. Furthermore, RWE companies appoint environmental officers in management that ensure as part of the environmental management system that environmental protection is implemented responsibly according to operator obligations, is handled in line with our sustainability practices and we pursue the goal of preventing serious adverse effects on the environment and other risks. Strict environmental legislation and permit requirements build the framework for our operational activities in the regions where we are active. Some of our activities surpass the obligations set out in laws and permits.

RWE invests in environmental protection to ensure continuous improvement in areas such as energy, water, biodiversity, emissions as well as wastewater and waste. 

To control our activities related to the environment, we have set up an environmental management system in affiliate companies that have operating facilities, for example. The environmental management system has 100% coverage. We follow international environmental standard ISO 14001, while factoring in the respective country-speci?c and statutory requirements. Environmental auditors assess our environmental performance on a regular basis, identify associated risks and opportunities and use these results in order to bring about systematic improvements. 89% of the group’s environmental management systems were externally certi?ed in 2019. Our goal is to achieve 100% coverage through external certi?cation or verification through internal auditing processes.