Stakeholder Engagement

The CEO Umberto Tosoni comments the main results for 2021

Dear Stakeholders,
In these recent years characterised by the Covid-19 pandemic, I think we all have asked ourselves what to expect from the future as people, citizens and companies. In fact, the pandemic has changed our habits, our way of living, working and interacting, impacting on our lives and the global economy.

Companies have had to rethink their business strategies and operations: in this context, the ASTM Group promptly implemented a series of actions and conduct to ensure lasting and timely relations with all its Stakeholders.

Business continuity risks took on serious significance and all companies in our Group increased the efficiency of their processes and implemented new technologies and working methods.

2021 saw an even greater collective consciousness emerging, placing issues linked to the climate and the environment at the heart of national and international debate. As the 2021 Report by the World Economic Forum demonstrated, the environmental crisis and climate change continue to represent the main risks in coming years, in terms of both impact and probability.

All of this takes on particular relevance for us at the ASTM Group as builders and operators of infrastructure, with the awareness that we are called upon to protect our roads over time.

During this difficult year, we have continued to invest in our infrastructure, to improve both safety and efficiency levels.

The emerging priorities of the post-pandemic “new normal”, include significant topics related to technological innovation and diversity, inclusion and respect for human rights, since the pandemic has made pre-existing systemic inequalities even more obvious.

This increases the private sector’s collective responsibility. Actions that are implemented to promote a sustainable and inclusive growth contribute to a company’s social recognition.

We are already working on the future that we want, a future we can already feel with our bare hands.

A future that is more and more sustainable because our activities contribute to the social and economic growth of the territories where we work, by placing people at the centre and integrating sustainability policies into our business strategy.

We have made a specific commitment: we were the first European motorway operator – and the largest in terms of kilometres managed in the world – to set science-based emission reduction objectives approved by the Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi) to achieve a 25% reduction in the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions produced by our operations by 2030. We also want to be a model for our partners, undertaking to reduce Scope 3 emissions by 13% by 2030, in the goods and services we purchase from third parties.

These objectives are so important that they have been included in our financial strategy in the scope of emissions, with the issue last November of €3 billion of Sustainability-linked bonds. Demand for four times the offering prove the financial market’s acknowledgement of the Group’s value, our strategies integrated with ESG policies, and our vision for the future.

Our vision goes one step further because we want to be the protagonists of mobility’s digital transformation to build the motorways of the future, which are even more smart and connected, because we want to be the drivers of the ecological transition in the countries where we operate.

In this context, together with an exceptional partner, Volkswagen Group Italia, we presented the “smart road” project on the A4 Torino-Milano motorway, which envisages Italy’s first connectivity between standard cars and motorway in open traffic conditions. Through direct communication between vehicles and infrastructure, we can provide higher quality services in terms of safety, comfort and reduced traffic.

But we did not stop there. The initiative forms an integral part of the more general modernisation, technological innovation and ecological transition process for the A4 Torino-Milano Motorway, with the aim of making it one of the most technologically advanced in Europe. The first part of these projects will be completed by 2024 on the Milano-Novara pilot stretch. Once authorisation is received from the Ministry of Infrastructure and Sustainable Mobility (MIMS), this will then be extended to the entire motorway and the ASTM Group’s entire motorway
network in Italy.

A company stands out due to its ability to meet the expectations and needs of all its Stakeholders, and knowing how to embrace the same values.

In conclusion, the ASTM Group is aware of its social and economic role, of how infrastructure creates development, competition and employment, reduces inequalities and brings people and cultures together.

We want to continue being the driver of development with the goal of creating resilient, digital and sustainable infrastructure that combines modernity, innovation and safety to provide a better service to our customers.

This is our commitment and our vision for the future.

I hope you enjoy reading this report.

Umberto Tosoni
Chief Executive Officer

Transparent and active Stakeholder engagement

The Group undertakes to identify and establish open and transparent dialogue with all its Stakeholders, i.e. all parties of any kind that contribute to the company’s activities or are influenced by them.
Establishing and maintaining constant dialogue with Stakeholders over time allows the Group to identify the most important sustainability issues and evaluate how to best integrate them into industrial and management activities.

Stakeholder Map

Stakeholder-ASTM-en

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Customers and consumer associations

Expectations

  • Road and infrastructure safety
  • Quality and continuity of the motorway infrastructure management service
  • Quality, safety and impacts of constructions

Ways of involvement

  • Customer experience
  • Organization of joint projects
  • Involvement in identifying material ESG issues

Suppliers, contractors and business partners

Expectations

  • Meritocratic and transparent selection process
  • Compliance with all competition and antitrust laws
  • Sharing of values in the development of corporate strategy and management
  • Protection of health and safety in the workplace
  • Creation of shared value

Ways of involvement

  • Definition and sharing of standards
  • Involvement of contractors and subcontractors in HSE initiatives
  • Dedicated meetings
  • Involvement in identifying material ESG issues

Regulatory bodies, institutions and the P.A.

Expectations

  • Compliance with legislation in all countries where the Group operates
  • Collaboration, technical support and information sharing
  • Participation in the territorial planning of activities

Ways of involvement

  • Dedicated institutional meetings
  • Work tables and conferences
  • Cooperation with local authorities and governments for health and safety prevention campaigns
  • Involvement in identifying material ESG issues

Employees and trade union organisations

Expectations

  • Health and safety in the workplace
  • Diversity, inclusion and equal opportunities
  • Meritocratic professional development
  • Participation in company life
  • Work-life balance
  • Stability

Ways of involvement

  • Internal communication activities also through the company intranet
  • Training courses
  • Institutional channels of communication, including social media
  • Engagement Survey on specific issues
  • Meetings with trade union representatives
  • Involvement in identifying material ESG issues

Universities and Research Centers

Expectations

  • Research support

Ways of involvement

  • Partnership and sponsorship for research
  • Partnership for internship activities
  • Involvement in identifying material ESG issues

Local community

Expectations

  • Creation of shared value
  • Listening to requests and local representatives
  • Contribution and support to local initiatives
  • Access to information and intervention planning
  • Protection of cultural heritage and the environment
  • Protection of health and safety

Ways of involvement

  • Constant dialogue
  • Support for local initiatives
  • Involvement in identifying material ESG issues

The Media

Expectations

  • Completeness, transparency and timeliness of information
  • Accessibility and usability of information
  • Possibility of dialogue with the top management

Ways of involvement

  • Institutional communication channels
  • Press releases
  • Events
  • Constant dialogue
  • Interactions with top management
  • Involvement in identifying material ESG issues

Shareholders and lenders

Expectations

  • Creation of shared and sustainable value in the medium to long term
  • Corporate Governance and risk management
  • Transparency and timeliness in the information on company performance
  • Compliance with contractual targets (“covenants”)

Ways of involvement

  • Dialogue through the Investor Relations function
  • Press releases
  • Institutional communication channels
  • Shareholders’ Meeting
  • Dialogue with financial and ESG rating agencies
  • Involvement in identifying material ESG issues

The ASTM Group’s materiality matrix

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In accordance with GRI Standards and international best practices, ASTM has defined its materiality analysis in order to identify, consistently with its strategic priorities and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, the most relevant sustainability issues. Using this process, the Group has considered aspects that have a significant impact on the economic, social and environmental performance and that could substantially influence the ratings and Stakeholders’ decisions as material.

This year road safety, motorway infrastructure safe­ty, occupational health and safety and anti-corrup­tion are once again some of the most important sustainability issues for the Group. Issues of respon­sible supply chain management, protection of land­scape and biodiversity, and energy consumption, GHG emissions and innovation are increasing in importance.

Some of our projects

Roadmap SDGs

Impact measurement

Customer satisfaction