Sustainability - ESG

Energiekontor’s business model has been geared towards the global sustainability goal of “expanding renewable energies” since the Company was founded. Sustainability is part of our DNA. As pioneers of the energy transition, we have been contributing to a secure, climate-friendly and affordable energy supply for more than 30 years – today and tomorrow. In this process of change, we at Energiekontor are aware of the diverse effects of our actions on the environment and society. Our understanding of sustainability is therefore holistic. We want to create lasting benefits for all our stakeholders – our customers, employees, investors, business partners and society as a whole. The basis for this is our sustainability-oriented business strategy and our corporate mission statement. From these, we derive goals and measures that define our actions in the areas of environmental, social and responsible corporate governance (ESG). International frameworks and established standards serve as additional orientation.

Environment

At Energiekontor, we want to integrate environmentally conscious actions more strongly into our everyday work and continue to develop them. With our work and actions, we want to make a positive contribution to our environment, our climate and future generations.

• Energiekontor AG EMAS certified
  That is why we have introduced the environmental management system EMAS (Eco-Management and Audit Scheme) developed by the European Union at our headquarters in Bremen. EMAS claims to be the world's most demanding and effective environmental management system and is based on the international standard for environmental management systems EN ISO 1. Energiekontor has been successfully EMAS-certified on 11 May 2022 and is included in the official EMAS register and has published a corresponding yearly environmental statement. Currently the EMAS certification is under review and deactivated for this purpose, as soon as the audit is completed, the certification will be reactivated.
• Contribution to biodiversity
  Solar parks promote biodiversity. This has been proven, among other things, by studies conducted by the German Association for the New Energy Economy (Bundesverband Neue Energiewirtschaft). In contrast to agriculturally managed areas, solar parks are significantly less disturbed after completion. As a result, and due to the renunciation of fertilisation and extensive cultivation, species-rich habitats develop again. In this way, in addition to the environmentally friendly production of energy, a valuable contribution is made to biodiversity. Climate protection and nature conservation go hand in hand here.
• Our vision: full supply of energy needs with renewable energies
  Energiekontor is pursuing the vision of a 100 percent full supply of renewable energy. Full coverage of the world’s energy needs is possible. As pioneers in the industry, we want to continue to be the engine of this movement in the coming years and actively shape the path to a more sustainable and decarbonised world. With the wind farms and solar parks that we project and realise and operate ourselves, we contribute nationally and internationally to reducing climate-damaging CO2 emissions and thus to protecting people, the environment and nature.

Social

For us, social sustainability means taking responsibility for our employees and for society as a whole. We want to offer added value at all levels.

• Employees
  Our employees are our most valuable asset. We want them to feel at home with us and to contribute to Energiekontor’s success in the long term with their competence, energy and creativity. This can only be achieved in an environment characterised by mutual respect and trust. We live team spirit and collegiality and at the same time create freedom and opportunities for individual development. This includes individual working time arrangements, arrangements for working from home, various part-time models, working time accounts, Company pension scheme offers, a Company fitness programme, participation in a so-called “Future Day”, regular “culture management” events and internships for family members. Regular employee surveys increase transparency and understanding of the wishes and satisfaction of our employees.
• Reconciling family and work
  We are convinced that as a Company we have a social responsibility to make it possible to reconcile work and family life. That is why we have created framework conditions that guarantee the compatibility of work and family in a special way. In 2021, we were again certified for this with the “Excellent Family Friendly” seal of the Bremen Senate. Our focus is not only on parents with small children, but also on employees who, for example, care for relatives and take responsibility for other people.
• Social Commitment
  The conversion of the energy system is also worthwhile from the perspective of society as a whole. Renewable energies not only avoid social consequential costs due to environmental and health damage, but they also create jobs and increase regional value creation. We are present in the regions where we build our solar parks and wind farms with our own local offices and teams. Therefore, we know the needs and concerns of the local people and take them seriously. Through direct citizen participation or financial participation of the municipalities in the revenues from the wind and solar parks, we strengthen acceptance for the energy transition and enable the financing of community projects in the region.

Governance

At Energiekontor, we are committed to responsible, reliable and sustainable corporate governance. To this end, we not only comply with statutory regulations and follow recognised standards, but we also aim to constantly develop our own standards and goals through regular critical scrutiny. 

• Transparent reporting
  As a listed Company, Energiekontor already reports in detail and transparently on many corporate governance issues. For example, we make the annual Corporate Governance Declaration and the Corporate Governance Statement permanently available on our website (Corporate Governance). Here, interested parties can also find information on the structure of the remuneration scheme for the Management Board and the Supervisory Board. Since March 2022, we have also published an annual remuneration report, which is permanently available for inspection on our website. 
• Protection of whistle-blowers
  We want to offer our employees and third parties the opportunity to take action against unethical behaviour or violations of proper and responsible corporate governance without having to worry about consequences or even losing their jobs or being followed upon in any kind. This is the only way to uncover significant grievances and bring about improvements. Our employees therefore have the possibility to turn to an external ombudsman with their concerns, even anonymously. Our employees and external whistleblowers therefore have the option of anonymously contacting an external ombudsman with their concerns. You can reach our ombudsperson (lawyer Reinhard Engel) under: engel@kef-legal.de. In addition, whistleblowers can also use the external reporting channels of the Federal Ministry of Justice (BMJ), which are available on the BMJ website.

• Independence of Auditors – Rotation Principle
  Energiekontor complies with the mandatory rotation obligations for the auditor company and the responsible auditors themselves. As such Article 17 (1) of the Audit Regulation (EU Regulation No. 537/2014) limits the term of the auditor's mandate to ten years. In addition, there is a rotation obligation for the responsible auditor himself that is responsible for the auditing process and signing the auditor's opinion of five years. PKF Deutschland GmbH has been the auditor of the annual and consolidated financial statements of Energiekontor AG since the 2014 financial year. As such, PKF Deutschland GmbH will act as auditor for Energiekontor AG for the last time for the 2023 financial year. In addition, Julian Wenninger, auditor at PKF Germany, has been involved in the audit of the financial statements of Energiekontor as the responsible audit partner since the 2018 financial year and will therefore not be involved in the audit of the financial statements for the 2023 financial year.