Universal Registration Document 2021

Corporate social responsibility issues and commitments

In line with its raison d’être, strategy, business model and related risk factors ⁽¹⁾, the EDF group presents in this chapter 3 its non-financial performance issues, commitments, policies, actions and results.

16 priority CSR issues

The EDF group’s high-priority CSR issues guide its actions in terms of Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) performance ⁽²⁾. They are seen as key non-financial issues, i.e. ones that involve risks and/or opportunities for the Group and its stakeholders. EDF has used a dual materiality analysis to map them over the last six years. This included enabling identification, selection and ranking of the main non-financial issues by combining the points of view of both external stakeholders (customers, investors, non-financial rating agencies, public authorities, etc.), and the Group itself.

Against a changing backdrop, the initial dual materiality analysis carried out in 2014 was updated in 2018. The analysis was prepared with the support of a specialist firm and underpinned by international standards based on documentary studies, interviews and workshops conducted with about one hundred people forming a representative cross-section of the Group’s stakeholders ⁽³⁾. External stakeholders included internationally-recognised qualified individuals as well as representatives of the Group’s main stakeholders (authorities, administrations, shareholders, banks, customers, partners, subcontractors, suppliers, NGOs, etc.). Internally, members of the Executive Committee participated in the development process, as did managers from the Group’s main departments and subsidiaries. The conclusions were approved by the Group Senior Executive Vice-President for Innovation, Corporate Responsibility & Strategy. In 2019, the Sustainable Development Council ⁽⁴⁾, met to examine the Group’s materiality analysis and based on current best practice, recommended reducing the number of issues.

On 7 May 2020, the EDF group established its raison d’être, which was adopted by 99.99% of the Shareholders’ Meeting and added to its articles of association: “To build a net zero energy future with electricity and innovative solutions and services, to help save the planet and drive well-being and economic development”. More than 4,000 employees contributed to developing this statement ⁽⁵⁾. In accordance with the EDF Sustainable Development Council, these 16 high-priority CSR issues have been ranked and categorised into four key issues in line with EDF’s raison d’être:

Carbon neutrality and the climate

Preserving the planet’s resources

Well-being and solidarity

Responsible development

EDF group’s dual materiality matrix has remained unchanged since 2020, with the priority CSR challenges mapped out as follows

 (1) For details of the EDF group’s raison d’être : see the introduction to the URD; for details of the EDF group’s strategy, see section 1.3 “Group strategy and goals”; for details of the EDF group’s business model: see section 1.1 and section 1.4; for details of the EDF group’s risk factors: see chapter 2 “Risk factors and control framework.

(2) Measuring a company’s Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) performance consists of assessing the extent to which ESG impacts are taken into account in its strategy and management. This process is based on environmental, social and governance criteria that structure the Company’s non-financial performance analysis

(3) For a detailed description of the various methodological stages in its preparation, see section 3.6 “Methodology”.

(4) Known as the EDF group Stakeholder Advisory Panel (Conseil des parties prenantes) since 2021; see section 3.4.1.1.1 “EDF – a pioneer in the implementation of stakeholder panels”. The materiality matrix remained unchanged in 2021.

(5) Through the “Let’s talk about energy” dialogues, cf. section 3.4.1.1.2 “An open dialogue with all, involving all of the Group’s businesses and subsidiaries”