Sustainability reporting: how business communication is evolving

The Sustainability Report enables companies to clearly communicate their goals and achievements in the field of sustainability. Since 2006, Eni has published its own Voluntary Sustainability Report each year, well before sustainability reporting requirements came into effect. Then, starting in 2017, in accordance with Legislative Decree 254/2016 (implementing EU Directive 2014/95), Eni incorporated a Consolidated Disclosure of Non-Financial Information (NFI) into its Annual Financial Reporting. From 2025, Eni will be required to prepare the Sustainability Statement in line with the new EU regulations, which replaces the NFI within the Annual Financial Report. At the same time, in keeping with its long-standing approach, Eni will continue to publish a voluntary report: Eni for.

The Sustainability Report is a corporate communication and management tool that enables organisations to share their environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance and projects with stakeholders. Communicating their commitment to sustainability helps enhance transparency around the company’s transition towards a more sustainable industrial model, capable of generating shared value for both the business and its stakeholders.

The Sustainability Report aims to measure and transparently communicate a company’s environmental, social and governance (ESG) impact, while also outlining its commitments, actions and results in these areas. These documents serve as a tool for dialogue, providing a shared space between the company and its stakeholders. The entry into force of the new European reporting directive (Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive – CSRD) in 2023 strengthened the focus on measurability and transparency in ESG matters. Nonetheless, the voluntary report remains a valuable way of communicating directly with stakeholders, including through data and information that are more aligned with their expectations and tailored to the company’s specific context.

The new European regulatory framework on Sustainability Reporting (CSRD) introduces new reporting standards (European Sustainability Reporting Standards – ESRS) designed to align with the same principles of transparency and measurability as the Annual Financial Report.

The new document, the Sustainability Statement, is structured around the topics defined by the standards (environmental, social and governance), and includes information on Eni’s strategies, policies and actions, targets and metrics. The Sustainability Statement is approved by the Board of Directors and is subject to limited assurance by an external auditor. It forms an integral part of the Annual Financial Report and has replaced the Consolidated disclosure of non-financial information (NFI).

Eni for is Eni’s Voluntary Sustainability Report, outlining the company’s goals, initiatives and achievements in pursuing a Just Transition in order to reach carbon neutrality by 2050. First published in 2006, the report explores and highlights Eni’s strategic decisions in an accessible way, featuring case studies, interviews and field projects. The report complements the Sustainability Statement, to which it refers for technical and regulatory aspects such as the internal control system and risk management model. Eni for illustrates how Eni aims to ensure that the decarbonisation process generates tangible opportunities in the countries where it operates and for all relevant stakeholders, sharing social and economic benefits with employees, suppliers, communities and customers. It is designed to effectively communicate Eni’s strategy to stakeholders, making its impacts and commitments across the value chain more visible, and follows the five pillars of its business model.