Preparation criteria

In 2013 Eni continued its commitment to integrated reporting, preparing the Annual Report 2013 in accordance with the principles and contents of the framework issued by the International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC). This section, entitled “2013 Consolidated Sustainability Statements” (hereafter, Consolidated Sustainability Statements), reports the main results for the 2011-2013 period and the year’s projects.

The section is based on the “Sustainability Reporting Guidelines & Oil and Gas Sector Supplement – Version 3.1” issued by the GRI (Global Reporting Initiative), with particular reference to the standards of materiality, completeness, stakeholder inclusiveness and sustainability context, and is also prepared considering the IPIECA/API/OGP “Oil and gas industry guidance on voluntary sustainability reporting”. Eni is working towards the adoption of the new G4 Sustainability Reporting Guidelines issued in May 2013 and adheres to the GRI G4 Pioneers Program. The program, initiated in October 2013 by the GRI, aims to assist companies during this transitional phase to achieve full implementation of the guidelines.

Materiality and stakeholder inclusiveness

To identify the issues to be reported on in this document, a materiality analysis was carried out, taking into account the importance of the various topics for external stakeholders as well as their relative significance within the company.

The level of external interest in sustainability issues is found through an analysis that considers the following factors: the energy, political, economic and social scenario, at a global and local level, the benchmarking on a panel of companies from the oil&gas and other sectors similar to Eni in size and geographic characteristics, capital market and ethics rating agency demands, analysis of the press and the web and the requests that major stakeholders have made to Eni, using different methods and communication channels. In addition to the financial community, the stakeholders considered are governments and local institutions, international and national associations, NGOs and citizens interested in Eni’s work and Eni’s people (for further information see the section “Stakeholder engagement”).

The level of internal significance is determined on the basis of analysis of short-term and long-term strategy and objectives, combined with evaluation of the results and sustainability performance for the reporting year. Joint consideration of external and internal significance leads to the identification of areas of priority and of greater materiality to the company, shared with all the units concerned and approved by the top management.

Reporting perimeter and sustainability context

The sustainability information contained in this section and in the Operating and Financial Review section of the Annual Report is integrated at several levels within the document. Within the Operating and Financial Review, financial information has been integrated with sustainability information with regard to the operating context, strategy, business model and integrated risk management system, as well as Governance.

The following section contains Eni’s consolidated performance indicators for the 2011-2013 period and an analysis of the relative trends. The information included relates to Eni SpA and its consolidated subsidiaries. The consolidation perimeter is the same as that for the 2013 Consolidated Financial Statements, with the exception of certain data specifically indicated in the text. With regard to data on health, safety and the environment, the consolidation scope is defined using the operational criterion (control of operations). Under this approach, for example, emissions reported represent 100% of the emissions for each installation operated by Eni.

Vice versa, the equity share criterion, used in the consolidated financial statements, requires that the emissions associated with an installation reflect the percentage financial interest in that particular installation.

Principles of quality assurance for sustainability reporting

The performance data shown have been reported with the aim of giving a balanced and clear picture of company actions and characteristics.

The collection process for information and quantitative data has been structured to ensure comparability of data across several years, to enable a correct reading of the information and a complete view for all the stakeholders interested in the trends in Eni’s performance.

The indicators and specific data for the various business sectors are shown on the website eni.com.

The Consolidated Sustainability Statements are based on the measurement processes defined in the reporting procedures: lower or different levels of accuracy are indicated in the margin for the data presented. During data input by the people responsible for each topic, in addition to loading data for the reporting year, the two previous years were also verified and updated. Therefore, any changes in the data for 2011 and 2012 compared to those published last year are due to these adjustments. The data were collected using a dedicated information system, which guarantees the reliability of information flows and accurate monitoring. The sustainability information has been certified by an independent entity, the auditing company for the consolidated financial statements of the Eni Group as of December 31, 2013.

Calculation methods

The methods used to calculate added value, the injury frequency rate and injury severity rate, the refining energy intensity index, the emission index and the value generated by research are shown below.

Added value represents the wealth generated by the company in carrying out its activities. The form chosen for this report is total added value net of amortization. Total net added value is divided between the following beneficiaries: employees (direct remuneration composed of wages, salaries and TFR /employee termination indemnity /and indirect remuneration consisting of social welfare contributions); Public Administration (income tax); financial backers (medium and long-term interest paid for the availability of borrowed capital); shareholders (dividends distributed); and the company (retained earnings).

With regard to safety performance, injury frequency and severity rates are shown for employees and contractors. The frequency rate is calculated as the number of accidents leading to days of absence²⁶ (including fatalities) divided by millions of worked hours; the severity rate is defined as the ratio between the days of absence¹ due to accidents (excluding fatalities) and thousands of worked hours.

The energy intensity index of refineries represents the total value of energy actually used in a given year in the various refinery processing plants, divided by the corresponding value determined on the basis of predefined standard consumption values for each processing plant.

For comparisons between years, 1994 data have been taken as the baseline (100%).

In order to highlight medium and long-term performance on CO₂ emissions, three indexes have been defined to represent the following operating contexts: hydrocarbon production, refining and electricity generation. These indexes take into account the substantial differences in working conditions recorded over the years and allow for performance comparison by normalization of the emissions based on operating data.

The indexes of refineries are calculated from the equivalent distillation capacity provided by a third party entity; the hydrocarbon production indexes cover effective gross production; and the energy sector indexes measure electrical and thermal energy produced in equivalent kWh. Greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) relate to CO₂ and CH₄ (methane); methane is converted into CO₂eq using a Global Warming Potential (GWP) of 21.

The method for assessing the value generated from research allows the benefits of R&D to be calculated in terms of both tangible and intangible value.

The tangible benefit is measured by the economic benefits linked to the application of innovative product/process technologies. In detail, the total tangible benefit is measured as 100% of the company share [of profits] from projects involving the application of technology, before tax.

The economic benefits may be based on actual results or expected value (Net Present Value – NPV).

The assumptions applied on a case by case basis for the calculation are shared with the relevant technical structures/business lines. The tangible benefits are identified in a “what if” scenario, that is, as the difference derived from comparison with the application of the best alternative technology or, in the case of new products, as the difference compared to the margin generated by the products replaced.

Intangible benefits are identified by assessing on the one hand the effectiveness and efficiency of company innovative capacity over time through the number of first time patent applications filed and on the other, the spread of specialist know-how and the effectiveness of research in providing support for operating activities.