Corporate citizenship: Commitment to sustainable entrepreneurship

As an international energy company with 2400 employees in our Düsseldorf headquarters alone, we assume responsibility for both the surrounding area and the region. This isn't just the case in Düsseldorf — for example, power plant managers at all Uniper sites are conveying the Uniper Way, an attitude to work that we developed after our company spun-off from E.ON in 2016 and that has been brought to public by individual networking, personal relationship and local stakeholder management. "Commitment has always been an important pillar of our corporate culture in many ways. With Corporate Citizenship, we now have a team and a name that covers the entire concept," said Leif Erichsen, Senior Vice President External Communication & Brand at Uniper. "You can often find us having casual yet productive meetings in the cafeteria wearing sneakers and T-shirts. Corporate Citizenship is a platform through which every employee can realize their ideas for social causes and assume responsibility", says Erichsen, describing the Group's concept.

"Our relationship with our site cities and their residents is of utmost importance to us — and this is exactly what Corporate Citizenship is all about. We want to send out the right signals and create opportunities for employees, residents and other stakeholders", says Erichsen. This focus on key issues can be seen in Düsseldorf, in the Ruhr area (where several Uniper assets such as the Datteln and Scholven power plants are located), and in the hydropower-producing region of Bavaria. In Düsseldorf, this involves caring for the surrounding area, setting up entrepreneurial networks and, last but not least, our commitment to the city's biggest annual running event, the Düsseldorf Marathon. For example, Uniper is committed to caring for the environment around the company headquarters in Düsseldorf MedienHafen e.V. Uniper also networks with Destination Düsseldorf, aiming to further improve the attractiveness of the entire city and to extend the range of services available to the people living there. The ideas for entrepreneurial commitment projects at Uniper tend to stem from its employees, with Corporate Citizenship providing assistance in terms of financing, organization and communication. "Uniper sponsors the Düsseldorf Marathon and many of our employees participate in it. It was also one of our colleagues who proposed participating in the 'Rhine Clean Up' project", says Erichsen. Such thinking has also lead to other good initiatives: Through the Rosenzweig Foundation, we were able to donate the entry fees for the first Uniper employee golf tournament at the Lausward golf club—where an increasing number of colleagues enjoy spending their lunch break—to the children's clinic at Heinrich Heine University. This turns entrepreneurship into social commitment and engagement."

Work is currently underway in the Ruhr area to host the International Garden Exhibition 2027. The event will have the title "structural change and the future of energy" and will focus on the transformation of the old, historic coal-fired power plant in Scholven into a modern, gas-based site. The visitor center at the Datteln power plant and discussion-based events will also ensure lasting communication and an open dialogue in which criticisms will also be welcomed. In the hydropower region of Bavaria, the information center at Lake Walchensee, where the most famous hydropower station in Germany is located, offers transparency and has been known for generations to regularly welcome school classes or other interest groups. "The initial impetus for Corporate Citizenship at Uniper will always be remembered: After our first company meeting after the merger in Düsseldorf Medienhafen, hundreds of colleagues left the building — coincidentally, the first tram featuring the Uniper branding was also passing by at that exact moment. This was a defining moment when our colleagues realized that we had arrived. Now was the time to take responsibility for our environment, the areas where we are located and the people who live here."