Driving Supplier Sustainability in the Renewable Energy Sector
Founded in 1938, ERG is a leading operator in the production of energy from renewable sources. It is a leader in wind energy in Italy and among the top ten in Europe, and also enjoys prominence in the solar energy sector. The company, which has always been mindful of ESG (Environment, Social, Governance) issues, intended helping its more than 1500 suppliers grow in the field of sustainability and turned to Achilles to achieve this goal.
“We seek continuous improvement. Sustainability forms the basis for our activities—and that includes our supply chain.”
Anna Campi, Head of Procurement Planning, Control & Vendor Management, ERG
The Challenge: Meeting ESG Goals Without Compromising Competitiveness
As ERG scaled up its wind and solar operations across Europe, it became increasingly clear that managing ESG performance throughout the supply chain was essential to meeting both investor expectations and regulatory requirements.
ERG needed a way to:
- Benchmark supplier sustainability performance
- Support suppliers in their ESG journey
- Drive improvements without adding administrative burden
- Contribute to its Scope 3 emissions reduction targets by 2040
The Solution: ESG Assessments + Targeted Supplier Audits
ERG chose to implement a sustainability-focused programme in partnership with Achilles. This included:
- A 50-question ESG questionnaire, covering governance, social, environmental, health & safety, and supply chain practices
- Annual assessments to rate supplier ESG maturity
- A bonus system integrated into tender evaluations for higher-performing suppliers
- Achilles audits, including on-site and remote desktop reviews, fully funded by ERG to support supplier development
This combined approach gave ERG a clear, data-backed view of supplier performance and helped each supplier understand what they needed to improve.
Results: Real ESG Impact Across the Supply Chain
ERG has already seen tangible results from the programme:
- 65% of suppliers who improved their ESG scores did so thanks to their Achilles audits
- One supplier improved their ESG score by over 100% year-on-year
- In 2021 alone, 50 suppliers were audited
- Supplier feedback has led to better engagement and uptake of best practices
ERG also invested in supplier enablement, working with Achilles to create guides, webinars and templates to help suppliers implement improvements efficiently.
“We have offered genuinely practical help by designing webinars, guides and manuals with Achilles, offering our suppliers tips on how to set up certain procedures and policies.”
Anna Campi, ERG
Looking Ahead: Expanding Scope 3 Decarbonisation and DEI Goals
ERG is now looking to take its ESG programme even further, aligning supplier performance more closely with its own ambitious sustainability targets. As part of its journey toward net zero Scope 3 emissions by 2040, ERG has begun using the ESG questionnaire to assess whether suppliers measure their carbon dioxide emissions at company and product levels. They have looking to see if suppliers have established CO2 reduction programmes that align with ERG’s own goals. The company is also considering offering additional incentives to suppliers who already have certified CO2 reduction targets in place, reinforcing its commitment to decarbonisation across the value chain.
In addition to climate goals, ERG is broadening its scope to include diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). These themes are already captured within the questionnaire, but ERG plans to go further by using Achilles audits to verify whether these practices are truly implemented at supplier level. This step marks a natural evolution of ERG’s strategy to promote not just environmental sustainability, but also social responsibility throughout its supply network.
Why ERG Chose Achilles
ERG partnered with Achilles because of its proven ability to deliver a structured, data-driven, and supportive approach to ESG improvement. The Achilles programme offered clear benchmarking tools, actionable audit insights, and a collaborative model that empowered suppliers rather than penalised them.
By combining independent verification with supplier enablement, Achilles helped ERG achieve meaningful improvements in ESG performance without adding unnecessary burden to its partners. For ERG, Achilles provided the confidence, clarity, and credibility needed to lead sustainability efforts at scale across its supply chain.