How EnBW is Establishing a Collaborative Platform for ESG Data with Sunhat

The Situation

Sustainability at EnBW

As one of the largest energy companies in Germany and Europe, EnBW is driving forward the development of a sustainable and future-proof energy infrastructure along the entire value chain. Sustainability is an integral part of EnBW's corporate strategy; the company aims to become climate-neutral in its own emissions by 2035.

The company has set out to help shape the energy transition by consistently transforming and realigning its portfolio. This is not only about ecological change, but also about social responsibility. At the core of the strategy is the expansion of a sustainable and future-proof energy infrastructure.

The company has published sustainability information in its annual report since 2014. In 2024, this will be done in accordance with the ESRS for the first time. Together with Sunhat. Furthermore, the CDP questionnaire with a focus on decarbonization issues has been submitted since 2007. In the 2020 financial year, EnBW began reporting on the EU taxonomy.

The Challenge

Coordination of ESG Data and Stakeholder Inquiries in a complex Corporate Environment

EnBW faced the challenge of having to respond to a large number of ESG-related investor relations questionnaires each year, in addition to increased regulatory requirements relating to sustainability information. This information had to be collected for the entire Group. Recurring requests were also often addressed several times to the sustainability team and the relevant departments.

The group-wide project “EnBW ESGgo!” marked the start of the digitization and structuring of ESG data across the group.

The Solution

The Sunhat Moment

By choosing Sunhat, EnBW took an important step toward comprehensive data collection. The goal was to bundle data collection related to CSRD, EU taxonomy, CDP, and ESG questionnaires - especially from investor relations - on a central platform. Transparent, traceable, and scalable.

As part of the project, data from more than 500 investments was queried in a structured manner via around 80 individual workspaces in Sunhat. This enabled better collaboration and helped those responsible for the project to centrally manage and control the entire process. Data collection processes are now handled directly in the platform, and queries are standardized and traceable. Auditors can check responses, including sources, responsible parties, and timestamps, directly in Sunhat - without separate document histories. Sunhat's role and authorization system is particularly valuable for EnBW, as it enables tailored collaboration across companies, departments, and teams - a crucial factor given the complexity of a corporate group.

In 2024, EnBW published its first ESRS-compliant sustainability statement in the EnBW Annual Report 2024. 

“In the past, dealing with complex investor questionnaires sometimes required inquiries to several departments. Today, thanks to Sunhat, we can often find the right answers and evidence in seconds - which saves a tremendous amount of time.”

Julia von Wietersheim
Senior Manager Investor Relations

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The Results

Central Collection of qualitative Sustainability Proof

The introduction of Sunhat enables EnBW to collect extensive qualitative data requirements relating to sustainability in a structured manner across the entire group. All steps - from recording and checking to documenting qualitative data - are now mapped in a structured and efficient manner.

Leading to:

• More efficient ESG data collection across the group: Standardized workflows, clear responsibilities, and direct collaboration within Sunhat enable fast, traceable processes - without time-consuming email threads.
• Audit-proof evidence management for CSRD and EU taxonomy, stakeholder inquiries, and CDP: All evidence, sources, and responsibilities are documented in a traceable manner and can be verified.
• Faster and more accurate processing of investor relations inquiries: Sunhat serves as a central knowledge platform and supports teams with AI functions for efficiently responding to recurring inquiries.

This solution enables EnBW to respond flexibly to future requirements and reporting standards.