Public utilities initiative with new members

28.03.2025

Source: E & M powernews

The municipal utilities initiative Climate Protection of the Association for the Conservative Use of Energy and Water ("ASEW") continues to grow. There are now 85 companies in total.

According to a press release from the efficiency network Asew, 15 municipal utilities joined the municipal utilities climate protection initiative last year. Two more energy suppliers have joined this year. New members must submit a greenhouse gas balance sheet "in accordance with a recognized standard" and a decarbonization strategy including a climate target, interim targets and concrete measures by the end of the year of membership, according to the statement.

From the second year of participation, an annual internal review of the strategy must be demonstrated. In the third year, members must also provide evidence that their greenhouse gas balance has been updated. Only those who meet these requirements have the status of an official member. According to Asew, 71 of the 85 members currently have this status. The remaining companies do not have this status or have not yet achieved it and therefore cannot use it in their external communications. However, they are still able to participate in the initiative.

Not to be understood as a marketing campaign

According to Asew, the third regular audit period recently ended. In the end, 69 members successfully passed, while only four members were unable to meet the audit criteria within the set deadline. Maria Möhner sees this as an "excellent result". The Climate Protection Team Leader and Initiative Coordinator at Asew continues: "Even though the political climate may be changing, climate protection continues to be a high priority in the municipal utility world."

"No Initiative company is excluded from the thematic working sessions. Even those who do not pass the criteria test at the first attempt can continue to access the information and exchange function of the initiative and actively participate in the initiative network," explains Möhner. However, she also emphasizes that the initiative should explicitly not be seen as a marketing campaign. For this reason, new members have committed themselves in writing to complying with the catalog of criteria since the initiative was founded.

"In view of the turbulent developments surrounding the sustainability reporting obligation and the very dynamic events at EU level, fulfilling the initiative criteria is a voluntary additional service in the area of climate protection," says Möhner. Municipal utilities that comply with this voluntary commitment despite the regulatory jungle deserve recognition.

The municipal utilities initiative was founded by 44 companies in 2022. Asew has taken on a coordinating and supporting role.

Further details on the Stadtwerke-Initiative Klimaschutz can be found on the Internet.

Author: Fritz Wilhelm