"Business & Human Rights Resource Centre investigates human rights issues in solar, wind", 29 June 2020

A spokesman for Enel told pv magazine: “Enel values what its stakeholders report about the company as an opportunity for improvement. We welcome the findings of the Renewable Energy & Human Rights … report … which recognizes Enel as one of the top four performers among renewable companies globally, in terms of human rights policies, while identifying room for improvement when it comes to formal statements and reporting.

“For Enel, human rights are a priority in the company’s sustainable strategy and daily activities, as evidenced by the group’s human rights policy, released in 2013, among other things. Furthermore, Enel aims to create shared value for all its stakeholders, as is made clear by its business strategy, which is driven by the UN sustainable development goals.

“The human rights policy, approved by the boards of directors of all Enel Group companies, implements the United Nations’ ‘protect, respect, remedy’ framework. In addition, we perform due diligence both on the management system of human rights and on the relevant sites of operations as well as specific training for all our employees worldwide. Everything we do is reported transparently on our sustainability report …

“When it comes to the relations with indigenous communities and land rights, in our human rights policy we have a specific principle: ‘respect for community rights,’ that states as follows: ‘Enel is committed to respecting the rights of local communities and to contribute to their realization, also by means of promoting free and informed consultation activities. In this regard, Enel pays particular attention to the most vulnerable communities, such as tribal and indigenous peoples, including through the promotion of local development projects for the benefit of those communities’.”

pv magazine contacted all of the companies analyzed in the report.    

For more information on BHRRC’s benchmark methodology and outreach to companies see page 19 of the report.