EESG APPROACH
We believe staying true to our mission and core values means executing our corporate responsibility approach to pursue objectives and initiatives that positively impact our stakeholders and help fulfill our shared vision for a more forward-thinking and industry-leading FirstEnergy.
We also believe our success requires strong management and oversight of EESG matters as well as transparency and accountability regarding where we need to improve and how we’re going to succeed.
Our diverse and talented employees are critical to that success – a force that moves our company forward, advances our business strategy and works tirelessly to do good business for a better world.
For those reasons, FirstEnergy has chosen to recognize employees as a distinct and essential component of our corporate responsibility approach, officially expanding our priorities to include employee, environmental, social and governance (EESG).
EESG Strategic Priorities
Employee
Support the development of an inclusive, equitable, rewarding and safe work culture while empowering our diverse and innovative team to make our customers’ lives brighter and our communities stronger.
Environmental
Protect the environment by minimizing our impact, improving the sustainability of our operations, executing our climate strategy and finding opportunities to enhance the ecosystems we
interact with.
Social
Invest in the communities we serve, promote public safety and economic development, and advance equitable and inclusive business practices to enable positive change while delivering superior customer service.
Governance
Maintain oversight of significant company issues and strengthen risk management; build a strong, centralized corporate compliance program and culture of ethics and integrity; continue stakeholder engagement efforts and provide consistent, transparent disclosures on EESG topics.
How We Manage Our EESG Priorities:
- Assess the company's significant EESG-related risks and opportunities and evaluate opportunities to mitigate those risks and capitalize on opportunities that help us be a more sustainable, forward-thinking electric company
- Respond to external stakeholder guidance and expectations regarding EESG performance, reporting transparency and accountability
- Collaborate with employees across the company to advance EESG priorities and integrate our corporate responsibility approach into FirstEnergy's overarching business strategy
- Demonstrate the value that our company goals and initiatives bring to our stakeholders, and the alignment of those goals to our EESG priorities
- Inform stakeholders of our efforts to improve our EESG performance and demonstrate accountability and transparency
CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY GOVERNANCE AND OVERSIGHT
FirstEnergy’s Board of Directors provides oversight and guidance on EESG topics while helping to ensure the company’s strategy, goals and decision making reflect and align with our mission, core values and EESG priorities.
FirstEnergy’s board committees provide oversight and guidance on distinct EESG related topics. For a summary of each committee’s oversight responsibilities, please visit the Board Governance page.
In addition to the EESG oversight roles and responsibilities described above, our Corporate Responsibility team works with the Corporate Responsibility Executive-Level Steering Committee and the Governance, Corporate Responsibility, and Political Oversight Committee to help ensure the transparency and accountability of FirstEnergy’s EESG efforts, and continuously strive to improve EESG performance across our organization.
Governance, Corporate Responsibility and Political Oversight Committee
The Governance, Corporate Responsibility and Political Oversight Committee of the Board of Directors, comprised of independent directors, provides oversight of the company’s corporate responsibility approach and supporting EESG initiatives. The committee meets at least five times per year to discuss, among other things, updates on a broad range of EESG issues, and company management provides regular updates on EESG progress throughout the year. Please see the Governance, Corporate Responsibility and Political Oversight Committee Charter for a description of the committee’s full responsibilities.
Corporate Responsibility Executive-Level Steering Committee
This cross-functional, executive-level steering committee oversees our company's corporate responsibility approach and EESG initiatives. Members include senior leadership from the company's five organizational pillars – Finance & Strategy, Customer, Operations, Legal, and Human Resources & Corporate Services. The Steering Committee meets at least quarterly to oversee EESG initiatives with the goal of driving transparency and continuous improvement in the company's EESG performance.
Manager, Corporate Responsibility
The Manager leads the Corporate Responsibility team responsible for executing our corporate responsibility approach, developing our EESG initiatives, and educating our employees on the importance of corporate responsibility efforts and improving EESG focus and performance across business areas. This person reports to the Director of Investor Relations and Corporate Responsibility and regularly updates the Corporate Responsibility Executive-Level Steering Committee and the Governance, Corporate Responsibility and Political Oversight Committee on evolving considerations for our company and our EESG progress.
EESG REPORTING
Executing our EESG Priorities requires that we be responsive to external stakeholders' guidance and expectations regarding EESG performance and transparency. We are working toward aligning our EESG disclosures with leading reporting initiatives, such as the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB), Taskforce on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) and Global Reporting Initiative (GRI). Please see our EESG Reports and Resources page for more information.