Eni renews its strategic partnership with the Earth Institute

Eni has renewed for 2012 its strategic partnership with the Earth Institute of Columbia University, the research centre founded and directed by Jeffrey Sachs for the study of issues related to sustainable development and the realization of activities and projects contributing to the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals in developing countries.

The partnership is formalised through Eni's involvement as a Strategic Partner in the Corporate Circle, a programme for the involvement of international companies that have distinguished themselves in the field of sustainability.

Confirmation of the company's involvement is part of a broader collaborative effort that has enabled Eni to take part in the activities of the Vale Columbia Center on Sustainable International Investment (VCC), a research centre jointly run by the Earth Institute and the Law School di Columbia University which aims to establish itself as one of the leading institutions for issues related to direct foreign investment, with a special focus of extractive industries.

Current activities with the Earth Institute include the ongoing exchange of ideas that have resulted in the identification of specific areas of cooperation and comparison including the definition of innovative tools to measure corporate impact on local communities and innovative business models to encourage local development through increased access to energy (the so-called "energy-led development" approach).