New ways for

a sustainable future.

Sustainability Report 2020

rwe.com

Our energy

for a sustainable life

Environment

RWE has established one of the most ambitious programmes in the industry for reducing

CO2 emissions.

Employees

Committed and motivated employees are a key factor for the corporate success of RWE.

20.2 %

share of renewable energy in

electricity generation (25 % share of renewable energy in generation capacity)

0.45 t

CO2/MW

CO2 intensity of the electricity generation output of the RWE power plant portfolio

Confirmation of Science

Based Targets Initiative

€ 5 billion

net investment for approx. 4 GW wind and

solar power by 2022

Society

Corporate Responsibility is part of RWE's contribution to sustainable development and responsible business.

AROUND

100

We support the Paris

employees engaged

Climate Agreement, the

in social and

UNGC and the SDGs

community projects

19,498

16.6 %

employees,

share of women in

94.1 %

new colleagues

(14.7 % share of women in

of which 978 are

management positions

the company)

health quote

International presence

in 23 countries

+ additional market entries in preparation

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About the report

General

Economic

Environmental

Social

Disclosures

About the report

The report entitled "Our Responsibility 2020" (referred to below as "Sustainability Report") is aimed at analysts and investors, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), customers and suppliers, policymakers and government agencies, at our employees and the people living in the regions where we do business. It describes the most important social, environmental and economic challenges facing our core business, the conflicting aims that can arise, and the strategy we are pursuing.

RWE AG is meeting the obligation to publish a Non-financial Report envisaged pursuant to the German Commercial Code (HGB) in a separate document. This differs from the structure of reporting in the previous year in which the Non-financial Report was integrated in a separate section within the Sustainability Report.

This Sustainability Report is published electronically in pdf format. The professional services firm PricewaterhouseCoopers GmbH Wirtschaftsprüfungsgesellschaft performed an engagement audit on the sections indicated with and for these elements of the report provided a limited assurance relating to compliance of the reported disclosures with the criteria of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI). The audit only covered the appropriately highlighted sections of the report and not sections within this report or websites referred to. Linking the report content with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is also not part of the examination.

The limited assurance engagement was carried out in accordance with the auditing principles of the International Standard on Assurance Engagements (ISAE) 3000 (revised),

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GRI Content

Appendix

RWE Sustainability Report 2020

Index

see ->page 128. The Sustainability Report includes an overview of all the key indicators, see ->page 118.

Approach

The Sustainability Report of RWE AG is published as a GRI Report and conforms with the GRI Standards (2016) of the Global Reporting Initiative in a selection based on a Materiality Analysis of the topics relevant for our business. In the meantime, new standards have been published by the GRI for individual sections from this report so that we are using the standards as the basis for the relevant sections (GRI 207 Tax, GRI Standard 2019, GRI 303 Water and effluents GRI Standard 2018, GRI 403 Occupational Health and Safety GRI Standard 2018).

In addition, we also report on material in-depth topics based on the GRI requirements for the electricity industry, which were formerly applicable as the G4 Electric Utilities Sector Disclosures, and no longer form part of the GRI Standards. This report has been prepared in accordance with the GRI Standards: "Core option". The report "Our Responsibility 2020" was available to the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) for the implementation of the GRI Materiality Disclosures Service, see ->GRI Content Index, page 108. The report also serves as our progress report for the Global Compact of the United Nations and provides information on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) we make a contribution to, see ->page 131.

Data (GRI 102-45)

The period under review is fiscal 2020, which began on

1 January and ended on 31 December 2020. The RWE Group

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About the report

General

Economic

Environmental

Social

Disclosures

is presented in its new structure in this Sustainability

Report 2020, see ->GRI 102-2,page 7. Explicit reference is made to any exceptions from this. The financial and market data were taken from the RWE Annual Report 2020. We present financial data denominated in the relevant national currency or have converted these based on the average annual values for 2020, see ->RWE Annual Report 2020, page 113.

For reference

This report is published in German and English. The Executive Board of RWE AG has approved the report for publication. The editorial deadline was on 10 March 2021. This report continues our policy of annual reporting. The next report will be published in the spring of 2022. All references to people, such as "employees", "shareholders", etc. naturally apply equally to all gender identities.

Archive Sustainability Reports

Forward-looking statements

This report contains forward-looking statements regarding the future development of the RWE Group and its companies as well as future economic and political developments. These statements are assessments that we have made based on information available at the time this report was drawn up. In the event that the underlying assumptions do not materialise or additional developments arise, actual performance may deviate from the performance expected at present. We are therefore unable to assume any responsibility whatsoever for the accuracy of these statements.

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GRI Content

Appendix

RWE Sustainability Report 2020

Index

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3

4

5

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About the report

General

Economic

Environmental

Social

GRI Content

Appendix

RWE Sustainability Report 2020

Disclosures

Index

Foreword

Dear Readers,

Last year was an unusual time for us all. This statement is undoubtedly particularly true for 2020. COVID-19 affected all of us and continues to present us with huge challenges. RWE is playing its part in overcoming these challenges. We are ensuring a stable supply of electricity generation. And we are protecting our employees by working from home wherever possible.

There was another reason why 2020 was a special year for RWE. After more than two years, the transaction with E.ON was closed on 1 July. This has made us a new, bigger and more diverse RWE. And it's an RWE in line with the Paris Climate Agreement. At the end of the year, the Science Based Target Initiative provided further confirmation of our status. This represents another milestone on our journey to becoming climate neutral by 2040 at the latest.

However, we are not simply defining targets. We are also following up with actions. Hence, in 2020, we succeeded once more in significantly reducing our greenhouse gas emissions - meanwhile for the eighth year in succession. This is the most tangible example of RWE living its purpose "Our Energy for a Sustainable Life". But sustainability is about much more than just CO2. This report demonstrates everything we achieved in the year 2020 to become an even more sustainable company.

Contrary to past practice in recent years, our Non-Financial Report no longer forms part of this Sustainability Report. Rather, it will be published separately. This enables us to improve accessibility and transparency for information relating to non-financial aspects.

In 2020, our Sustainability Report simultaneously constitutes our progress report on the UN Global Compact. By signing the Global Compact, we declared our commitment to actively promoting human rights, decent working conditions and environmental protection within our sphere of influence, and taking decisive action against corruption and bribery. This progress report sets out how we at RWE implement the ten principles of the Global Compact. And we showcase the contribution we are making to achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.

This Sustainability Report is intended to present RWE's performance in the area of sustainability over the past year to all our stakeholders. We are proud of our achievements. And we are going to keep working on improving our contribution further. We will therefore be delighted to receive your feedback on this matter.

Yours,

Rolf Martin Schmitz

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RWE AG published this content on 08 April 2021 and is solely responsible for the information contained therein. Distributed by Public, unedited and unaltered, on 08 April 2021 15:05:06 UTC.