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1 Feb 2023
31 January 2023.- Abertis today successfully completed its first issue of sustainable bonds – Sustainability-Linked Bonds (SLBs)- for a total of €600Mn. Placed among qualified international investors and six times oversubscribed, the issue matures at 6.5 years and closed with a coupon of 4.125%. The funds will be allocated to general corporate uses.
Abertis thus becomes one of the first companies in its sector to successfully carry out this type of financial transaction linked to the fulfilment of its sustainability strategy. The success of this new operation shows Abertis’ capacity and leadership in financial innovation, which enable it to access the markets under attractive conditions and seize opportunities arising at any time.
José Aljaro, Abertis’ CEO, stated that “this financial operation linked to sustainability commitments shores up our positioning as a company that is responsible and committed to addressing the impact of our activity. The use of this kind of financial tools will assist us in achieving our financing objectives while we continue to improve our actions in ESG”.
ESG Framework - Abertis’ framework for sustainable financing
Abertis updated its sustainability strategy in 2022 and outlined an ambitious Sustainability Plan for the 2022-2030 period. The plan’s implementation is based on three-year plans with objectives linked to meeting general targets. To do so, specific actions have been defined in each business unit and related budgetary allocations have been made to achieve them.
On this basis, the Group defined a framework that regulates the conditions under which it can obtain financing through the financial tools linked to the ESG Plan. Establishing this financing framework enhances the value of the company’s transparency and its effort to open up sources of financing that are aligned with its recently launched sustainability strategy.
The indicators that will be used to back these sustainability-linked financial transactions have been identified in accordance with their significance and their contribution to improving the Group’s work in reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) from customer use:
1. GHG emissions for Absolute Scope 1 and 2: reduction of tonnes of CO2 emitted by 40% by 2027, and by 50% by 2030 compared to 2019.
2. Scope 3 emissions associated with Purchased Goods and Services: a 16% reduction of tonnes of CO2 emitted per million of km travelled by customers using Abertis-managed infrastructure by 2027 and 22% by 2030.
3. Electric vehicle charging points installed in countries where Abertis has motorway management operations. installation of 633 new charging points by 2027.
This framework has been validated by a second party opinion from Sustainanalytics. In addition, the indicators in this framework are considered to be aligned with the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) and with a scenario of a 1.5 ºC increase in temperature, as set out with the Paris Accord.
