EDP´s sustainable strategy

: how sustainability has influenced EDP’s core values, marketing activities and customer approach

Abstract

Sustainability is an emerging trend and forms the core of business strategies, driven by environmental and economic uncertainty, governmental adaptations in regulations and societal pressure. EDP developed its sustainable strategy and has proven to be a pioneer in the utility market. This work aims to understand the influence of EDP´s sustainable strategy on marketing activities, customer approach as well as its portfolio. Insights of two expert interviews found that sustainability required EDP to increase involvement with customers and stakeholders through enhancing transparency, credibility and the development of several communication channels. Marketing activities aimed for greater awareness of its core values (sustainability, humanization and innovation) as well as to inform, educate and involve consumers in energy efficient behavior. Regarding the liberalized market in Portugal, EDP focused to be more service providing, while integrating sustainable and energy efficient services into its portfolio. Furthermore, a questionnaire was conducted among a sample of 138 Portuguese electricity consumers in order to identify EDP’s sustainable positioning as well as the most significant sustainable attitudes and behaviors, of which overall energy efficient behavior was estimated into an Energy Efficiency Index (E.E.I). It was found that consumers have significant sustainable attitudes, but lack complete energy efficient behavior. Additionally, it was indicated that sustainable concern positively impacted energy efficient behavior, while ego-centric and comfort focused attitudes aversely related.

Date of Award	2013
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Pedro Celeste (Supervisor)