Spire named one of Newsweek's 'Most Responsible Companies' for fourth year in a row

News provided by

Dec 07, 2022, 10:55 ET

The natural gas provider is one of only six companies ranked in Missouri.

ST. LOUIS, Dec. 7, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- For the fourth consecutive year, Spire has again been named one of "America's Most Responsible Companies" by Newsweek, recognizing the company for a strong performance in three areas — environment, social responsibilities and corporate governance.

In new rankings released Dec. 7 by Newsweek, Spire is listed among the top 500 companies across 14 industries in the United States.

"Our employees show drive, collaboration and compassion each day to deliver reliable and affordable energy to our customers, while making a positive impact on the planet and the communities we serve" said Suzanne Sitherwood, Spire president and chief executive officer. "We are grateful to again be mentioned among 'America's Most Responsible Companies' and are proud of our employees for continually making this recognition from Newsweek possible."

The Newsweek annual rankings are selected based on publicly available key performance indicators derived from Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Sustainability reports. In addition, an independent survey was conducted to evaluate companies' reputations by asking consumers about their perception of activities related to corporate social responsibility. Among highlights:

Environmental commitment

Spire continued progress on the path to being a carbon neutral company by midcentury. Spire is on track to reduce methane emissions by more than 46% from its core gas utility distribution system since 2005, and projects a nearly 59% reduction by 2025 and 73% by 2035.

In FY21, Spire established a dedicated team to lead environmental commitment efforts and made significant progress in measuring baseline statistics, creating a baseline for Scope 1 (greenhouse gas emissions released directly from owned or controlled assets) and Scope 2 (indirect emissions from purchased electricity and steam) GHG emissions

Building on that momentum, Spire became a founding member of Energy Capital Ventures' new fund focused on natural gas innovation and research in clean energy solutions. Also, Spire furthered their membership in ONE Future, working to reduce methane emissions across the natural gas value chain.

Spire Serves

Through its Spire Serves initiative, Spire supported the communities they serve with more than $5.9 million in support to numerous organizations across Missouri, Alabama, Mississippi, Texas and Wyoming in fiscal year 2022. For example:

A contribution to the Truman Heritage Habitat for Humanity created the Spire Community Kitchen at Truman's new headquarters and Homeownership and Opportunity Center at the newly remodeled historic Hiram Young School in Independence, MO. The kitchen includes modern gas appliances, providing an opportunity for new homeowners and others to hone their culinary skills and cook nutritious meals while experiencing the convenience, reliability and affordability of natural gas.

"We appreciate all that Spire has done to support Truman Heritage Habitat for Humanity and the community kitchen project at Hiram Young School. Thanks to their funding and employee involvement the new Spire Community Kitchen will provide a welcoming space for community meetings and events, as well as classes on how to provide healthy, affordable meals," said Christina Leakey, president and CEO of Truman Heritage Habitat for Humanity.
A donation to Murphy High School in Mobile, Alabama opened the school system's first "Farm to Table" program and teaching farm in 2022. The program's mission is to provide students and the surrounding community with the tools necessary for small-impact farming to ensure healthy eating and cooking, while eliminating food deserts in Mobile.

"We are very thankful for this partnership with Spire," said Mobile County Public Schools Superintendent Chresal D. Threadgill. "Murphy High School's Farm to Table program provides real-world learning experiences for our students, from planting and growing fruits, vegetables and herbs, to preparing meals in our Culinary Arts program. Our students are learning skills that will benefit them long after high school graduation, and the program will be a great service to our community."

Day for Good

Spire continues to see growth in their "Day for Good" initiative, giving employees the opportunity to spend a paid day volunteering at an organization they are passionate about. In FY2022, Spire employees logged more than 13,000 volunteer hours across the communities they serve. For example, in 2022:

Spire spent the summer of 2022 completing a list of projects on the National Museum of Transportation in St. Louis. During this time, Spire made the grounds of the museum safer by ripping out old, rotted decking throughout the property and replacing and staining it with the additional of new handrails. Spire also used its equipment to re-landscape a large hill with a water runoff problem. It was a chance for the company to step in and help when the museum was faced with less resources than it had in years past.

"The work Spire completed at The National Museum of Transportation was exceptional. We do not have the labor, equipment, or financial resources to undertake the large capital projects that Spire completed for us in 2022," said Terri McEachern, executive director with the National Museum of Transportation, "We are truly grateful."
Teams of Spire employees, in partnership with the Cahaba River Society, removed trash from Birmingham's Cahaba River, which is vitally important to the communities in its watershed. It is the main drinking water source for the Birmingham Water Works Board service area, which serves about one-fifth of Alabamians.

"Through Spire's continued support, we have helped maintain a healthy ecosystem throughout the Cahaba River, a river system known globally for its biodiversity. Spire volunteers have removed thousands of pounds of litter and invasive species, which threaten both this incredible biodiversity and the health of a river used by one-fifth of Alabamians as drinking water," said Wil Rainer, Cahaba River Society field programs director. "The Cahaba River Society is so grateful for Spire's immeasurable impact. I look forward to working with the Spire crew every year."
Spire employees prepped and handed out hundreds of bags of groceries in partnership with R&R Marketplace, a non-profit in North St. Louis County that is transforming an abandoned shopping center into a development equipped with financial and health care services, childcare center, and workforce development services.

"The folks at Spire are unmatched when it comes to everyone jumping in and doing the hard work to serve our neighbors throughout the St. Louis community," said Gigi Greenwood MacMullan, Refuge & Restoration, NPO, vice president of development. "Volunteers lifted pallets, sorted food, and loaded cars with groceries in scorching hot temps for hours without a single complaint and always with a smile. With Spire, we served over 1,500 people in just hours. Spire folks are just built differently — they have a true heart for service."

For more about the Newsweek rankings and to view the full list, click here.

About Spire

At Spire Inc. (NYSE: SR), we believe energy exists to help make people's lives better. It's a simple idea, but one that's at the heart of our company. Every day we serve 1.7 million homes and businesses making us the fifth largest publicly traded natural gas company in the country. We help families and business owners fuel their daily lives through our gas utilities serving Alabama, Mississippi and Missouri. Our natural gas-related businesses include Spire Marketing, Spire STL Pipeline and Spire Storage. We are committed to transforming our business through growing organically, investing in infrastructure, and advancing through innovation. Learn more at SpireEnergy.com.

Media Contact:
Molly Rose
314-437-5875
[email protected]

SOURCE Spire Inc.