“The company operates out of responsibility, regulations and opportunity. The first thing a company should have is its purpose, what you want to contribute to society. This is directly related to your responsibility to build a stronger company and a fairer and healthier society. As long as the company understands society better and can discover the issues that faced, it will mitigate the risks.” Anna SainzCEO of Ceres Corporation, highlights (Growing) The importance of social commitmentIt is claimed by this organization of 150 companies that represent 70% of Spain’s GDP.
The relationship between society and business is improving appropriately, he pointed out Ferdinand Ruiz, President of the Foundation: «Only in terms of social investment, 2021 amounted to about 1,400 million euros. We can say that in recent years we have witnessed an unprecedented change in business driven by environmental, social and governance factors.”
There is no longer room for ‘greenwashing’ or the concept of CSR as a marketing tool. It is about defining the purpose that defines the company and rooting it in its DNA so that it acts as a strategic focus of its activity. and to be a determining factor in competitiveness. Increased commitment and responsibility, as companies grow in size and influence. This was validated, from the point of view of the “human factor”, in the session “Human Rights and Business: Challenges and Opportunities”, within the Esade-Fundación Seres Conference Series, with the participation of Ebro Foods, Cellnex and Redeia, a forum where Sainz stressed the importance of presenting “A transformative approach, with full leadership involvement, in which programs respond to current challenges, unlocking opportunities for new markets, more resilient value chains and fostering innovation and transparent values. at work.
Anna AnteqraDirector of Communications, Social Responsibility and Sustainability at Ebro Foods, noted the importance of international management, with various regulatory frameworks: “In the case of India, for example, training, internal communication and improving working and living conditions workers have made the company famous as one of the best workplaces.” p Andres ToribioCellnex, Global Head of Quality and Risk Management, set the mark for the new era: “The international regulatory framework will undergo an evolution to move from voluntary compliance to mandatory compliance.”
From an environmental protection point of view, EcoAct, a subsidiary of French digital services group Atos, has published a “Study on Climate Action and Business Disclosure 2022”. It highlights how “Spain’s largest companies are demonstrating their commitment to achieving their net-zero emissions ambition, but are having difficulties translating their ambition into a climate-oriented business strategy and significant emissions reduction.” It highlights Telefónica, Ferrovial, Inditex and Iberdrola among the top 20 companies in the world and has analyzed 119 of the world’s largest companies (27 sectors) in the major stock exchange indices.
A global commitment so that, as those responsible for the study point out, “the Paris Agreement does not end up being an empty promise,” with the goal of not losing sight of the WMO recommendation: Doubling the effort to reduce emissions of the “greenhouse effect” by seven between now and 2030 To limit the temperature rise to 1.5°C. For reference, the celebration (November 7 and 8, Egypt) is approaching COP27 (United Nations Conference on Climate Change).
yes or yes
The report also notes that while 78% of companies see climate change as a risk in their annual reports…nearly a third (22%) don’t see it as a significant risk to their organizations. Parts in “must” for conversion are only subject to “yes or yes”, as underlined Rafael GarciaFounding President of CMI Business School, the first business school specializing in corporate social responsibility, and recent author of Conscious Negotiation, Principles and Techniques for Negotiating With Integrity and Responsibility: “Earth has proven to be a very delicate ecosystem and we are suffering from the dire consequences of irresponsible exploitation of resources and management. That lacks a comprehensive view of business operations.
As Garcia adds, the consumer matters, and a lot: “Unlike what has happened so far, consumers are fully informed and have more data than ever before about companies and their performance, so they can differentiate and reward their purchasing decision with companies with a purpose.”
A comprehensive, global and inclusive concept, also highlighted by Mirco in the Study on Environmental, Social and Governance in Spain 2021, with ONCE Social GroupAnd the Mercadona And the Inditex At the forefront is a classification structured around the criteria of ESG “Mantra” (Environment, Society, Moral Standard and Governance). Over 40,000 surveys, with opinions from workers and citizens, in this case by Merco Sociedad, a device that measures reputation from a citizen’s perspective, and the footprint of consumers who want a better society.
