• The Social Impact Cluster, led by Forética and headed by Grupo Cooperativo Cajamar, Ibercaja, ILUNION and Naturgy together with more than 40 large companies, delves into the compliance and business impact of the new human rights regulations at European level, in a context of strengthening an inclusive and sustainable reconstruction.
• In collaboration with the World Benchmarking Alliance (WBA), the Social Impact Cluster addresses the management of human rights in business in a year of celebration of the 10th Anniversary of the UN Guiding Principles, with a special focus on the impact of COVID-19 on the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Madrid, March 9, 2021 - PRESS RELEASE

The Social Impact Cluster, led by Forética and headed by Grupo Cooperativo Cajamar, Ibercaja, ILUNION and Naturgy, together with more than 40 other companies, is looking into how companies can comply with the new human rights regulations and requirements to be established at European level, and how to make their internal and external commitment in this area more visible.

In the year in which the 10th Anniversary of the United Nations Guiding Principles is celebrated and in view of the analysis of the impact of COVID-19 on human rights, Forética's Social Impact Cluster promotes dialogue, knowledge, action and collaboration in this area, analyzing the importance of addressing the integration of human rights in business strategy, highlighting current tools and resources in this field. In addition, a 'Human Rights Survival Kit' has been presented with the main keys and trends.

Germán Granda, CEO of Forética, states: "In the current context we see how the imbalances and situations of vulnerability caused by COVID-19 generate negative impacts on human rights that must be urgently avoided. This challenge is driving companies to be more transparent about their challenges and efforts to respect human rights, as well as to engage in the strategic integration of this aspect along their value chain. From Forética's Social Impact Cluster, we see how the 'S' - social aspects - is becoming more and more relevant in the ESG approach to sustainability as an element linked to competitiveness and risk mitigation for companies".

In collaboration with the World Benchmarking Alliance (WBA), Sofía del Valle, Engagement Manager, presents the main results of the Corporate Human Rights Benchmark, which measures the human rights performance of 230 companies worldwide.

This international organization, of which Forética is a member, brings together different stakeholders with the SDGs as a focus of its work, which is centered on the publication of different benchmarks and rankings on sustainable development from a business perspective.

Ricardo Trujillo, Head of the Social Impact Cluster at Forética, highlights: "In the report 'Closing the inequality gap. An opportunity for companies' we identify four key levers for action on human rights from a business perspective: greater awareness and leadership by senior management; new business tools that allow greater transparency for companies; strong regulatory momentum at European and national level - such as the Non-Financial Disclosure and Diversity Act or the European Commission's proposal for a due diligence regulation in 2021 - and growing consumer demand".

In addition, this study identifies the four most relevant trends impacting human rights today that need to be managed by business: issues related to technological transformation, climate vulnerabilities, unemployment, and diversity and inclusion.

Inequality gaps

Since its creation in 2018, the Social Impact Cluster has focused on analyzing topics such as impact measurement, business impact on gender and diversity or the business role in addressing inequality gaps.

The Social Impact Cluster 2021 is led by Grupo Cooperativo Cajamar, Ibercaja, ILUNION and Naturgy. The cluster is also made up of the following companies: Alsea, Adif, Atresmedia, Banco Santander, Bayer, Campofrío, Cecabank, Cerealto Siro, CIE Automotive, DHL, Emasesa, Enagás, Enaire, Endesa, Enresa, Enusa, Ferrovial, Gestamp, GSK, Grupo Antolín, Iberdrola, IBM, ICO, IKEA, Jealsa, LafargeHolcim, Lilly, Mercadona, Mutua Madrileña, OHL, P&G, Pascual, QuirónSalud, Reale, Red Eléctrica España, Reganosa, Sacyr, Sanitas, Tendam, Urbaser and Zurich.

To assist companies in integrating human rights as a fundamental element, the Social Impact Cluster approach is complemented through Forética's alliances with global partners such as the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and CSR Europe .