Climate neutrality and occupational health and wellness, key objectives in public company sustainability strategies

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Forética

Forética has presented the report 'Climate and well-being: In the focus of the ESG agenda of Spanish public companies', prepared within the framework of the Action Group on Sustainability and CSR in Public Companies, led by Forética and composed of more than 30 public entities.
The report highlights that 80% of the Task Force member SOEs have a climate strategy with decarbonization actions and 89% implement measures to guarantee and promote work flexibility and work-life balance, among other data.

Forética has organized a new edition of the 'Foro Español de Empresas Públicas por la Sostenibilidad' (Spanish Forum of Public Companies for Sustainability), in which the report Climate and well-being: In the focus of the ESG agenda of Spanish public companies'.. The study analyzes the main actions to contribute to the goal of climate neutrality by 2050 and identifies the different proposals for improving the health care and well-being of employees in public companies in Spain, thus contributing to generate a positive social impact on society and the environment.

This forum, coinciding with the start of the United Nations Climate Change Summit(COP27) being held in Egypt, has been organized in the framework of the Action Group on Sustainability and CSR in Public Companies', led by Forética and made up of 31 member companies.led by Forética and made up of 31 member companies, headed by the Instituto de Crédito Oficial (ICO) and Informa D&B.

The impacts of climate change and caring for people's health and wellbeing are two of the main issues currently on the agendas of governments, companies and other civil society actors. The approval of the Climate Change and Energy Transition Law, the publication of the National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan 2021-2030 and the National Climate Change Adaptation Plan (PNACC) 2021-2030, as well as the approval of the Long Term Decarbonization Strategy (ELP 2050), mark the path to achieve climate neutrality by 2050 in Spain.

In addition, in recent years there has been a clear commitment to promoting the health and well-being of employees within the corporate sustainability agenda, becoming a strategic issue within it. Thus, at the national level, in December 2021 the Ministry of Health approved the Mental Health Strategy of the National Health System 2022-2026 and the Mental Health Action Plan 2022-2024, as well as the Strategic Plan for Health and the Environment 2022-2026.

"For all these reasons, public companies - as the backbone of the economic fabric and contributors to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) - have a strategic role in the transition to a more sustainable economy and, therefore, are paying attention to actions to adapt and decarbonize the economy for the race towards the 'Net Zero' of 2050 and to care for the health and well-being of their workers," says Germán Granda, CEO of Forética.

The report 'Climate and well-being: In the focus of the ESG agenda of Spanish public companies'. published by Forética within the framework of the 'Action Group on Sustainability and CSR in Public Companies', highlights that almost 80% of the public companies that are members of the Action Group have a climate strategy with decarbonization actions (energy efficiency measures, electrification, production and consumption of renewable energies, among others) and for almost 70% of public companies decarbonizing the supply chain is one of the keys to achieving net zero emissions in their organizations.

In the area of health and well-being, the document highlights that 81% of the SOEs in the Task Force have a specific strategy or program to care for the health and well-being of their teams, an issue that is becoming increasingly important on the agenda of SOEs. Among the initiatives aimed at ensuring and promoting health and well-being among the teams of the SOEs in the Action Group, 89% implement measures to guarantee and promote work flexibility and conciliation, 85% carry out actions for the promotion of a healthy lifestyle and habits, 44% promote actions to ensure digital disconnection and 26% offer psychological and emotional support measures to workers.

The action of public companies in the face of global sustainability challenges

Ana Gómez, Manager of the Sustainability and CSR in Public Companies Action Group, highlights: "According to the first climate stress test conducted by the European Central Bank, Spain is a country particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change, presenting 12 times more physical risk than the average of the Eurozone countries. In response to this challenge, with the approval of the Climate Change and Energy Transition Law, the public sector, for the first time, is established and positioned as an active agent of change in investment policies and the business sector is also established as a leading agent of change to accompany all this transformation aligned with the objectives of the Paris Agreement".

In the words of María Ordovás, Head of the Sustainability and CSR in Public Companies Action Group: "Over the last two years there has been a deterioration in mental health in Spain and in the global population, with an increase in cases of anxiety, depression, loneliness or stress at a global level. Given the great power of action and the strong impact that organizations exert on people, they must work to articulate inclusive, respectful and ambitious measures that favor health and well-being, one of the nine routes of business transformation included in the 'Vision 2050' roadmap recently presented within the framework of the Spanish Business Council for Sustainable Development".

The fifth edition of the 'Spanish Forum of Public Companies for Sustainability' was inaugurated by the Secretary of State for Finance of the Ministry of Finance and Public Function, Jesús Gascón; the President of ICO, José Carlos García de Quevedo; and the President of Informa D&B and Cesce, Fernando Salazar.

High-impact experiences were heard from different public entities that are members of the Action Group on Sustainability and CSR in Public Companies: Silvia Fernández de Caleya Álvarez, Head of Human Resources and Corporate Social Responsibility at ICO; Adelaida Rodríguez Baquero, Deputy Director of Coordination and Legal Audit at ICEX; María José Ruiz Olmedo, Head of CSR and Internal Communication at Informa D&B; Raúl Martín Fontana, Environmental Specialist at SENASA; and Pilar Blaya Hernández, Director of CSR and Human Capital at Valenciaport.

This business vision has been complemented with the perspective from the public administration by Miguel González-Sama Puga, Coordinator of the Management Area of the National Institute for Safety and Health at Work (INSST) of the Ministry of Labor and Social Economy.

The Action Group on Sustainability and CSR in Public Enterprises, led by Forética and headed by the Instituto de Crédito Oficial (ICO) and Informa D&B, is made up by more than 30 public member companies: Adif, Aena, Aquavall, Cesce, Corporación Empresarial Pública de Aragón, Emasesa, ENAIRE, Enresa, ENUSA, Extremadura Avante, Grupo Tragsa, ICEX, INECO, Metro de Madrid, Navantia, Paradores, Renfe, RTVE, SENASA and Valenciaport. The following entities participate in the Group as observer members: COFIDES, Corporación Pública Empresarial de Navarra (CPEN), Giahsa, the Civil Guard, ISDEFE, the Directorate General of Police, Red Elige, the National CSR Network and Sociedad Mercantil Estatal de Gestión Inmobiliaria de Patrimonio (SEGIPSA).

In the framework of the fifth edition of the 2022 Action Group, working sessions have been organized to analyze the actions of public companies in the transition to zero net emissions and in the area of health and wellbeing. In previous editions, the Group has addressed key sustainability issues such as the commitment of public companies to the new regulatory frameworks for sustainability in the European Union, the contribution to the 2030 Agenda (with a focus on initiatives related to transparency, circular economy and corporate volunteering), non-financial risk management and responsible public procurement, among others.