Español
English
The Action Group for Social Responsibility (CSR) in state-owned companies, of which Isdefe is a member, presented its “Guide for State-Owned Companies to Respond to the Challenge Posed by Transparency and the 2030 Agenda” on 4 December at the ICO headquarters.
The presentation was part of the COP25 on Climate Change, as an official event at the summit, during which it was noted that 88% of state-owned companies publish information on SDG 13 (Climate Action) in their sustainability reports.
The Guide shows the advances and steps that state-owned companies are taking to achieve the SDGs and to improve and move forward in the area of transparency as a key principle for good governance and to provide accountability to their stakeholders.
The Group, coordinated by Forética, is led by Adif and the Official Credit Institute (ICO) and has 27 member entities: Adif, Aena, Aquavall, Canal Sur Radio y Televisión, CESCE, Corporación Empresarial Pública de Aragón, Correos, Emasesa, ENAIRE, Enresa, Extremadura Avante, Grupo ENUSA, Grupo Tragsa, ICEX España Exportación e Inversiones, ICO, INCIBE, INECO, INFORMA D&B, ISDEFE, ITVASA, Metro de Madrid, Paradores, Renfe, RTVE and Valenciaport. In addition, COFIDES and the Spanish Healthcare Network for Social Responsibility, through the participation of the Hospital Clínico San Carlos, the Hospital General Universitario Reina Sofía, the Hospital de Guadarrama, the Hospital Universitario del Tajo, the Hospital Príncipe de Asturias and the Hospital Miguel Servet, are observers.
This year, the Action Group focused on the transparency of state-owned companies and their contribution to the 2030 Agenda, seeking to pinpoint advances in Spain involving the achievement of the SDGs and transparency from various approaches and regulatory frameworks (the Law on Reporting Non-Financial and Diversity Information, Law 9/2017 on Public Sector Contracts and the Transparency Index of state-owned companies).
The key achievements made by the state-owned companies in the Action Group in the area of the SDGs have been the laying down of a firm commitment to promote the 2030 Agenda (75%) and engaging in external reporting and communications campaigns on contributions to the SDGs (65%).
On a related issue, preliminary data on the disclosure of non-financial information show that 75% of the state-owned companies in the Action Group issue a sustainability report or the like, and that 67% of them did so in accordance with the requirements of the new Law on Non-Financial and Diversity Information.
Also worth noting is that 88% of the companies in the Action Group publish information on SDG 13 (Climate Action) in their sustainability reports.
In the area of responsible public contracting, 78% of the state-owned companies in the Action Group incorporate social and environmental criteria in their public contract tenders, as long as these criteria are related to the purpose of the contract and they improve the price-to-quality ratio.
All of these advancements have led to new opportunities in the state-owned companies in the Action Group, such as a feeling of belonging, commitment, internal communication and employee motivation, and they have provided access to new alliances with other entities that are promoting sustainability.
In the words of Germán Granda, Managing Director of Forética, “we are witnessing a sea change in the governance model of organisations, one in which the management of non-financial aspects has become a strategic pillar for governments and organisations. In the Action Group we are seeing how state-owned companies are becoming more committed to an increasingly conscientious society, one that is demanding greater integration of environmental, social and good governance aspects into the decision-making process”.
You can download the report at this link.
The Action Group for CSR in state-owned companies is a collaborative business platform whose goal is to promote the exchange of knowledge among state-owned companies involving environmental, social and good governance aspects, to showcase corporate success stories, share relevant tools and trends on an international scale and make a positive contribution to leadership by Spanish companies in this area.
The Group’s members create more than 255,000 direct jobs and their turnover accounts for 2.26% of the GDP. They are involved in over 16 areas of industry and are present throughout Spain, and some of its most prominent members are state-owned companies that are active in in the regions of Andalusia, Aragón, Asturias, Castilla y León, Madrid, Valencia and Extremadura.