Last Wednesday, October 6, the virtual meeting organized by the PIMEC Foundation took place in which it brought the Sustainable Development Goals closer to medium and small companies and the autonomous people of Maresme – Barcelonès Nord and Vallès Oriental. Under the title “As a company, how can I contribute to the SDGs?” The entity wanted to promote among other companies the importance of implementing actions for environmental responsibility, social inclusion or employee protection that facilitate their contribution to the 2030 Agenda established by the global alliance of the United Nations in 2015.
Vicen Alhambra, head of the CSR Department and Compliance Officer of GESAB, had the opportunity to participate in the table of business experiences held during the day, in which she reviewed the actions that GESAB has carried out during this time with the main objective of achieving greater sustainability regarding the Sustainable Development Goals:
- SDG 3: Bienestar y salud. Good health. PRL courses and workshops have been organized for employees with the aim of protecting their health as well as taking care of ergonomics in their workplace and the ISO 45001 certification has been obtained..
- SDG 4: Quality education. The CSR Department has carried out awareness and awareness campaigns on the 2030 Agenda.
- SDG 5: Gender equality. Development of the Equality Plan within the company.
- SDG 8: Good jobs and economic growth. The ISO 9001 Certification has been renewed and the Welcome Manual for new employees has been created, in which the fundamental keys that the company should initially know are offered.
- SDG 9: Innovation and infrastructure. The facilities of all GESAB headquarters are designed under criteria of sustainability and efficiency.
- SDG 12: Responsible consumption. In 2021, the Greenguard certification for the control consoles and the ISO 14001 certification on the Environmental Management system were obtained.
- SDG 13: Climate action. The Program of Voluntary Agreements for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions has been signed through the Catalan Office for Climate Change.
- SDG 16: Peace and justice. The internal Code of Ethics and the Supplier Standard document have been drawn up, setting the limits of action.
- SDG 17: Partnerships for the goals. Strategic alliances and synergies have been closed to achieve compliance with the SDGs, such as the signing of the United Nations Global Compact or the collaborative work agreement with social institutions.
It is essential that the private business group, both smaller and larger, contribute its grain of sand through small gestures to the commitments established in the 2030 Agenda with the aim of increasing the protection of the planet. Although in large companies Corporate Social Responsibility is already a fact and is part of their identity, the main challenge is for small and medium companies to incorporate it to pave the way towards different goals such as transparency, equality, social inclusion or protection of the environment.
The Sustainable Development Goals are a means, some parameters, on which companies can base themselves to begin their journey towards a more sustainable activity both for the social and environmental environment, as well as for the economic environment. Each corporation must select those SDGs that are achievable to start working, identifying indicators, setting goals and promoting actions that lead to positive changes both internally and externally, with the aim of achieving a more sustainable activity over time.
GESAB continues its journey towards a more socially responsible activity, a path that it started a few years ago with some of the actions described above, whose employees, partners, suppliers and customers feel proud to be part of it.