SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, March 24 (EUROPA PRESS) –
78% of Canarian companies are highly aware of sustainable transformation and consider that it brings competitive advantages to their activities, according to a study carried out on a sample of 196 island business organizations on the integration of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). .
In addition, companies consider that this section is essential to ensure their survival in a market increasingly influenced by both the national and European commitment to sustainability.
In this work, it is highlighted that almost eight out of ten companies consulted are already aware of the framework of the 2030 Agenda.
The conclusions of this study will be announced in more detail at the ‘I Sustainable and Competitive Business Meeting’ that will take place in Arrecife next Tuesday from 9.45 am.
The meeting will be attended by, among others, the Deputy Minister of Employment, Gustavo Santana; the General Director of Research and Coordination of Sustainable Development of the Government of the Canary Islands, David Padrón; the executive director of the UN Global Compact Spain, Cristina Sánchez, and the CEO of the Lanzarote Economic Promotion Society, Héctor Fernández Manchado.
This business forum is possible thanks to the support of the Government of the Canary Islands, the UN Global Compact of Spain, the Cabildo de Lanzarote and the Lanzarote Tourist Federation, reports the Canarian Government in a note.
The analysis confirms that the growing interest of the regional business fabric in sustainability derives, among other factors, from consumer demand –a third of the companies surveyed indicate that their clients demand greater advances in sustainability–; of the competitive advantages that it offers –78.3% consider that work on sustainability and the SDGs allows them to obtain competitive advantages over other companies in their sector–, and of the economic benefits linked to their application –45 .3% of the companies consulted consider that the integration of sustainability and the SDGs within their organization has had a positive impact on the economic results of the company in recent years–.
In the words of David Padrón, General Director of Research and Coordination of Sustainable Development of the Government of the Canary Islands, it is “another opportunity to continue advancing in the implementation of measures aimed at achieving the objective of sustainability, especially in the business sector private and with great importance in tourism”.
For her part, Cristina Sánchez, executive director of the UN Global Compact Spain, stressed that “the role of the private sector is essential to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and actions such as this consultation serve both to raise awareness of the need to act in favor of the SDGs to find out how the companies of the autonomous community are working in this area and what resources and instruments are required to be able to accompany them along the way”.
SUSTAINABILITY MAKES ITS WAY IN THE STRATEGIES OF CANARY ISLANDS COMPANIES
The data from the consultation show how sustainability is making its way, little by little, into the business strategies of island firms.
Specifically, a third of the Canarian companies consulted (33%) have a sustainability strategy –most (22.9%) aligned with the SDGs– compared to 41% nationally.
Although it is necessary to highlight that, despite the fact that 68.7% of the Canarian companies consulted do not have this type of strategy, 25.9% indicate that they are already working on its development.
This translates, detailed from the Executive, in a change in human resources or in the organizational structure of the companies.
In fact, 45.6% of the entities consulted already have a specific person or department to work on sustainability and the contribution of the SDGs.
The analysis also shows how the 2030 Agenda is gradually transferred to the different departments and areas of the organizations, with 30% of the companies consulted stating that they carry out this transversal integration.
CONCILIATION, EQUALITY AND THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY, MAIN AXES OF THE ACTIONS
Regarding the SDGs most worked on, the data extracted from the consultation indicate five priorities for companies in the autonomous community: SDG 5, on gender equality, reported by 53% of those consulted; SDG 8, on decent work and economic growth (52%), and SDG 7, on affordable and clean energy (48%). In fourth and fifth place are SDG 13, for climate action, and SDG 12, for responsible consumption, indicated by 40% and 39%, respectively.
At this point, it is striking that SDG 14 (conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources) is only identified by 23% of the companies consulted, despite being strategic for the Canarian community.
On the other hand, the least worked on SDGs are 2, 16, 11 and 1 and in terms of specific actions to implement these objectives, work-life balance and time flexibility measures (52.7%), teleworking (50 %), circular economy processes (48.7%) and equality plans (46.7%) are the most common.
Likewise, the development of products and services that contribute to the SDGs stands out, with 40.8% of the companies consulted carrying out this action.
Delving into the environmental area and how companies are contributing to reducing emissions in the Canary Islands, the study shows that 24.7% of the entities consulted measure their carbon footprint and 32% have a commitment to reduce emissions.
In addition, the companies of the autonomous community focus on the use of renewable energies (37.3%) and evaluate their suppliers under environmental criteria (22%).
