- Ferrovial CEO Ignacio Madridejos represents the company on the Council, which includes 24 other major Spanish companies
- It will be a leading meeting point for companies to devise joint strategic responses for sustainable development
Twenty-five presidents and CEOs from major companies have formed the Spanish Business Council for Sustainable Development led by Forética, one of Spain’s leading organizations in sustainability and corporate social responsibility.
The Council will be a meeting point for businesses where representatives can share their ideas about generating a joint strategic response for enhancing ambition and actions on environmental, social, and good governance (ESG) issues.
Spearheaded by Forética, the Council has its sights set on becoming a premier forum for business leadership in sustainability in Spain.
CEO Ferrovial Ignacio Madridejos represents the company on the Council, which includes 24 other prominent companies: Adif, Airbus, Santander Bank, Bankia, Bankinter, BMW, Grupo Cooperativo Cajamar, Enagás, Endesa, ENGIE, Ferrovial, Gestamp, GSK, HEINEKEN, Iberdrola, IBM, IKEA, ILUNION, ManpowerGroup, MSD, Naturgy, OHL, P&G, Sanitas, and Solvay.
The Council’s first Executive Meeting was honorarily presided over by His Majesty King Felipe VI. It took place today at Santander Bank Spain’s headquarters and was begun by the Fourth Vice President and Minister for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, Teresa Ribera. A joint statement was published in its constitution, bringing together all of the commitments taken on by the Council’s companies, which are aligned with the three main sustainability challenges of today: the climate crisis, good corporate governance, and social inequality.
The commitments included in this statement are:
- Striving to achieve zero net greenhouse gas emissions in this decade by 2050.
- Short- and medium-term environmental goals that help restore wildlife and biodiversity by 2050.
- Implementing policies to uphold human rights per the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
- Integrating the values of inclusion, equality, and diversity and eliminating any sort of discrimination.
- Abiding by the highest levels of corporate governance and transparency.
- Aligning Business Risk Management (BRM) with environmental, social, and governance risks.
“Businesses acting is essential for addressing our biggest environmental and social challenges. The Council’s mission will help accelerate the adoption of ambitious sustainability objectives as an opportunity, as well as generating employment and well-being for society.”
About Forética
Forética is Spain’s leading organization in sustainability and corporate social responsibility. Its mission is to integrate social, environmental, and good governance elements into strategy and management at companies and organizations. It currently consists of over 200 partners.
Forética is the World Business Council for Sustainable Development’s (WBCSD) representative in Spain and thus, the Spanish Business Council for Sustainable Development. At the European level, the organization is a national partner of CSR Europe. It is also part of Spain’s State Council of CSR.
You can read the Business Council for Sustainable Development’s joint statement here.
Check out Forética for more information.
