A recent report by Smurfit Kappa and the Financial Times, in which 440 senior executives from companies in 11 major world economies participated (40 of them from Spain) called The Transparency Edge', has revealed that 20% of Spanish companies have not yet developed clear sustainability strategies.
Furthermore, the report also revealed that only 381% of companies in the country have ambitious plans to achieve zero emissions by 2050 and that 431% of respondents in Spain believe that their company lacks the capacity to link sustainability practices with financial performance, compared to 301% globally.
Through this study it has been possible to show that sustainability has become a fundamental role in the strategy and planning of senior managers of Spanish companies and many of them have already begun to integrate it into performance evaluations and incentives, although Lack of training and experience in this area could compromise the achievement of sustainability goals or even lead to greenwashing.
"Although there is significant interest in the corporate world to invest in sustainability, this does not usually coincide with the actions, measurements and guarantees that companies later show," has highlighted Ruth Fraile, Head of Sustainability and GPP at Smurfit Kappa Spain, Portugal and Morocco.
The study then highlights as a main factor for sustainability, the importance of transparency, generating trust among consumers, investors and stakeholders, in addition to highlighting four key aspects in this matter:
- Ensure coherence between the action and the sustainability objective to avoid the greenwashing;
- Measuring progress on net-zero emissions initiatives;
- Communicate effectively to build trust;
- Certify sustainability performance.
With the aim of promoting the implementation of sustainability, the Cátedra de Empresa y Humanismo of the University of Valencia has designed the Sustainability Leaders Program - Diploma in Corporate Social Responsibility, which trains professionals with the skills and abilities necessary to design, structure and implement the social responsibility and sustainability strategies that the market and organizations demand today.
