El UN Global Compact, ICEX Spain Export and Investment and the ICO Foundation have carried out the first Training Program: Sustainable Suppliers.
This pioneering initiative has been aimed at the supply chain of 17 large Spanish companies that are members of the UN Global Compact Spain to offer them knowledge and resources on business sustainability, as well as to help them comply with the requirements integrated into the national and European regulatory frameworks. and international related to the subject. Thanks to the driving action of these companies, In its first edition, 1.276 SMEs from 35 countries participated. An ad hoc training on sustainability considered by 94% of participants to be very useful for their company.
In the words of Cristina Sánchez, executive director of the UN Global Compact Spain, “with this pioneering United Nations program, we want to cover the needs of large companies and SMEs suppliers and position Spain as a benchmark in promoting business sustainability and contributing to the 2030 Agenda.”
Likewise, Lucinio Muñoz, director of the ICO Foundation He pointed out that “we have a double challenge in terms of sustainability: on the one hand, to be at the forefront with new initiatives that promote sustainable finance and on the other, to accompany SMEs in their transformation process, so as not to leave anyone behind.”
For its part, Marta Valero, director of Institutional and Business Cooperation at ICEX Export and Investment has asserted that "The sustainable supplier training program is essential. Through training we eliminate barriers in knowledge to be able to adapt to the new sustainability needs of production chains.”
Results of the I Training Program: sustainable suppliers
Although the starting point was not very favorable – before the program only 16% of participating SMEs confirmed that they had sustainability fully integrated –, the promoters of the initiative rate the results as very positive. In fact, already More than half (54%) of the participants have a code of ethics or conduct and are implementing work-life balance and time flexibility measures. Diversity is also placed at the forefront of SME strategies, with 56% working on diversity, inclusion and equity in their organization.
Other action commitments established by suppliers are: the identification and achievement of their priority SDGs (28%), the development and implementation of a specific sustainability plan (23%) and the annual report of a sustainability report (18%). .
Regarding their knowledge of the Sustainable Development Goals, 78% claim to know them. When asked about their priority SDGs, they highlight SDG 8 Decent work and economic growth (48%), SDG 3 Health and well-being (45%) and SDG 5 Gender equality (41%).
Among the main pending issues for SMEs is persevering in the implementation of formal plans for the reduction of CO2 emissions and in the calculation of the carbon footprint.
Challenges and opportunities for SME suppliers when implementing sustainability
If we talk about specific challenges they face in terms of sustainability, the companies consulted stand out as The greatest challenges are the definition of the sustainability plan (53%) and access to a specific budget on sustainability (35%). This second is directly related to one of the main obstacles for SMEs to integrate sustainability into their businesses.: the lack of internal economic and human resources, which is indicated by more than half of the participants in the program. Other barriers identified are the lack of knowledge on the subject (37%) and the absence of training tools and resources for these organizations (34%).
Although it is necessary to highlight that small and medium-sized companies do see opportunities in this integration. Specific, e67% believe that it can help them attract new clients and interest groups, 57% think that it meets the requirements of large companies and 49% link it to new market niches.
To help them do so, SMEs highlight as incentives that large companies could provide them with information on subsidies or aid linked to sustainability projects and improve contracts for those suppliers that meet sustainability criteria.
A second edition is confirmed in 2024
In January 2024, the recruitment period for SMEs begins for the second edition of the program, which will be taught from March to September 2024. For this II edition of the Training Program: sustainable suppliers, there will be a new set of large Spanish companies promoting the program, which will extend the training to supplier SMEs that are part of their global supply chains.
The large companies promoting the program are: Abertis Infraestructuras, Accenture Spain, Antolín, BASF Española, BBVA, CaixaBank, Endesa, Grupo Eroski, Grupo Santander, Grupo Tragsa, Iberdrola, Naturgy Energy Group, Navantia, PRISA, Repsol, Sacyr, Sanitas.
