Only one in three Spanish companies has aligned its business strategy with compliance with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) of the 2030 Agenda, despite how often organizations proclaim their commitment to the environment.
According to the data of the SDG Barometer 2022prepared by Esade, in collaboration with SEIDOR and United VARs, 49% of companies have not incorporated the SDGs into their business strategy.
However, 80% of large organizations indicate that they know well what is the 2030 Agenda and SDG commitments, a figure that is reduced to 25% in the case of SMEs.
While only one in three companies meet the SDGs, the two that meet these goals are still very early in the process. Consequently, from these data it can be deduced that, in general, Spanish companies are beginning to address their sustainability strategieswith a big difference between large corporations and SMEs.
Three out of four companies with less than 50 employees have not implemented the SDGs, nor do they plan to do so
And it is that the size of the companies seems to be decisive when addressing sustainability strategies. The study confirms that three out of four companies with fewer than 50 employees have not implemented the SDGs, nor do they plan to do so. In large companies, this figure stands at 9%.
In fact, the size of the organization also influences whether they incorporate a sustainability department or not. While this department practically does not exist in SMEs, around 60% of large corporations do have one.
Towards a more sustainable path
Cost savings and brand and reputation generation stand out as the key factors that lead companies to implement measures to comply with the SDGs. 54% of the 300 managers and managers of Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility of companies from different sectors, point out that they are committed to the SDGs to save their expenses.
However, companies are also realizing that implementing these sustainability goals It brings benefits to their brand and reputation.
55% of companies work, above all, to achieve sustainable consumption and production
According to the report, 55% of companies work, above all, to comply with SDG 12, that is, to achieve sustainable consumption and production. On the other hand, 51% do so to comply with SDG 7, that is, the increase in the consumption of affordable, safe, sustainable and modern energy.
However, a key aspect to improve compliance with these sustainability objectives is to carry out analyzes on the degree of implementation of the sustainability strategy in your organization, something that only 30% of the companies surveyed do.
Once again, companies with less than 50 workers are the ones that carry out this type of analysis the least, specifically, 89% admit that they do not carry them out. On the opposite side of the scale, two out of three companies with more than 250 employees have done an internal analysis to find out the degree of compliance with the SDGs.
Added to this is the fact that only 10% of the Spanish companies that have participated in this report have any certificate, issued by an independent entity, confirming the contribution of the company’s sustainability strategy to the SDGs. In this sense, one in four companies that are aligned with the SDGs does so without formally accrediting this contribution.
With all this, and although more and more companies have policies related to the Sustainable Development Goals, there is still a long way to go to continue advancing in the implementation of new measures that contribute to these environmental objectives.
initial image | Francesco Gallarotti
