Did you know that…? In Spain, SMEs generate 70% of jobs. They are undoubtedly a key element in achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations Agenda for Sustainable Development, which aim to restore the planet’s ecological balance and address the most pressing social challenges.
However, despite the important role they play and as detailed in the Guide to the SDGs for SMEs, 78% of Spanish SMEs currently have no or only superficial knowledge of the 2030 Agenda.
This is not true of Alvantia , which has been part of the United Nations Global Compact Network Spain for over six years and takes Corporate Social Responsibility on board as another company asset. The company promotes attitudes and commitments that help to build a fairer, more sustainable and balanced world as part of its corporate culture.
Since 2014, each year Alvantia has reasserted its focus on transparency by renewing its commitment to the ten principles of the United Nations Global Compact in areas such as human and labour rights, the environment and the fight against corruption.
As for the SDGs, Alvantia mainly focuses on the following:
SDG 3: Health and Well-being
Alvantia has a strong commitment to the health and well-being of our employees. That is why our professionals have flexible working hours to help with their work-life balance. In this sense, we are gradually implementing a remote working system for employees who ask for this option.
From the time of recruitment, our employees receive different training courses on occupational risk prevention and their workstations are ergonomically equipped to ensure greater comfort.
We have also contracted an office fruit delivery service so that employees adopt healthy habits. Furthermore, we raise awareness on the advantages of regular exercise and, each year, part of our team represents the company at the Business Race held in Madrid.
SDG 5: Gender Equality
Regarding employee recruitment and remuneration, Alvantia focuses on candidates with skills that are suitable for a position and merit for their remuneration, regardless of their gender, ethnicity, nationality, social status, or any physical or mental disabilities.
The current percentage of female employees at the company is 35%, a figure that exceeds the sector average (18% according to data from the Ministry of Social Services and Equality). The company has no gender-based salary gap or discrimination and applies internal measures to ensure work-life balance. This is especially important so as not to hinder women in a sector associated with intensive working hours, total availability and dedication outside working hours.
SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities
Alvantia boasts a very charitable team that collaborates in important initiatives such as the Gil Gayarre Association Christmas market and The Real Three Wise Men, two wonderful projects that support and favour social inclusion for disadvantaged groups.
SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
As our activity is primarily digital and we pose no major risks for the environment, although we must monitor the progressive reduction of company waste. Our environmental policy, regulated according to ISO 14001, seeks to reduce the use of polluting vehicles as much as possible, as well as the use of derived fuels.
The company has specific, marked recycling points for paper, containers, printing toner and batteries, and equipment that can no longer be used is taken to the relevant reuse or recycling points so their parts can be given another use. A footnote on the corporate email signature raises awareness on printing information only when necessary.
SDG 13: Climate Action
A study has been conducted to verify the impact of changing our offices (our current location is much better connected with various public transport options) in terms of private vehicle use. We have managed to reduce private vehicle use by 22%.
Plastic cups have been eliminated from Alvantia offices and replaced by paper or cardboard cups. We have also provided each employee with a customisable glass container to eliminate disposable cups in the medium term.
Annual internal and external audits to monitor ISO 14001 compliance (implemented since 2015) allow us to measure the impact of environmental procedures, guaranteeing that best practices last over time.
To verify the success of our environmental policies and identify necessary actions, each year we count how many kilos of paper, office material and batteries are recycled, comparing figures to the previous period.
