Economic Commitment | EDP España

It’s all about the recognition of human rights, of ethical, social and environmental issues, and of customers in their business strategy.

Profitability is therefore achieved not only for the shareholder, but for other stakeholders and society as well.

Sustainability indices are an important tool for the EDP group because they allow us to quantify the company’s sustainability performance and contribute to the continuous improvement of our operations, namely by adapting the latter to market trends.

In September 2015, representatives from 193 countries adopted an historic commitment by approving the 17 Sustainable Development Objectives that, unlike their predecessors, were consensual after more than three years of negotiations, and with the participation of all member countries of the UN, NGOs and other actors.

In general terms, the ODS aim to eradicate poverty, combat inequality and combat climate change for the next 15 years, from 2016 to 2030, in order to achieve a decent life for all so that no one is left behind.

Previously, in 2000 the following were adopted Objectives of Development of the Millennium] whose term expired in 2015. It was the promise to defend the principles of human dignity, equality and equity, and to free the world from extreme poverty. Thus, a total of eight goals and a series of measurable and time-bound goals, established the bases for solving the biggest development challenges of our time. The year of 2015 was the date set for compliance, however not all set goals were achieved

Now the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) are the new challenge of the UN to complete outstanding work. The 17 Sustainable Development Goals are:

Goal 1. Ending poverty in all its forms throughout the world. Still 836 million people currently living in extreme poverty. It is expected to reduce by half the proportion of people living in poverty and to guarantee that all inhabitants of the planet have the same rights.

Goal 2. End hunger, achieve food security and the improvement of nutrition and promoting sustainable agriculture. Poor nutrition causes 45% of deaths of children under the age of 5. We will work to ensure the sustainability of production systems, of food production and to implement agricultural practices that increase productivity and contribute to the maintenance of ecosystems.

Goal 3. Ensuring a healthy lifestyle and promoting wellness for everyone, at all ages. More than 6 million children continue to die every year before the age of five. One of the main goals is to reduce the global maternal mortality rate below 70 per 100,000 live births.

Goal 4. Ensure an inclusive, equitable and quality education and promote learning opportunities throughout life for all. 58 million children in the world are not at school. It will be ensured that all children have full, free, fair and high quality primary and secondary education.

Goal 5. Achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls; eliminating all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private sectors, including trafficking and sexual exploitation.

Goal 6. To ensure the availability of water and its sustainable management and sanitation for all. 884 million people around the world still lack access to safe drinking water and is necessary to achieve equitable access to adequate sanitation and hygiene for everybody.

Goal 7. Ensuring access to affordable, secure energy, sustainable and modern for all. One in five people still do not have access to modern electricity and for 2030, it is expected to ensure universal access to affordable, reliable and modern energy services.

Goal 8. Promoting sustained, inclusive economic growth and sustainable, full and productive employment and decent work for everybody. 1 in 3 workers lives below the poverty line. The goal is a gross domestic product growth of at least 7% annual in the least developed countries.

Goal 9. Building resilient infrastructure, promote the inclusive and sustainable industrialization and encourage innovation to support economic development and human well-being, with special emphasis on equitable and affordable access for all.

Goal 10. Reducing inequality within and between countries; progressively achieving and maintain revenue growth of 40% poorest sector of the population at a higher rate than the national average.

Goal 11 . Making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.

Goal 12.Guaranteeing patterns of consumption and production which are sustainable in order to reduce global food waste per capita in 2030.

Goal 13. Take urgent measures against climate change, through education and awareness of the people and the negotiating agreements and national and international measures to acting together against the climate change; minimizing its impact on people’s lives.

Goal 14. To conserve and use sustainably the oceans and seas. For 150 years, the acidification of the oceans has increased by 30%, affecting marine life. Therefore, for 2020 it is expected at least to retain at least 10% of coastal and marine areas.

Goal 15. Protecting forests and fighting desertification, creating laws to preserve ecosystems at a world level, reducing environmental degradation and preserving biological diversity.

Goal 16. Promote peaceful societies and better access to Justice. 51 million people are displaced from their homes as a result of war and violence. It is necessary to end the abuse, exploitation, trafficking, torture and all forms of violence, reducing mortality rates associated worldwide.

Goal 17. Strengthen and revitalize the Global Alliance for Sustainable development. Only Denmark, Luxembourg, Norway and Sweden and the UK meet the commitment to allocate 0.7% of their GDP to official development assistance.

EDP and Sustainable Development Goals

Adoption of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) It is a transition to a new paradigm. \ \ In addition to implications in the field of politics and of the international institutions, responsibility for compliance is not only restricted to countries, but also to businesses and the private sector as well as society in general. \ The Sustainable Development Goals can only be achieved through the active participation and joint effort from all parties.\ During the last decade, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has been spreading rapidly, being introduced in Policies and Principles of companies, and tackling from the point of view of the management of risks that the company assumes when its social and environmental impacts are not taken into account./ With this focus, sustainability practices of companies have had little impact in reducing the social problems caused by unemployment, declining household income or forced evictions, for example. \ With the commitment acquired through the sustainable Development Objectives, the organizations should review their strategy in matters of CSR so that, without relinquishing prevention of irresponsible behaviors from the company, they get involved in the creation of value for communities and society as well as for the organization itself.

Commitment from EDP Spain with ODS

More than 2,600 Spanish companies are already directly involved in the implementation and development of ODS (many IBEX companies, such as SMEs and other organizations and entities). EDP is not an exception. The president, Antonio Mexia, introduced a year ago the individual commitments of the organization to combat climate change, commitments attached directly to the Objective of Sustainable Development No. 13: Combating climate change. But EDP has also designed and implemented in all its geographies many more actions to encourage the development of other objectives.

EDP Spain, as a relevant local agent in the autonomous communities, in which it is present, develops its own agenda of projects and local impact initiatives, ranging from the creation of value social development and citizenship, also contributing to the fulfillment of the ODS.