NOWADAYS, SUSTAINABILITY IS A NECESSARY ASPECT

 

Sustainability has become one of the fundamental pillars of the strategy of Zedis. For the purposes of fulfilling that commitment, we are implementing a series of measures that enable us to achieve it; and one of the primary measures has been to incorporate within the Zedis team a  sustainability manager that shall be responsible for managing and coordinating all of the efforts of the company in terms of sustainability.

Rosa Banet is a person with extensive expertise and experience within her sector. She has worked as an auditor for AENOR for over ten years, and has also worked for companies such as RICOH or the pharmaceutical company Esteve as Environmental Manager.

Today we’re going to talk to her about the challenges and how she aims to fulfil the task of making Zedis a sustainable company.

 

Rosa, when we talk about sustainability, what are we talking about? What do you understand by sustainability?

Sustainability in any ambit is focused on the assessment of the positive and constant result in light of specific actions, however from a corporate perspective, sustainability means having the capacity to implement within processes approaches that integrate the environmental, social and economic factors, and moreover, refers to manufacturing quality and is included within the general concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

As the word itself indicates, sustainability means continuing over time, without jeopardising future needs. And accordingly, for said purposes, a sustainable company needs to think and establish the strategic ideas that shall constitute guidelines so that the environmental, social and economic dimensions may be incorporated within the decisions of the company.

I consider that a characteristic of a company that is committed to sustainability is that of the maximisation of economic as well as environmental benefits and the minimisation or removal of any aspect that compromises or jeopardises said benefits.

The three aforementioned dimensions: environmental, social and economic what is referred to as “Triple Bottom Line”, and one of the ways in which companies may demonstrate their degree of sustainability is through the triple bottom line or the co-called sustainability reports.

 

Could you explain to us what the SDGs and the 2030 Agenda are and why they are talked about so much in all news media and ambits when we talk about sustainability.

First of all, it is important to explain that the SDGs are an evolution of the MDGs, that were the Millennium Development Goals, that were established in the year 2000 by the leaders of 189 countries that signed the United Nations Millennium Declaration and that committed to fulfil 8 quantifiable goals before 2015.

The 8 goals related to planetary problems, such as: eradicating poverty, universal education, promoting equality, halting the spread of HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases, ensuring environmental sustainability and promoting a world alliance for development.

The MDGs were revolutionary, because they provided a common global discourse that was materialised through the Annual Progress Reports of the organisations that had adhered to the United Nations GLOBAL COMPACT.

After 15 years of MDGs, substantial progress had been made, however said progress was unequal in relation to the results obtained, and accordingly in 2016 the MDGs were replaced by the new 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, that was ratified by 193 Member States of the United Nations.

The new 2030 Agenda is focused on achieving a sustainable world in which the environmental sustainability, social inclusion and economic development is valued equally through the establishment of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Accordingly, the organisations/companies that want to be sustainable, define their strategies and targets and define their guidelines in relation to the goals that they consider important, from the 17 defined goals. And this is a way to integrate their actions with the concept of sustainability and, furthermore, to talk with a common worldwide language, and thereby said organisations/companies inform the general society of their commitments. A company that values and decides or not the consumption of products and/or services depending upon the values that constitute the SDGs (ensure the availability of water and its sustainable management, access to energy, modalities of sustainable consumption and production, quality education, gender equality, industry, innovation and infrastructure, peace, justice and solid institutions, …) are just some of the ideas behind the SDGs.

 

After thirteen years working at AENOR as a sustainability auditor, you must have seen almost everything. In your opinion, what are the errors that a company may commit when determining a new sustainability strategy?

The organisations that currently define a sustainability strategy is because they are truly committed to maximising environmental, social and economic benefits within their decision-making processes.

And for materialising this commitment, the establishment of goals must be balanced, so that it doesn’t result in unexpected results.

For example: a balance must be reached between a goal focused on the reduction of costs and another goal focused on the enhancement of quality, or, between the incorporation of innovative materials in terms of carbon footprint and the well-being of workers; by reason that all of the foregoing factors condition the sales results by consumers and other companies, and may also affect the image, reputation and, ultimately, the sustainability of the business.

Another relevant factor at the time of implementing a sustainability strategy is the need for a relationship/communication model with our relevant stakeholders, that helps us to identify the aspects that are most significant or important to them. And to act accordingly.

In summary, I wouldn’t go so far as to say that they are frequent errors when determining a sustainability strategy, but nonetheless they are factors that need to be taken into consideration:

  • The alignment of departmental goals with the sustainability commitment.
  • And the active listening of the issues and aspects of most importance and relevance for our customers, workers and collaborators.

By reason that all of the decisions affect the image and reputation of the company.

 

Do you think that the pandemic has affected the sustainability policies of companies? Reduction of budgets, etc.?

I think a range of different situations have taken place, some of which have had a positive effect and others a negative effect.

By way of example, the consolidation of working remotely and the benefits that said option may provide in relation to mobility, beyond simply employment efficiency or productivity. On the other hand, a series of new environmental impacts have taken place, such as the increase of the manufacture, consumption and generation of waste material from Individual Protection Equipment (IPEs) (facemasks) or the use of chemical cleaning products, disinfectants and products in more individual packaging and containers.

However, the foregoing situations are not the result of the implementation of active sustainability policies, by reason that they are aspects caused as a result of the pandemic itself.

In contrast to the financial crisis that took place in 2008, in which a number of organisations suspended their environmental and human resource management projects. The current health crisis actual, luckily, in the majority of cases, has not resulted in the suspension of possible sustainability projects, by reason that failing to act may have negative consequences for sales in light of what we have already discussed beforehand: the social and environmental values of current society would penalise the suspension or removal of said policies.

 

We have discussed your vision about what sustainability is, but to make it even clearer and to understand what is implied by a sustainability commitment, could you state 10 actions that, in your opinion, are most relevant and important for successfully implementing a realistic sustainability strategy for a company?

  1. Define a Work Plan with the aspects to be taken into consideration for the implementation of the Sustainability Strategy. Define a model.
  2. Identify the internal and external leaders that are proactive in the environmental, social and business ambits.
  3. Identify the 4/5 most relevant stakeholders for the business, instead of trying to manage a more extensive number, that avoids the risk of the strategy becoming too dispersed and reduces the complexity.
  4. Define the relationship model to be implemented that shall help us to identify the most important aspects of said stakeholders.
  5. Define the goals and provide traceability, for example, through the SDGs.
  6. Assign the frequency for the monitoring of the goals and the consistency thereof with the SDGs based upon the results obtained.
  7. The transparency based upon communication with the stakeholders. For example, through social media, publication of the Sustainability Report, etc.
  8. Identify which products are innovative and with environmental and/or social benefits.
  9. Identify actions that involve our collaborators, that generate alliances.
  10. Consider the option of certifying our model, as a way of generating trust and confidence with the stakeholders.

 

Rosa, you have recently joined Zedis. What is your role in the company?

In October 2021, I joined Zedis, with the firm commitment to lead the Quality and Certifications processes. Currently, Zedis is certified with ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001, as well as PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification) and Ecodesign. I did so with a clear goal in mind: to provide continuity and to ensure compliance with the legal requirements applicable to the products and the commitments acquired with our customers, and to contribute to the sustainability of Zedis wherever the company operates.

Tell us about Zedis, where is the company heading? What projects are your currently working on in relation to sustainability?

I have known Zedis for a number of years, and the company has always had the commitment to do things right. Management has a clear understanding of the importance of the deployment of actions related to sustainability, and accordingly I have management’s full support.

The ambit of strategic sustainability is focused on:

  1. Digital innovation through systems that improve, standardise and facilitate work processes and how we do things.
  2. Maximum quality in all of our products, with the best production techniques.
  3. Continuity in the correct environmental management of all of the actions. With the incorporation of environmental criteria in the design phase of a product.
  4. The workplace health and safety of the production centres.

Are sustainability policies a differentiating aspect or a competitive advantage for businesses, is it something that companies are focusing on?

Any innovative aspect that a company brings to the market or that facilitates communication will be a competitive advantage and a differentiating aspect.

I believe that, nowadays, sustainability is a necessary aspect, however it is also true that within a single sector different technologies may coexist (an example is the automotive industry: electricity, nitrogen, innovative fuels, etc.). The most innovative option with more efficient factors will be that which presents a differentiating aspect in relation to competitors, and if said option is also efficient, then it will represent a competitive advantage.

Accordingly, efficiency is what will lead us to a competitive advantage.

What are the 2 main challenges within the sector in terms of sustainability? What are the challenges that Zedis  faces? For example, the problems of the supply of raw materials, the rising price of electricity, etc. Do they affect the sustainability policies?

In our sector, as well as in other production industries, we are faced with the dual challenge of having to minimise the consumption of materials and natural resources (single product), and at the same time having to comply with legal requirements regarding the product produced. This implies added efforts within the design and development process of a product.

The day-to-day challenges of Zedis are undoubtedly to keep working in relation to innovation, quality, efficiency in relation to energy and resources and the safety of everything that we manufacture, and to higher and higher standard.

In relation to the global supply problems, companies are faced with the need to plan and forecast critical components. And all of this in the context of the negotiation and alliances with our strategic suppliers.

In relation to energy management, we use our best endeavours to optimise energy consumption by means of the comprehensive monitoring of the functioning of the equipment and the establishment of actions for the optimisation thereof.

Do you think that the companies within the sector adequately implement their sustainability policies? Do you think that the NEXT GENERATION funds from the EU will be useful and a good supporting formula for the sustainability of companies?

Faced with a market with a strong demand for products that respect the environment, as well as employment relationships and social aspects, the companies within the sector are forced to implement sustainability policies. The best option for companies is to anticipate said requirements and provide integral and innovative solutions.

As with other formulas that exist within the EU, such as the framework program for investigation and innovation (I+I) “Horizon Europe for the period 2021 -2027”, the Next Generation funds represent a lever toward the evolution of the social and corporate economy. All of this has to go hand in hand with training programs within companies and that generate sufficient corporate motivation so that they result in the recovery and transition that is pursued from the political and regulatory ambit of the EU.

How do you see Zedis in 5 years?

My vision is that of Zedis as a leading company within the POS sector both in the retail ambit as well as the development of outdoor furniture, providing innovative solutions for the customer and user. Zedis, through strategic alliances with its customers, provides solutions related with “the customer experience” of users at the point of sale.

And all of this taking care of natural resources, and optimising production efficiency, waste management and human resources management. And with the rigorous quality of the products manufactured.

 

Interview with Rosa Banet, who has experience in the drafting of procedures and trial techniques pursuant o the GXP rules, from over 6 years at the Laboratory Toxic Biological Tests Unit of “Dr. Echevarne”, that have provided her with a degree of rigour and know-how, that she has, subsequently, been able to incorporate within the industrial sector through the Advisory Department at the Technological Centre of CETEMMSA, and thereafter, as the Environmental Manager of Ricoh Spain, having obtained in 2006 the European Sustainability Award for the Best Practices implemented at a national level within the Ricoh Group.

All of the foregoing enabled her to join the certification world, where she worked for 13 years at AENOR, which represents yet another step toward excellence in management and the different approaches and corporate strategies in the fields of quality, health and safety, environment and social responsibility.

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