Spanish Companies and Bio-Diversity

Twelve large companies operating in Spain have committed to integrate the conservation of biodiversity as a part of their business strategies, thus joining the Spanish initiative entitled “The Spanish company and Biodiversity” launched by the Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment, with the support of the Ministry.

The Chairmen or CEOs of such twelve companies have signed a "Covenant on Biodiversity", pledging  that their businesses will not only not damage ecosystems but will help to protect them.

The companies that have joined the initiative are ABB, Mahou, Heineken, Natural Gas, Cepsa, FCC, BSH home appliances Spain, Cemex, Ferrovial, Holcim Spain, ISS Facility Services and Red Eléctrica, the Spanish electrical network.

The Covenant obliges these companies to (i) assess the impact of their respective activities on biodiversity; (ii) include the protection of biodiversity in their management manuals; (iii) define realistic and measurable objectives for conservation that will be reviewed every three years; and (iv) disclose their achievements in this area on their respective websites.

In addition, the participating companies will have to inform suppliers of the objectives that either company will have in the field of biodiversity and assist and support them in the task of integrating such objectives into their own activities; explore the possibilities of cooperation in this area with scientific institutions and NGOs; and to appoint a responsible speaker for the achievement of the purposes of the Covenant goals.

The Biodiversity Foundation will furnish the signers of the Covenant (which is open to other companies), the information necessary to identify responsible and innovative projects and advise them throughout the process.