Businesses have a great responsibility to society. Marked by the pursuit of equity and sustainability, they are moving towards change at an accelerated pace, but how is that commitment assessed?
The fashion for incorporating the word "sustainability" into business actions is visible, but not always true. The need to apply measurable metrics to show transparency in business activities, as well as to ensure that the right steps are being taken for optimal adaptation to future requirements, is clear.
ISL wanted to show its commitment and fight for change in society and companies, starting with its own. As of Sustainability Report 2021 The progress, initiatives and projects of the company have been reflected in order to be ever closer to achieving sustainable and responsible logistics for both workers and their environment.
The fulfilment of its targets is marked by the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals, that allow to focus on current needs. The commitment of companies in the sector is of great importance due to, among other things, their high level of pollution. This is why actions are needed to make logistics a responsible industry.
Environment
To address the climate emergency, ISL has worked on analysing its carbon footprint and reducing it by addressing SDG 11 - achieving sustainable cities and communities - and 12 - based on the pursuit of responsible production and consumption.
Offsetting past externalities is also a concern, which is why, building on the foundations of objective 13 - action to combat climate change and its effects - renewable energies have been used to offset emissions that cannot be reduced and to achieve true neutrality.
Achieving a decarbonisation of operations is not easy, but, with an effective project coupled with a joint effort with other partners, it is possible. This is how ISL achieved its LEAN & GREEN award, which recognised the company's progress in this process.
Digitalization
The advent of new technologies allows for an improvement in resource management, thus reducing pollution derived from transport. The move towards digitalisation not only offers advantages in terms of cost reduction and improvement of procedures, but also helps in tasks such as calculating the carbon footprint and analysis of polluting actions and their reduction. This can be seen in the 76% reduction in the use of plastic in operations or in the increase in the use of more sustainable materials such as wood that ISL achieved in 2021.
The benefits of the technology do not stop there. Since 2018, 100% of the energy contracted in the infrastructures is renewable and for this year it is expected that 25% of the energy consumed will come from solar panels installed in their facilities.
Social
Actions to achieve full equality in the company have been based on three pillars: contributing to equal opportunities for all people, promoting healthy habits and achieving a safe working environment. Working hand in hand with SDGs 5, 8 and 10 on gender equality, decent work and economic growth and reducing inequalities, ISL has made significant social achievements.
In the past year, the number of staff recruited increased by 50%. Of this increase, 66% of the new recruits were women. Due to the masculinisation of the sector, an attempt was made to promote measures that would favour their incorporation, such as the possibility of teleworking or flexible working hours. At the same time, an Equality Plan was drawn up, and two training courses on equality and non-discrimination were held.
In order to look after the wellbeing and health of the employees, actions such as Fruit Day were revived, making baskets available to the teams to promote healthy eating. To this was added the possibility of pilates and cross-training sessions, always with the assistance of a professional physiotherapist for possible ailments. Also, in order to avoid any type of accident at work, advanced work tools were incorporated to ensure the protection of the equipment.
By applying the objectives from governance to suppliers, ISL seeks to continue and improve the management of its resources so that sustainability becomes an integral part of the company's core business.
