An opportunity, not a sacrifice. This is how José Manuel Entrecanales, president and CEO of Acciona, described what the transformation of companies towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) entails. He did so within the framework of the Global Compact Leaders Summit – parallel to the United Nations General Assembly, within the framework of New York Climate Week –, in which business, government and civil society leaders from around the world examine the private sector's contribution to advancing the SDGs.
“The SDGs are creating a new sector of companies exclusively dedicated to sustainability. ACCIONA is one of the few companies in the world that is already part of it. There is no area of economic activity that is excluded from the opportunities it offers,” Entrecanales assured, recalling that his company complies with 99% of the requirements of the European taxonomy of economic activities for decarbonization.
In the round table Halfway to 2030. Looking back and forward, José Manuel Entrecanales opted to develop policies that promote the financing and awarding of sustainable projects. He also called for “an effective carbon market that rewards emissions reduction efforts.”
“We need policies that support the actions of the private sector. The transformation of companies towards the SDGs is not a sacrifice, but an opportunity. If we don't have the right legislative environment, our job is going to be much more difficult,” he added.
The company's commitment to sustainability is solid and has a long history. ACCIONA understands it as a commitment to social progress, environmental balance and economic growth, and has been promoting it for some time since the fulfillment of those 17 global objectives defined by the United Nations.
In this sense, ACCIONA has been one of the companies that has joined the Forward Faster initiative, to accelerate the achievement of the SDGs. The company has committed to four areas of action: climate, living wages, finance and investment, and water resilience.
The goal of the Forward Faster initiative is to increase accountability and transparency in achieving the SDGs, calling on companies to publicly declare their commitments and highlight the actions they will take to meet these goals.
