Held at the CEOE headquarters under the title: "No more (time to) waste !:" public-private collaboration as a guarantor of sustainable production and consumption ", this day served to exchange the best practices of both countries and the potential of collaboration between administrations and the private sector. At the opening ceremony, the vice president of CEOE and president of Unespa, Pilar González de Frutos and the ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Spain, Matthijs Bonzel, spoke.
For the vice-president of CEOE, it is very clear the commitment and the conviction in the business world that it is the companies that are going to lead the work and objectives to achieve a sustainable world. Because companies are a key actor in the 2030 Agenda and in the achievement of the SDGs.
He also indicated that it is necessary to work in a coordinated and joint way with the Administration and the whole society and that, for Spanish companies, the Netherlands is an inspiration since the commitment of the authorities and the Dutch companies with sustainability comes from far.
In this sense, the Dutch ambassador spoke of the great coordination between Public Administration, private sector and University that exists in his country and described it as "Golden Triangle".
At the same time, he valued the capacity for imagination, innovation and effort of the Dutch and Spanish farmers, especially in Almería, since they are the main exporters of tomatoes. Which is a great merit because the tomato needs water and sun. Holland has no sun and Almeria lacks water. The combination of knowledge, inventiveness, innovation and motivation have compensated for that lack of one of the elements.
The event brought together experts on corporate and social responsibility from the PwC consultancy firm or companies such as Corte Inglés, Tandem, Pascual, C & A, Grupo Santander and Cajamar. In addition, the Dutch union (FNV), banking associations of both countries (AEB and NVB), senior Dutch and Spanish government officials, Moda España and the federations of Spanish and Dutch food and beverage industries (FIAB and FNLI), among others. The sustainability and responsibility of the textile and agri-food sector, as well as the dynamic and sustainable role of financing to achieve SDG 12, are fundamental.
High Commissioner for the 2030 Agenda
During the day, the High Commissioner for the 2030 Agenda, Cristina Gallach, together with Roald Lapperre, maximum representative of sustainability policies of the Dutch administration, stressed the importance of promoting public-private partnerships. It is necessary that investments and business loans see the profitability of these business examples and prioritize their decisions taking into account these variables of sustainability and social responsibility.
Likewise, both the Dutch and the Spanish view have shared the need to give more responsibility to consumers. This can be achieved through greater transparency and information on the origin of resources and the way companies produce. Pragmatic legislation should be developed, fiscal and financial instruments and incentives should be offered, innovation and design should be promoted and, finally, education and knowledge should be improved. To achieve all this, international cooperation is needed.
Among the conclusions, it has been agreed to promote bilateral collaboration and raise proposals at European level, together with other countries. The objective of all this is to accelerate the attainment of the objective of development for more sustainable and transparent productive chains, and that the consumer has at his disposal all the information about what he consumes.
At the closing, the Director of Communication, Institutional Relations and Sustainability of CEOE, Carmen Alsina, explained some of the initiatives of the Confederation in this matter. A) Yes, promote the Corporate Social Responsibility Committee and the Environment Committee, within the scope of the 2030 Agenda; collaborate in seminars in the field of the SDGs in Ibero-America with Segib and CEIB, institutions with which CEOE has recently held meetings on this issue.
He also referred to the collaboration and participation of employers in the State Council for Corporate Social Responsibility, CERSE, as well as in the Council for Sustainable Development. Always with the vocation of working and promoting all aspects of the 2030 Agenda.