PEFC Spain held a Virtual Forum entitled “Building the future: sustainability, business, society and consumers” held last 19 November. During the Forum, guest speakers and attendees talked about the forestry sector, its opportunities and challenges for the future and global and European sustainability policies, focusing on circularity, responsible consumption and, above all, on alliances to grow in responsibility.
Sustainable Development Goal 17 (SDG17): Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development, was highlighted as an essential tool on the road to sustainability.
Christopher Smith, CEO of BrandSmith, talked about how to communicate the most relevant issues of the forest sector by using pedagogy in order to establish a dialogue with society. He encouraged the sector to join and promote projects linked to the European Green Deal and the Sustainable Development Goals, among others.
Yolanda Fernández, Director of Corporate Social Responsibility and External Communication at Alcampo, mentioned that 80% of its suppliers already have forest certification and the company aims to achieve 100% by 2025. She pointed out the need to make visible the forest labors by using an active communication in order to raise awareness of buying local and seasonal products. “Together, this work adds diversity and guarantees to trust in forest certification”, she said.
Susana Posada Gómez, Head of Institutional Communication and Responsible Business at Leroy Merlin Spain, spoke about Leroy Merlin responsible purchasing policies based on the relationship with suppliers through different ways of training. She added that both a global exercise within administrations, entities and organisations and an active role of the consumer are required for growing and achieving a sustainable economic model.
Finally, Ana Gascón Ramos, Director of Corporate Responsibility at Coca-Cola European Partners Iberia, stressed the responsibility to increase the positive social impact and reduce the negative environmental impact so as to create a 100% responsible business model. She referred to the importance of the SMF due to its economic and socio-cultural value and its role as a mold into economic, natural and environmental capital. She concluded that it is necessary to achieve a cultural movement of mobilization, transparency, awareness and sensitivity by applying new eco-innovations and “call to action” communications.
Thus, the meeting has opened the way for partnerships to achieve a circular economy that benefits resilience of nature and society.
Watch the video of the virtual forum
For more information: comunicacion@pefc.es or +34 91 591 00 88
