Ángel Simón, Agbar president, “We must create a sustainable world based on co-responsibility, dialogue and transparency”
“Each of our projects must aim for a sustainable world based on co-responsibility, dialogue and transparency”, said Ángel Simón, chairman of Agbar and Senior Executive Vice-Chairman of Veolia for Iberia and Latin America, at the latest Desayunos Esade session held by Esade Alumni in conjunction with Criteria Caixa. As Simón explained, “these are critical times for the future of our planet. Climate emergency, economic recovery and the struggle to combat inequality are the target and source of uncertainty that affect all society” therefore, “companies and authorities must pull together by creating alliances and driving innovation to consolidate solutions that contribute to social progress and improving citizens’ quality of life, leaving no one behind.” “We have the knowledge, management skills and technology, we must just ensure we’re on the same page”, he added.
As regards the current framework, Ángel Simón said that “companies must change and evolve constantly, in keeping with the needs of society, in order to deal with problems and create trust.” In this respect, the Agbar chairman defined the 21st century business model as “one that must add value, meet one of society’s needs and make a firm commitment to all stakeholders by listening attentively and being accountable.” He stated that “because of their structure and size, big companies can spearhead and pave the way by acting responsibly and relying on everyone to be co-responsible.” With this in mind, Simón highlighted the importance of the corporate purpose, one factor that is increasingly emerging as a cornerstone of corporate change and which, in times of uncertainty, serves to engender trust.
The Agbar sustainability strategy
The Chairman of Agbar also underlined the importance of measuring and defining performance indicators to determine when a strategy is sustainable. He explained that these indicators “also act as management tools that allow ESG [environmental, social and governance] criteria to be implemented in companies and shape strategies that make an economic, social and environmental impact in order to comply with the 2030 Agenda and SDGs.”
To illustrate this statement, Ángel Simón shared several examples of how Agbar has implemented their sustainability strategy. The group’s environmental commitments, for example, include incorporating the circular economy into its processes by means of projects such as the transformation of water treatment plants into biofactories, a pioneering model certified by the United Nations in the fight against climate change. In the sphere of social action, the president mentioned the Social Pact that guarantees everyone without exception the right to water, and the OLA Program, in collaboration with the Red Cross, to alleviate people’s vulnerability and increase their employability. Lastly, as regards technological innovation and going digital, he referred to the Dinapsis network for digital change in the integral water cycle and environmental health of cities, as being “particularly important against a backdrop of climate and water emergency and drought, with an increasing need for monitoring and surveillance to optimize solutions and responses.”
The Agbar president was joined at this session of Desayunos Esade by Mario Lara, director of Esade Madrid, and Juan M. Hernández Puértolas, head of communication at La Caixa Foundation group.
