Barcelona, November 10, 2020 . amec has today presented the Positive Industry movement , during the amec 2020 Forum , which has brought together more than 400 executives from the internationalized industry to address the issue Company and purpose . In a statement , the directors of industrial companies claim the industry as one of the agents with the greatest power of social and economic transformation and consider that its actions must be for the benefit of all stakeholders (employees, customers, suppliers and the community). Likewise, in addition to thinking globally, it must also act with a local sense.
In the presentation, the president of amec , Pere Relats, explained that “the perception of companies will change” and “the old structures will melt and give way to the new, much better ones” . In the new paradigm “ we will abandon the I , competitive, and we will learn to use the we , collaborative. The short term will be lengthened in favor of a satisfactory path , we will stop talking only about products and we will talk much more about people . We will forget the control structures to manage trust ” .
For the president of amec , the current situation should not be an obstacle, but quite the opposite: “we have a positive vision because the ones who are going to get us out of this crisis are going to be the usual ones: normal people with extraordinary skills and attitudes” .
The general director, Joan Tristany, explained that the objective is for “ the declaration to come to life and become a demanding, exciting movement that gives us value as an industrial group” . In this sense, amec invites other companies, entities or institutions to support the declaration, so that there are many more that share its purpose and objectives in order to raise awareness about the course towards the new competitiveness. “ The support for the positive industry must be an action of many, and from plural interests” , explained the director general of amec .
a mec has been focused on its new purpose for some time. For this reason, it is a partner and promoter of BforPlanet together with Fira de Barcelona. amec vindicates and defends the role of the industry in this transformation, for which, as Tristany has pointed out, it is necessary to work “with vision ahead and prospective in the pocket” .
Having a purpose impacts the results of the company
For amec , having a purpose is a fundamental factor in the new competitiveness, and therefore, companies have to prepare to be valued with new parameters. In this sense, “companies that look after their workers have a higher return on investment (ROE) than those that do not” , said the founder of BLab, Jay Coen, who indicates that in some cases this return it is up to 40% higher, based on the Just Capital ranking, which measures the behavior of the world’s largest employers. This better behavior has also been observed even in the first quarter of the year, in which the pandemic has affected the companies at the top of the ranking to a lesser extent, as explained by Coen. BLab is a US-based non-profit organization leading a global movement to accelerate cultural change in the way business is done. BLab’s vision is that companies will compete to be the best for the world: the best for workers, the best for communities and the best for the environment. For Coen, “it seems that the premise is that doing things well costs more money and we are less competitive. But now the opposite is happening: the concern is to attract the best talent, and we will not achieve it with money but with a purpose. In the same way, customers are also increasingly looking to spend their money on companies that take care of their employees, the community and the environment” . More than 3,500 companies in 70 countries already have the BCorp certification, which measures how companies balance social purpose and economic benefits. To do this, they incorporate a legal requirement that in making decisions they must take into account their workers, customers, suppliers, the community and the environment.
BLab is also part of the Imperative21 movement, which brings together 70,000 companies from 80 countries, and which aims to jointly lead a change in business orientation to transform the current values of the capitalist system. This initiative was born in September, through the projection of its pillars on the Nasdaq’s own facade and on the Brazilian Stock Exchange.
Companies share their experiences on the ground
The professor and consultant of Sustainability and Innovation Strategy, Josep Maria Coll, considers that the purpose “is a source of competitive advantage because it harmonizes the interests of the organization to collaborate together, it is a shot of organizational energy” . This has also been corroborated by the CEO of KLK, a company dedicated to providing solutions to electrification, for whom establishing a more conciliatory working day, full trust and flexibility throughout the organization has led to better results: “making shareholders win does not motivate workers. Instead, thanks to the motivation, we have increased the on-time delivery from 70% to 95%” , he indicated.
In addition to having a purpose, “you have to be consistent and act in harmony” , explained Danone’s Director of Public Affairs and Sustainability, Laia Mas, who said that the company has been a BCorp since 2015, produces where it operates locally, works for the circularity of all its product, trying to have the least environmental impact and delivering food to those who need it.
The purpose is very important for the entire organization, among other things because “it is important to have a reason to get up and go to work” , according to the general director of BASF in Spain, Carles Navarro, who explained how the company works with the area of Inditex sustainability to improve processes and minimize the environmental impact of textile production and how it has jointly devised with Cafès Novell the first biodegradable and compostable capsules in Spain.
The CEO of EPPI Industries, Mireia Cammany, is immersed in implementing the purpose in her organization: among many actions, in addition to acting according to her principles, she also evaluates the sustainability of her global value chain, of all suppliers and stakeholders. According to his experience, “all companies, even SMEs with their limited resources” , can implement their own purpose.
Eugenia Godes, ADRASA management and control assistant, explained that the company “is changing the idea of chemistry, which until now has been related to spills. We do just the opposite: our R&D team focuses on working so that through chemistry we manage to eliminate any residue or damage to the environment”.
From the packaging sector Guillem Clofent, CEO of Mespack, explained the challenge facing the sector in the transition towards more sustainable materials: “biodegradable, compostable plastics are more fragile. Substitution has been a technological challenge to which we are responding, modifying our machines to work with more sustainable materials. We are taking steps in the right direction.”
Rosa Vañó, founding member of Castillo de Canena, explained how her organization has focused on the production of organic and local products with respect for producers, with which she has achieved great engagement in the face of new customer requirements.
The president of Comexi and former president of amec , Manel Xifra, has highlighted how “in the face of the dysfunctions of the current system, the concept of purpose helps to propose a society with a sustainable future and social equality” , for which “it is important” to create a collective conscience” .
The amec 2020 Forum has given an important space to networking and online workshops, as well as to the presentation of some of the most outstanding collaborations that have taken place between members of our community, in order to materialize new projects that alone would be more difficult to reach.
The event has had the sponsors Allianz, Sabadell, CESCE and IESE and the collaborators BLab and the Red Cross.
amec promotes the new key factors of competitiveness in companies
The association of internationalized industrial companies amec promotes the new key factors of competitiveness in companies in Spain : anticipation, adaptability, collaboration, glocalization and sustainability. The companies that are part of amec generate an export volume of more than 6,200 million euros, export an average of 55.5% of their turnover and invest 4.7% in innovation.
Links: Positive Industry Movement