Aimplas has published its fourth sustainability report, drawn up in accordance with the standards of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI).
The publication reviews Aimplas’ activity and key milestones in 2022 regarding environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria, as well as the centre’s renewed commitment to the ten principles of the UN Global Compact and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Also included in this report is the calculation of Aimplas’ social return on investment (SROI) in 2022. This figure was calculated by an independent body for the fourth year in a row and indicates that Aimplas activities in 2022 had a social impact quantified at €665 million, of which, €431.6 million had an impact on the SDGs and €294.6 million on the circular economy.
In terms of environmental sustainability, Aimplas boasts a long history of implementing measures that minimize the environmental impact of its activities. A chief goal of these activities is actually taking care of the environment and making tools available to members of the plastics industry, so they can do the same. One of the 2022 milestones highlighted in the report was receiving the REDUZCO seal for the first time by meeting the requirement of registering its carbon footprint for the fourth consecutive year in the registry of the Spanish Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge.
Aimplas has continued to reduce its carbon footprint (from 384 tonnes of CO2 in 2020 to 53 tonnes in 2022), a reduction of 83% since 2019, the year in which Aimplas started calculating its carbon footprint.
Aimplas had originally set the goal of reducing its carbon emissions in 2022 by 5%, but by the end of 2022, it had significantly outstripped this goal and reduced them by 37.12%.
In terms of social impact, Aimplas continues to focus on talent, defending equality and protecting health, although it also participates in several philanthropic actions and promotes volunteering among its staff.
In the area of equality, the actions included in the 3rd Equality Plan on gender diversity were implemented throughout 2022 and work began on the 4th Equality Plan with a focus on SDG 3 (Good health and well-being), SDG 8 (Decent work), SDG 10 (Reduced inequality) and, of course, SDG 5 (Gender equality). The wage gap between men and women has also been reduced in favour of women by 8% since 2020. Specific actions have likewise continued to be implemented to favour generational, functional and cultural diversity, and a diversity committee was created exclusively to support diversity measures.
In 2022, more than 3,100 companies relied on Aimplas to carry out their R&D projects, develop technological services and implement educational activities; in addition, AIMPLAS now has a total of 789 member companies, all of which helped increase turnover by 10%.
In terms of governance, Aimplas exceeded the legal requirements and implemented the Governance, Risk and Compliance Model, and successfully completed its Integrated Management System project. The project helps improve efficiency and take advantage of process and operations synergies. Along these lines, in 2022, the centre was awarded certifications in accordance with the standards ISO 9001 (quality management), ISO 14001 (environmental management), ISO 45001 (occupational health and safety management) and UNE 166002 (R&D&I management).
