The la Caixa Foundation leads the ‘Advice ranking’ of sustainability in Spain

The 30th edition of the Advice CSR / ESG / Sustainability Business Success Study, carried out by Advice Strategic Consultants, places the La Caixa Foundation as the best and first entity in this area in Spain and also the most socially committed. According to all the publics consulted (general population, SMEs, self-employed workers and opinion leaders), the Catalan financial group has estimated that 12 million Spaniards will benefit from the 50,000 social, educational and employment programs of the La Caixa Foundation in 2023.

Likewise, the 600 million euros of the La Caixa Foundation’s budget for its Social Work in 2024 is only surpassed by the “Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation”, according to Advice Consultant sources. After the La Caixa Foundation, the sustainability ladder in Spain places In the top positions are El Corte Inglés, CaixaBank, Inditex, Telefónica, Mercadona, Santander, Iberdrola, Cellnex Telecom and Bankinter.

Jorge Díaz Cardiel, general managing partner of Advice Strategic Consultants, appreciates the evolution of the perception of social commitment of companies in Spain. According to the expert, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) “must take the form of tangible activities, whether in the field of employment, training, digital education or help for disadvantaged groups.” Likewise, he adds, “sustainability is largely identified with” business purpose “.

The ‘La Caixa’ Foundation is mentioned as the first company in the ESG ranking of Advice Strategic Consultants for being the Spanish entity that allocates the most economic resources to transforming society. La Caixa’s focus is especially on those programs with the greatest transformative impact, such as those that combat child poverty and social exclusion, those that promote employment and those that help improve the living conditions of the most vulnerable people. Accessibility and other measures that promote integration are the factors that lead El Corte Inglés to position itself as the second company with the greatest social responsibility. Its social commitment is reflected in programs that generate economic and social value, employment and workload for SMEs.

For its part, CaixaBank stands as the leading bank in terms of social commitment for having financing programs that seek to solve challenges such as inequality, climate change and boost the real economy, “putting banking at the service of people”, according to Europa Press.

Inditex has managed to climb to fourth place, from sixth in the previous ranking. The multinational of Galician origin stands out for having a planetary vision of social action, due to its global presence in many markets and countries, and for having projects that generate a positive impact on communities.

Meanwhile, Telefónica has managed to remain in fifth position due to its inclusive nature in terms of connectivity, bringing digitalization to more and more people in both rural and urban areas. Furthermore, the teleoperator stands out for its commitment to monetize the environmental impact caused, either directly or indirectly, by the activities it carries out.