Profitable sustainability: "We must see waste as an opportunity, not a problem"

On June 29, Yo Dona gathered six professionals linked to

around a table at The Warehouse in Madrid , with the aim of updating the concept, taking the pulse of the

in the matter and find out what are the new challenges facing the corporate world and society as a whole when it comes to making a new business model a reality, and of the world -as several of the speakers pointed out-, that allows us to ensure the

our

in an

that still lie in wait for it.

The meeting, moderated by Yo Dona's Content Director,

was attended by

head of Inditex's Sustainability Innovation Hub,

Telefónica's Global Director of Sustainability, and

Global Director of Resources. Human Resources and ESG at Fluidra,

Sustainability Manager at Loewe,

Director of Communication and Marketing at SIGNUS Ecovalor and Vice President of WAS (Women Action Sustainability) and

Director of the Chair of Leadership and Democratic Governance from the ESADE business school.

Ana Núñez-Milara opened the debate by asking the participants for

a phrase that would summarize what sustainability is for each of them.

"This is a topic that just 10 years ago no one was talking about," added Yo Dona's director of content, "and today it is present in all contexts and areas of the company."

Those summoned did not have to think much about the answer: "Sustainability is

, said Elena Valderrábano;

"It is the

that we must all have

and from there we are moving forward", contributed Sham Sharif Sokker;

"I would add that sustainability begins in

and we should all be aware of this", said Amalia Santallusia. For Àngel Castiñeira, "we come from a vision of sustainability in which the goal was that our impact on the environment be at least neutral and right now the vision is more ambitious :

Victoria Muriel Miguel also had no doubts: "Sustainability is

of a model, and a new way of doing what we are doing, reducing the impact". Finally, L.-Rivadulla Sández said that "it is the

we have reached, not to leave a better world, but to

Competitiveness and sustainability, the big bet

After this introduction, which made clear the vision that these six experts had of the importance of sustainability in the framework of our lives, Ana Núñez-Milara invited them to solve one of the great unknowns that millions of consumers around the world have regarding to the concept of a sustainable company: how to make it profitable and competitive?

"We still have to

the Telefónica representative began.

We are no longer in the discussion of 20 years ago about whether people are going to pay more for products that are sustainable or not. The model has to change completely: you have to do things differently, because

and the future of humanity lies in doing things differently, and profitability has to go hand in hand with that".

There will be no discussion, Elena Valderrábano continued, "what all the

we have is doing, how the financial markets are being reoriented so that all investments are sustainable... it's a bit of forcing us to think differently. The next step has

what can I do?

Amalia Santallusia went on to explain how sustainability was fully

"I believe that all companies should already have integrated sustainability. And we can no longer consider a business model that does not include it. As leaders of our respective sectors, which are all of us who are here, we have a

. We have to mobilize people, including our suppliers, the entire industry, to integrate sustainability into their model."

The challenges of the textile industry

Next, Ana Núñez-Milara brought up the issue of sustainability in the textile industry, a sector that is making significant efforts to move towards a sustainable model.

The Inditex representative then intervened at the table: "We are

, making the raw material

, reduce our waste, extend the useful life of our products..." and explained how the textile giant works on projects oriented in this direction, for example, separating the different materials from which garments are made; "it is a very challenging concrete and on which we are working, both at the level of investment in technology and purchase commitments that make it possible.

Our roadmap ranges from finding

to new

We are working from the perspective of innovation and scalability."

From a different perspective, on a different scale, Loewe's Sustainability Manager added that "you must rethink your current model in the different projects you tackle. Working from other concepts such as

, redesigning circularity, and that ultimately adds

and impacts in the profitability of the product".

Going deeper into the challenges of the textile sector, "which is still the one from which the products that people use the most come from", Victoria Muriel explained how, given how transcendental it is to put it on the side of sustainability, it is

linked to textiles.

Paradigm shifts: from waste to resource

One of those sectors, recalled Ana Núñez-Milara, could be the

sector , one of the sectors that has been investigating the possibilities of recycling for the longest time.

The Director of Communication and Marketing at SIGNUS Ecovalor recalled that "it is a non-hazardous waste, but it does have a very large visual impact", and explained how, on the other hand, the used tire has a very interesting value as a material.

"I think we have to change the concept.

and start

Because really everything that was used to make something at the time has value and can continue to be used."

And not only that.

Isabel L.-Rivadulla explained how absurd it is to use natural resources to manufacture certain products when some, such as used tires, have better performance.

"We have the handicap that tires are not used to make new tyres. But

(we have developed flip-flops with Ecoalf, a project that seems very simple but took us two years, because you need a lot of research and development), to make roads, floors for playgrounds...".

We must stop seeing

as a problem and start seeing it as a

he added.

"Exact";

Sham Sharif Sokker intervened from Inditex;

"We are working on the use of used tires in the development of sustainable alternatives to polyamide and this is where this

The risks of the world crisis

Next, Ana Núñez-Milara put on the table the issue of risk -which is not a rumor but a clamor-, that the global crisis we are going through, with the war in Ukraine destabilizing the already fragile economy after two years of the pandemic Covid, leave sustainability goals in the background to attend to other fronts, with energy, now in the front line of fire.

In this regard,

was pessimistic: "We have been living for many years with a meteor shower of disruption: the economic crisis, Trump and the trade war with China, the years of the pandemic and now, the Ukraine conflict. The United Nations' poverty reduction goal has not been fulfilled. Many countries have redirected resources to local emergencies, not international ones...", and drew a dark picture in the short term -"the war is going to last more than a year and is going to bring with it, in addition to a gigantic

problems of

Next autumn, parts of Africa and the Middle East will experience a major food crisis.

Meanwhile, countries like Germany are considering reopening coal-fired power plants." The long term did not look better, which he outlined was characterized by

related to water, minerals (even something as basic as sand) and food.

Despite the foregoing, Castiñeira affirmed that "it is not that the greater is denied between sustainability and profitability, it is that there is a redundancy. The

and gave the example of two companies.

The first, the chemical giant BASF, which in favor of sustainability has created a conceptual framework that has helped it determine which sustainable and profitable products it should continue to manufacture;

which ones, which are only one of the two things, must be modified and, finally, which ones must be eliminated from your catalog.

On the other hand, he spoke of the Spanish startup Heura, "one hundred percent sustainable since its inception. And that principle conditions any type of project they undertake."

This reflection gave way to a discussion about whether sustainability could only 'come from the factory' or any company could incorporate it afterwards.

"

. And they have to do the exercise of seeing how their products should be sustainable," said Amalia Santallusia, convinced of the latter.

Isabel L.-Rivadulla Sández, for her part, referred to the impact that a leading company such as Inditex could have if it changed its business model towards sustainability: "People see that, it influences consumers, people".

Sham Sharif Sokker stated that "it is clear that evolution must be profound; if we think that it is only decorative we are mistaken. We must

also of society.

Must

to society.

Investments with a future

Elena Valderrábano then made a reflection to support the central idea of ​​her speech, that of sustainability as unavoidable even for reasons of profitability.

"Sustainability guidelines are set by the investment world. Why do you care about the environment? No, because you want the

With an interest in pure profitability" and then he delved into how sustainability should be a

present in all its decision processes.

appeared on the horizon of the debate

, "which generates an

and in that sense it is an exploration of a new economic model," said Valderrábano.

Shan Sharif Sokker added that indeed the metaverse "is a very good example of new business models."

At Inditex, he explained, there is optimism about new technological developments, "paths that can become

It was then addressed how the new generations of consumers "already come with sustainability 'on' and believe that any company should practice it," said Victoria Muriel.

, they all agreed,

, who have had to face many changes in a very short time.

Also the way to

about sustainability, to 'reach' the citizen with greater aim, to make it "simple and understandable", as Amalia Santallusia proposed, was in the spotlight of the speakers.

The

,

, they all agreed.

To such an extent, Ángel Castiñeira explained, "that even in the field of management training, many terms are not known."

The Telefónica directive added that "if we make things very complex, they are not understood. The nomenclature is fundamental. Let's make it simple".

Beyond company boundaries

Santallusia went on to emphasize the

company's workers in sustainability: "For me it is essential. If you mobilize, if you bet on equity, diversity..., you generate an

that later transcends the limits of the company, because the people who work in it are also fathers, mothers, caregivers, consumers. Companies have a great social responsibility. And we need the people who work in them to feel

To conclude, Shan Sharif Sokker put words to an essential cause in this mission: "The Sustainability department as such will no longer be necessary, because

. If not, we will not be able to advance".

And Elena Valderrábano concluded: "Each and every one of the departments must ask themselves how they are impacting socially at all times. It is the only way."

The protagonists of an exciting debate

Elena Valderrabano

Each and every one of the departments must ask themselves how they are impacting socially at all times.

It's the only way

Elena Valderrábano, Global Director of Sustainability at Telefónica.

Sham Sharif Sokker

We are committed to moving towards a circular economy, working from the perspective of innovation and scalability

Sham Sharif Sokker, head of the Inditex Sustainability Innovation Hub.

Isabel L.-Rivadulla Sández

You have to change the concept.

Stop talking about waste and start talking about resources, see them as an opportunity

Isabel L.-Rivadulla Sández, Director of Communication and Marketing at SIGNUS Ecovalor and Vice President of WAS (Women Action Sustainability).

Amalia Santallusia

Companies have a great social responsibility.

We need the people who work in them to feel proud of the purpose of the company

Amalia Santallusia, Global Director of Human Resources and ESG at Fluidra.

Victoria Muriel Miguel

Young people look at the values ​​of companies and look at business models that are committed to sustainability

Victoria Muriel Miguel, Loewe Sustainability Manager.

Angel Castineira

The first form of sustainability must be financial.

The paradigm shift is necessary

Àngel Castiñeira, director of the Chair of Leadership and Democratic Governance at the ESADE business school.

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