Aqualia publishes its fifth Corporate Social Responsibility Report
Aqualia, the water management subsidiary of FCC, the Citizen Services Company, has released its Corporate Social Responsibility for 2010. The report describes the mechanisms implemented for ongoing stakeholder engagement in order to foster continuous improvement of the company's performance and of the environment in which it operates. To this end, Aqualia applied the framework of FCC's code of ethics, which includes adoption of the ten principles of the UN Global Compact, and continues to work in line with FCC's CSR Master Plan 2009-2010.
Aqualia's stakeholder engagement initiatives, described in detail in the report, include forums with consumers, residents' associations, employees, governments, and the media, among others, to listen to and take note of their needs. The company also organises open days at its facilities, attended by thousands of students each year, to make the public familiar with its work.
As part of its commitment to employees, Aqualia has adopted a strong position against gender violence and signed an agreement with the Spanish Ministry of Healthy, Social Policy and Equality to raise awareness in this area. This was acknowledged by the "Workplace Equality" award granted by that same Ministry, which recognises the design and development of gender equality policies by companies.
Moreover, Aqualia's concern for the environment in which it operates is backed by the simultaneous attainment this year of AENOR certificates in R&D and Innovation Management and Energy Management.
Another key component of Aqualia's management approach is its commitment to society. The company supports educational, sporting, entertainment and cultural activities, participates in university courses and seminars, and works actively with NGOs and other bodies with a clear social vocation, evidencing its determination to contribute to improving people's living standards.
Aqualia's 2010 Corporate Social Responsibility Report attained highest application level (A+) recognised by Global Reporting Initiative. AENOR, the Spanish Association for Standardization and Certification, delivered the certificate to Aqualia, the first Spanish company to be certified under the GRI's G3.1 Guidelines, which are voluntary this year and will become obligatory in 2012.
The report is available on Aqualia's intranet, http://fccnet2/aqualia, in the CSR section, where past year's reports can also be viewed.