No blog worth its salt could do without an analysis of future trends. From the standpoint of corporate social responsibility know that for a fact. Leading figures from the CSR sector concur that the big objectives companies must tackle in 2020 regarding social responsibility are the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the change in business production model and taking care of the environment.

«2019 has shown us that we are not moving fast enough to overcome challenges. For 2020, we will still need a greater commitment to climate change in the COP26 in Glasgow and effect of Spain‘s climate change law, which has already been delayed for too many years», explains Germán Granda, general director of Forética, in statements collected by Europa Press.

«The impact on nature will be the main topic in the agenda for the biodiversity COP in China. Inequality from all angles –gender pay gap, human rights, technological transformation, age, disability and urban-rural tensions– will be in the agenda more», states Granda.

Fourteen out of one hundred seventy-seven companies that make up Business Ambition 1.5º of the UN –the world‘s most ambitious corporate sustainability initiative– are Spanish companies. It is therefore foreseeable that organizations commit to the climate agenda, at a global level and also in Europe, to take the next step in reducing waste and respecting the planet, given that the situation is urgent.

How can we apply the environment to our CSR?

In the past, it was enough to plant trees or invest in popular stocks, although little effective. However, things have changed. Measuring the damage is not enough. Companies must regenerate the environment. We must fight climate change not only through CSR policies, but also through the actual production chain.

The report Approaching the Future 2019, created by Canvas Sustainable Strategies and Corporate Excellence-Centre for Reputation Leadership, reveals that the natural environment will shape the environment for future businesses. A study where more than two hundred thirty professionals and leaders of ninety companies participated shows that 28.7 percent of organizations are taking action to adapt to climate change.

Companies are becoming increasingly conscientious about reaching the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of Agenda 2030. Spain is number twelve for guaranteeing sustainable consumption and production. Nevertheless, we are still far from tackling other problems, such as those related to water and climate.

We have to change the focus of CSR and sustainability, going from impact reduction to the regeneration of the environment. One of the main ideas is choosing a circular economy, a solution that transforms the way resources are produced, consumed and reused.

Problems that companies face

In Spain, we are faced with three serious milestones: high levels of air pollution, scarcity of water resources and finally, waste management, where we have aproblem with plastic. Did you know that after Turkey we are the second country that dumps the most plastic material into the Mediterranean and the fourth highest consumers of plastic in the European Union?

To deal with these problems, it is crucial not to confuse CSR with fulfillment of a company‘s legal obligations. It requires training. For example, the Environmental Responsibility Law requires companies to repair damages to natural resources, and it is supplemented by the Environmental Evaluation Law, which determines the impact of a project, with criteria for its minimization and compensation.