The Uruguay Exporters Union (UEU) carried out the second edition of the Sustainable management seal in conjunction with the Technological Laboratory of Uruguay (LATU) with the aim of helping exporting companies to position themselves globally in the face of the demands of sustainability of international markets.
“This seal seeks to be a tool to help companies move towards sustainable management,” he said. Maria Laura Rodriguezresponsible for the sustainability area at UEU Ambit.
With a total of 19 participating companies, the UEU managed to raise their standards through a system that is based on five levels and has three axes that make it up and are a requirement for the signatures to be part of the seal: the Environmental, the Governance and the Social. Taking into account that some companies are advanced in some of the axes and not in others, from UEU They seek leveling based on the item that most needs improvement.
Commitment at all levels
Based on the commitment on the part of companies to improve the triple impact, from UEU They seek to raise the conditions of each of the axes, paying primary attention to those who need it most. “The seal adapts to the different levels of progress that companies have. There may be a company that has made great progress in relation to the environment but has not worked so hard on governance and social issues,” he explained.
Beyond carrying out environmentally friendly actions, there are two other axes that are still relevant within the initiative. The governance It is one of them and is related to transparency within the company, as well as accountability and efficient decision-making in accordance with the other axes to which they committed.
It social, For its part, it not only has to do with the impact that the company has on the community but also within the same organization where collaboration should be encouraged. inclusion, the gender parity and the training and good treatment of collaborators.
Meanwhile, companies must commit to advancing at each level. Those who are in level one must go to two the following year, while the others can maintain the level, but improving the requirements that make it up.
Opening paths to the international market
The initiative arose from the UEU with the aim of helping exporting companies to live up to international demands. The aspects Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) became a key factor for export since companies must face the challenges posed by compliance with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) of the United Nations.
This is why, since UEU They decided to focus on exporting companies as a first step. “We understand that exporters are the most exposed to the demands of international markets, such as, for example, the European market, which has great regulations and is much more demanding,” Rodríguez explained. However, he announced that the seal has the objective of permeating the entire value chain because the world increasingly demands that suppliers be sustainable.
In that sense, the specialist stressed that having the seal proves that the organization is working at the same time that demands are growing. “Have the Sustainable Management Seal For the company it means having a document that shows that it is working on sustainability and that it is validated by an organization such as the LATU, which is recognized at the national level,” said Rodríguez and commented that it also has the endorsement of the international certifier. LSQA.
However, there are still aspects to be achieved from the UEU. “The idea is that it will spread and that, for example, financial systems will take the seal into account to evaluate a company to give credits based on whether it is sustainable or not or that there are different state organizations that can give some benefit or score that validates the seal,” he assured.
Source: Ambito
