SABA - 2018 Annual Report - Sustainability at Saba

05 | Sustainability at Saba

Company policy

Saba’s policy encourages a committed, responsible and active participation with society and the territory as an essential part of the company’s management and development philosophy.

The entire organization takes part and collaborates, as far as possible, in the implementation of the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) culture that it has established. Saba’s working methodology is that of a shared project of commitment to customer service, involvement and responsibility with the territory in which it operates and being an active part in the progress of cities. All this, together with the brand identity and the social and ethical aspects of the company, constitute its differentiation elements. The integration and consolidation of CSR in the business will allow Saba to provide greater transparency and proper management of its stakeholders. The company’s sustainability strategy roadmap is in fact aligned with GRI standards.

Main actions

For Saba, creating value for society and the environment is a priority. Therefore, it makes every effort to maintain a solid sustainability strategy and to appropriately manage the most important economic, environmental and social aspects of the company. During 2018, the company has repeatedly demonstrated its support for projects such as the United Nations Global Compact, the largest voluntary initiative in the area of Corporate Social Responsibility in the world, which has been signed by more than 13,000 entities in 170 countries.

This Compact has in fact led to the Agenda 2030, which outlines the objectives of the international community for 2016-2030 to eradicate poverty and promote sustainable and equitable development. Saba carries out its activity within the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations, to maximize its positive impact and minimize its negative impact. The company remains committed once again this year to making these principles part of the company’s strategy, culture and daily activities, as well as to being involved in cooperative projects that contribute to the wider development goals.

Due to the very nature of the business, Saba’s activity is carried out with specific consideration of those goals concerning climate action, to fight against climate change and its impact, and concerning sustainable cities and communities, with the development of solutions in the field of urban mobility; as well as infrastructure innovation, improvement and technology.

However, in order to have a comprehensive view of the future and to pursue the model of a sustainable business that it aspires to be, it is necessary to take into account the other objectives as well. The health and well-being of workers, customers and collaborators, reinforcing occupational risk prevention and the installation of resources such as defibrillators; contributing to the most disadvantaged groups is Saba’s commitment to ending poverty. Also, Equality Plan guidelines to achieve gender equality; being committed to society by offering decent work, offering permanent contracts to promote economic growth; and important partnerships to achieve the proposed purposes, such as adhering to the Spanish Compliance Association (ASCOM). In short, social innovation and development are part of Saba’s DNA, as a result of which compliance with the SDGs is the best way for the company to be truly socially responsible.

The environment

Since 2011, Saba has carried out a series of actions identified as best practices in terms of energy efficiency and the environment. This results in greater savings, optimization of management and, ultimately, in consolidating the Saba brand as an industry benchmark operator, committed to sustainability. The company’s policy is to invest economic resources in a more efficient maintenance that minimizes CO2 emissions through the improvement of processes and the purchase of energy efficient equipment, in accordance with current legislation to minimize the environmental impact of the activity.

Energy efficiency

The role of Saba is to implement actions that minimize CO2 emissions derived from the activity, with a clear commitment to sustainable mobility. As part of the framework of guidelines and tools on which the Group’s policies are based, the company has a platform called “Monitor”, already implemented in more than 90% of the network, as a system for controlling consumption through the real-time monitoring of the facilities, which is essential for the good performance of the already implemented Energy Efficiency System and which results in greater energy savings.

Also, Saba has created an environmental and energy efficiency e-learning and awareness programme, to train its employees on how to reduce electricity consumption. It covers specific actions such as LED lighting, the installation of high energy efficiency lifts or the use of electric vehicles for activities during working hours. Also of note is the design of the most efficient facilities creating specific construction and maintenance models.

In 2018, Saba obtained the ISO 50001 energy certification in Spain and Italy, becoming the first company in the car park sector to do so. In addition, a process has been put in place to implement it in the rest of the countries where the company operates. This distinction is the result of the energy efficiency plan implemented by the company over the last few years. Since 2018 and with a validity of three years, Saba has been involved in the META project, designed to incorporate improvements that impact on energy performance, energy savings and climate change.

Carbon footprint

Since its restructuring in 2011, Saba has calculated its carbon footprint annually in order to understand the impact of the company on climate change, as well as the evolution of emissions. This impact is measured through an inventory that establishes operational limits in accordance with the provisions of “The Greenhouse Gas Protocol, a Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard” and the ISO 1406-1:2012 guidelines.

The carbon footprint is measured in different scopes according to the degree of incidence that the activity has on each of them. Scope 1 refers to diesel used in vehicle fleets and refrigerant gas leaks; scope 2 to the electricity consumption; and scope 3 to the purchase of goods and services related to the activity and the generated waste.

In order to continue implementing more efficient reduction measures and move towards excellence in sustainability, Saba has voluntarily undergone, for the fourth year running, verification of its carbon footprint by an independent third party, with an ongoing commitment to the greatest possible transparency and a thorough analysis of the data. The result of this calculation reveals that 95% of the Group’s emissions are derived from energy consumption (scope 2), which in 2018 was reduced by 3% compared to 2017, thanks to energy efficiency measures.

Total CO2 emissions in 2018 stood at 9.6 tonnes, which represents a reduction of 25% compared to the figure for 2017. This significant reduction in emissions is due to a change in the calculation of the carbon footprint, which in previous years was based on the Electricity Emission Factor published by the National Commission on Markets and Competition (CNMC in its Spanish initials) for Spain and the International Energy Agency (IEA) for Chile, Italy and Portugal. Due to a change in the reporting method, the same value has been applied for all Saba countries, published by the IEA.

The key concept is to innovate by reducing consumption. Being responsible with the environment is not only relevant from the point of view of sustainability, but is also critical from Saba’s business perspective: sustainable mobility is not possible without an adequate focus on energy savings, reducing emissions and adapting to climate change.

ELECTRICITY
CONSUMPTION
2018

-3%

Staff

The people who make up Saba are the essential basis for sustaining what might be called the Saba style: a culture of customer service, commitment to the environment, responsibility and honesty towards suppliers, and involvement in society. The company works to guarantee equal opportunities and non-discrimination on the grounds of gender, race, country of origin, religion or age. Therefore, Saba works daily to achieve excellence in human resources management, ensuring adequate alignment between the needs of its professionals and the strategic objectives of the company and fostering a relationship of mutual commitment to progress together.

The growth and recent expansion of Saba have been accompanied by a substantial increase in the workforce, spread across each of the countries in which it operates. One of the company’s main lines of action is to ensure decent work and optimal working conditions. With this in mind, the number of permanent contracts compared to temporary ones has increased year after year.

The company’s employees are key to achieving its success and this means the organization needs to offer opportunities for growth and professional development, as well as include a diversity of personnel as a source of wealth for innovation and joint learning. As a result, we try to ensure our workforce is distributed evenly across age ranges; at present, the average age of Saba employees is around 40 years old.

Saba is aware that professional training and development plays a key role in the process of creating value. For this reason, a Training Plan is implemented annually, which covers aspects related to operational knowledge about the business itself and professional skills. With this objective in mind, in 2018 the e-learning platform Campus Saba was launched, providing an average of more than 24,700 hours of training.

HEADCOUNT DISTRIBUTION BY GENDER

Employees in the Czech Republic are not included since the country was incorporated in 2019.

69%

31%

PERMANENT CONTRACTS

Employees from the new Saba countries are not included.

84%

Social actions and links to the territory

It is a fact that cities and society are constantly evolving and this goes for Saba too. The company is continuously involved in a process of review, restructuring and development to adapt to the needs of customers and citizens, always focused on service quality and the connection to the territory where it operates.

Since its inception, the Saba style has always involved the commitment to being a part of the evolution of cities and to contributing to sustainability and corporate responsibility. In this regard, the company collaborates with Corporate Social Responsibility projects that operate in the countries in which it has assets. In addition to supporting cultural and social projects, Saba provides support to the most disadvantaged groups and contributes to organizations that work towards a better coexistence between citizens.

Some of the company’s collaboration actions that stand out in this area include those with Cáritas, providing educational and pedagogical support and aid for destitute mothers, the Pere Tarrés Foundation, the Roger Torné Foundation and Aldeas Infantiles, by contributing to programmes for children at risk of social exclusion.

One of the company’s main pillars is its commitment to society, an example of which is its collaboration with the Sant Joan de Déu Hospital on the SJD Pediatric Center Barcelona project and with the Vall d’Hebron Hospital, also in Barcelona, on its Advanced Neonatal Centre initiative. Our connection to the territory, another of the company’s roadmaps, allows us to contribute to protecting the environment through foundations such as Plant-for-the-Planet.

In this beyond, Saba provides support to cooperation initiatives on workplace inclusion. As a support tool, the company offers professional and academic guidance at the service of students, teachers and educational centres, organizing visits to its facilities through initiatives such as the Professional Life Project promoted by the Barcelona City Council. Also worthy of note is the collaboration with the Envera Foundation for the social and workplace inclusion of people with disabilities; and the “Incorpora” programme of La Caixa. Saba not only supports external associations but also applies the culture of workplace inclusion to people at risk of exclusion in its own organization.