Sacyr is the first company in the infrastructure sector to certify its water footprint under the ISO 14046 standard. The certification was verified by AENOR, an organization that ratifies the information, data and results disclosed in the company’s water footprint assessment.
Sacyr’s water footprint assessment includes all the group’s activities worldwide. This certification analyzes up to 18 relevant categories according to the top four most recognized methodologies internationally. This certification has a comprehensive approach, as it considers all types of impacts on ecosystems, human health, and water-related resources.
The result of this verification was satisfactory, given the project’s complexity due to its high business volume and activity variety. Thanks to the desalination facilities run by Sacyr Water, the company has an extremely positive impact on areas with high water stress.
Environmental conservation
This AENOR certification demonstrates the importance of proper water management in corporate strategies to preserve the environmental and social value of water, a scarce and indispensable resource for sustainable development.
Fernando Lozano, General corporate manager of Sacyr, received the certification from Gonzalo Piédrola, Director of AENOR for the Central and EMEA regions. Lozano said that “the certification is the foundation to continue to advance in the line of the 2021-2025 Sacyr Sustainable Action Plan and generate a positive environmental impact”.
In that sense, Gonzalo Piédrola said that “AENOR wishes to accompany companies in their commitment to sustainability and the AENOR water footprint verification, in compliance with internationally accepted referents, will allow Sacyr to precisely calculate how much water is needed for its activities, ensuring that the information is accurate, coherent and transparent”.
This ISO 14046 standard based AENOR certification for the calculation and assessment of the water footprint verifies the direct and indirect volume of water consumed in the process and also assesses the associated environmental impacts under a life cycle analytic approach.
Focus on SDG 6
All of Sacyr’s initiatives in this regard are directed to the fulfillment of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6: Ensure access to water and sanitation for all.
The company’s focus is on goals relating to the efficient use of water resources and the improvement of water quality, by reducing contamination and water dumps and increasing recycling and reuse practices. The company has a clear goal for 2025, to reduce its water footprint by 10%.
Sacyr is strongly committed to water management. The company guarantees a responsible business model, mindful of planetary boundaries. The 2021-2025 Strategic Plan defines action lines for the protection, restoration, and conservation of natural resources, with clear goals to improve governance and correct water management in its activities.
