Saica Group Against COVID-19:
Together We Will Succeed
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Sustainability Report
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Saica Group Against COVID-19: Together We Will Succeed
Awareness and Prevention
The spread of COVID-19 has triggered an extraordinary crisis with a worldwide impact. At Saica Group, we face this crisis with very clear responsibilities: • Guaranteeing the health and safety of our employees and the communities where we operate; and • Guaranteeing the operation of our facilities so that the supply chain of basic necessities (food, medicines, and hygienic and disinfecting products, etc.) is not broken, as well as to guarantee the essential environmental services which ensure the health and safety of the industries and shopping centres that remain open. On the 24th of February, Saica Group set up a Global Crisis Committee for COVID-19, as well as one in each of the nine countries in which we operate in Europe. Thanks to the work and involvement of Saica Group as a whole, a series of preventive and organisational measures have been developed to safeguard everyone’s health, while mitigating the risks of coronavirus infection at our centres. Among the adopted measures in relation to Covid-19, we highlight the increase of hygiene measures at
all workplaces, as well as the commitment to work flexibility, work-life balance, the reorganisation of working hours to reduce contact, and the possibility of remote working in all jobs. In addition, all internal and external events, as well as face-to-face training and non-critical business trips were cancelled. Strict protocols were implemented to ensure the health of everyone. At Saica Group, we understood the importance of maintaining constant communication with all our stakeholders, explaining the steps we were taking at each moment to adapt to the situation with maximum guarantees. During the the most challenging moments of the pandemic, we launched the Together We Will Make It campaign, which is inspired by the effort and work carried out in the 9 countries in which we operate, and which highlighted the work of Saica Group at that time. Our four business divisions played an essential role in guaranteeing
the supply of essential products, as well as the health and safety of the centres that remained open. For that purpose, a whole series of actions were carried out (using posters, banners, videos, and so on) to give visibility to all the collaborative actions: financial donations, donated material and protective equipment, collaborations with other companies, to provide solutions to the shortage of protective equipment for healthcare workers, and above all, thanking all the people at Saica Group for their work, effort and dedication during this crisis.
The prevention and application of the safety measures against COVID-19 is a team responsibility on which many of Saica Group’s departments and teams work to ensure compliance with all protection measures. From the Health and Safety department, the Operations departments of the different business areas, the group’s Purchasing department, the Human Resources department, to the Communication department all these helped in their area of responsibility and knowledge to ensure that everyone´s health is safeguarded, through action protocols, the implementation of regulations and safety measures, the purchase of safety equipment for all those at factories, etc. During this period of time, it was also key to reinforce the awareness of the main health and safety regulations, and for this purpose, a series of posters were placed in the factories, providing a guide with the main recommendations that was available for the Group’s workers and anyone interested. Safety kits were distributed for those who were teleworking, and series of videos was launched in seven different languages about COVID-19 protection measures and the best practices in different areas: holidays, work, leisure and remote working.
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Sustainability Report
Making our Contribution At Saica Group, we understood that, in the face of an unprecedented crisis like this one, we would have to do our bit and make a positive contribution to get us all through. For this reason, we launched and participated in many initiatives of solidarity to mitigate the effects of the pandemic and to collaborate in the recovery. • We joined the #AragónEnMarcha (Aragon in Motion) platform, promoted by the Government of Aragon, the CEOE (Confederation of Employers and Industries of Spain), the CEPYME (Spanish Confederation of Small and Medium Enterprises), the UGT (General Union of Workers), and the CCOO (Workers’ Commissions), and contributed a donation of 800,000 euros for the fight against COVID-19. • We are collaborating with NGOs, associations, and public administrations to support those most affected by the coronavirus crisis. The donation of
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cardboard boxes, plastic materials, and safety equipment to organisations such as Ayuda Sin Fronteras, Un Inicio, the Fundació del Convent de Santa Clara, and the Children’s Hospital Sant Joan de Deu made it possible to transport food and health aid to at-risk families and groups during COVID-19. • We participated in the No Estáis Solos (You’re Not Alone) project, aimed at healthcare professionals in Seville. As part of this initiative by the Ybarra Group and Gastea Trucks, solidarity bags with food and hygienic products were donated to healthcare workers. • We delivered 6,600 kg of recycled pellets for the manufacture of aprons, waistcoats, and ambulance protectors for the healthcare workers. • We donated 700,000 masks to the city of Zaragoza, half of which were distributed to people over the age of 65, the population most at risk of coronavirus. The rest were distributed to public transport users, the general population, vulnerable groups, and other groups in the city.
• The education of young people, especially in difficult times, is the best guarantee for the future. For this reason, we provided computer equipment so that students with fewer resources could continue their education during lockdown. • We have not forgotten the hotels, bars, and restaurants that were forced to close due to COVID-19. We joined the Relleu Solidari campaign, promoted by Bodegues Sumarroca, to support the reopening of these sectors. • We joined the #EstoNoTieneQueParar (This Can’t Stop) initiative, supported by more than 2,000 companies, organisations, and well-known personalities. The objective of the campaign is to value and support all workers and companies that contribute to the development of the economy. In other countries where Saica Group operates, we also work with communities to alleviate the effects of the pandemic. Some examples of activities that were carried out were:
• In Portugal, we delivered 2,000 boxes to the Food Bank to facilitate the distribution of basic supplies to people in need. • In Turkey, we donated 15,000 euros to support the fight against coronavirus. • In the United Kingdom, we joined the Burton’s Biscuits initiative to relieve the strain on healthcare workers by delivering thousands of boxes of biscuits to NHS workers and donating cardboard boxes for the delivery of protective masks.
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Sustainability Report
• We also collaborated with the Whitley Community Development Association (WDCA) charity, by donating 2,000 food boxes for distribution; and we provided Trafford Council with sanitary and protective material, such as masks, gloves and disinfectant gels, for use in residences. In addition, we lent space in our Doncaster facilities so that food banks could be set up during the worst moments of the crisis. As a company, we joined the Green Recovery Alliance to support an economic and social stimulus package for the COVID-19 crisis that is aligned with policies of sustainability and biodiversity.
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Innovation Against the Pandemic Healthcare workers have been, and are now, in the front line of action against COVID-19, and are one of the groups on which Saica Group decided to focus its support and help. There were many challenges that we faced, and the capacity for innovation and teamwork was key to providing solutions to the different requests that came our way. One such example, where design, innovation, and collaboration went hand in hand, was the development of a seemingly simple product, such as the cardboard ear saver, which was essential to protect the healthcare workers from skin damage after the prolonged use of face masks. In a very short time, we managed to develop a fast, simple, and very useful innovation for this group of people. The cardboard ear-saver removes the tension and friction caused by the two elastic mask straps on the ears and skin thus preventing sores. The product was single-use and recyclable, favouring, on the one hand, the protection of healthcare workers, and on the other hand, opting for sustainability. Health centres in Aragon, Cantabria and Valencia, among other places in Spain, received free ear-savers from Saica Group. We designed, manufactured and donated more than 100,000 ear-savers in total.