Madrid | December 15, 2016
Today, Madrid Foro Empresarial has signed agreements with FAMMA - Cocemfe Madrid (Federation of Associations of People with Physical and Organic Disabilities of the Community of Madrid) and Envera (Association of Iberia Employees Parents of People with Disabilities) to regulate their collaboration in the social and labor inclusion of people with intellectual and physical disabilities through actions aimed at facilitating accessibility to care, functions and services provided by the member companies of Madrid Foro Empresarial, as well as to advance in terms of awareness, for the promotion and social normalization as well as the labor integration of people with intellectual and physical disabilities.
The president of Madrid Foro Empresarial, Hilario Alfaro, stated that Madrid Foro Empresarial is aware that "corporate social responsibility has been transformed into competitive social responsibility, because it is a social investment with a return, a strategic value that improves the experience of a demanding client, generates pride of belonging in the workforce, attracts talent to the company and, therefore, has a direct impact on the income statement".
Alfaro explained that "an alliance with associations of reference in the world of intellectual and physical disabilities such as Envera, and FAMMA - Cocemfe Madrid that provide work and assistance to people with disabilities is a collaboration that gives prestige and social recognition".
For his part, Pedro Sobrino, CEO of Envera, pointed out that "measures for the social inclusion of the most vulnerable form part of the Corporate Social Responsibility strategy as the DNA of a new business model, a new way of making companies grow that places the social factor as a differential element, with a direct impact on the profit and loss account". According to Sobrino, "there are already many companies that apply this ethical way of doing business, from fashion, food, marketing and banking to service companies, and for all of them social responsibility, which we prefer to call competitive rather than simply business or corporate, is undoubtedly a very profitable business because it increases employee productivity and reputation and adds exceptional, priceless value to the customer experience. CSR shows that if companies, government and society work together with the mission of improving people's lives, we all win.
For his part, Francisco Javier Font García, president of FAMMA - Cocemfe Madrid, pointed out that "the agreement signed today will be an important step forward for the inclusion of people with disabilities in our region in companies" and will enable "companies and the physical and organic disability sector to work hand in hand in the social and labor insertion of people with disabilities and to achieve greater accessibility conditions in companies".
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) as a strategic value for companies
In Spain, for the first time in the history of the Forética Report (Asociación de Empresas y Profesionales de la RSE/sostenibilidad líder en Iberoamérica), it became clear last year that the public stated that they valued CSR attributes (employees, ethics, environment, etc.) above those of the market (quality, customer service, economic results) when considering a company "a good company".
According to the same analysis, one out of every two consumers in Spain declares that they have made consumer discrimination based on CSR elements. Some 49.9% say they have bought products because they knew that a company was socially responsible, and 44.6% of consumers have stopped buying from a brand because of its bad practices with respect to society and the environment.
