Challenges
Financing and investors
In order to keep investing and consolidating its position of leadership in the energy and environment sectors, the company continues to strengthen its financing model, a model which ensures the company’s solvency and viability.
Corporate governance, risk management and regulatory compliance
Having governing bodies that generate confidence among stakeholders and ensure effective strategy and the dissemination of a culture of integrity is essential for companies if they hope to progress.
Responding to the demand for energy and infrastructure
The global demand for infrastructure over the next 15 years is estimated to require an investment of € 57 B, which means an annual average of € 3.2 B, over three times more than Spain’s GDP.
Managing available natural resources
According to UN data, global demand for drinking water in 2030 will have increased by 40 % nd the world population will total 8.4 billion people.
Talent for business success
People and their talent are an indispensable part of businesses and they have an unquestionable effect on their market success. The ever-increasing competitiveness that exists among organizations makes people a differentiating factor.
Connecting with the social environment
In an increasingly more global and interconnected world, the manner in which the company interacts with its surroundings can lead to economic profits or losses, while also triggering positive or negative effects for the players with whom the company interacts.
Global risks start set the agenda in the business word.
Challenges
The way of doing business has been changing at a rapid pace, especially over the past two decades. The manner in which corporations conduct their operations has an impact on society and society is in turn showing an ever-increasing ability to influence the way organizations carry out their activities.
Bearing this in mind, there is a series of global risks in the medium and long term that is beginning to determine and shape business agendas. And these risks are taking on increasing importance for public opinion, governments and institutions, for a lack of control over such risks could subject humanity to an unsustainable future. Preventing and mitigating these risks has become the major challenge facing organizations and society at large for the coming years. Particularly worth mentioning are the following risks: climate change, rising energy and fuel consumption, shortages of material resources, water scarcity, population growth, redistribution of wealth, increasing rate of urbanization, food security, degradation of ecosystems and deforestation.
The survival and success of enterprises largely depends on how well they are able to manage these global risks in conjunction with those related to the short term and to their own business management. The ability of organizations to adapt to new paradigms will be a deciding factor in ensuring their future.
The importance of taking on these new challenges (and opportunities) has led Abengoa to structure its Corporate Social Responsibility Report in such a way as to respond to six challenges determined by the company to be of most relevance to its business model and activities.
The following chapters of the report provide a detailed overview of Abengoa’s response to each one of these challenges.
