Aware that the environment in which we live conditions the well-being and health of people, HLA seeks both excellence in healthcare and the satisfaction of the expectations of its stakeholders at the highest level. In this sense, it has continued to strengthen its commitment to sustainability and sustainable development, through its business strategy supported by an environmental plan that guarantees the sustainability of the current system and future generations. The most relevant milestones of the last year have been:
- 99.4% of all electrical energy consumed in the HLA Group comes from 100% renewable sources.
- In 2021 we will consume 1.2% more renewable electricity than in 2020.
- Thanks to the use of this green energy, we have stopped emitting 4,446 tons of CO2 eq. into the atmosphere. 41.6% more than in 2020.
- Commitment to a low-emission energy model thanks to the use of less polluting fossil fuels such as natural gas, which represents 90.32% of the total fuels consumed, almost 2% more than in 2020. In addition, diesel consumption has been almost completely reduced, representing only 2.37% of the total
- Paper consumption. Since 2019, paper consumption has been reduced by 4.2 %.
- Food wastage remains below 1% (0.103%).
- At the same time, it continues to expand its healthcare network, improving its facilities and reinvesting profits in expanding its portfolio of services and professionals, allowing the company to grow and bringing the best healthcare to the population in parallel with the fight against an unprecedented healthcare crisis. In recent years, the group's expansion process has been boosted by the acquisition of two new hospitals in Cadiz and the start-up of new specialty centers in Almeria, Granada and Guadalajara. In parallel, the group is making progress in the modernization plan in hospitals and medical centers, with the acquisition of the latest technology and the development of the services portfolio.
Social responsibility and governance
AlimentaACCIÓN Project.
It is a project of the HLA Hospital Group catering team that gathers all the initiatives around food that contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and that have a direct impact on improving people's health. Some of these are the reduction of leftover food, commitment to the consumption of local and seasonal produce and the replacement of plastics with other more environmentally friendly materials.
ESG Commission
In 2022, the group has launched an ESG Commission (Environment, Social and Governance, for its acronym in English) to promote a new sustainability strategy that is more ambitious, comprehensive and aligned with the corporate and business objectives of the company. With the creation of this ESG Commission, the group takes a further step in its commitment to integrate all its processes in an approach that strengthens sustainability, caring for people and the environment as the central axis of its activity. In this sense, the company has already positioned ESG as one of the main axes that underpin its strategic plan.
Minimizing the consumption of single-use plastic.
The Group has launched an ambitious project to replace all single-use plastic with recyclable or less polluting materials. In this line, the toiletry kits that patients receive during their stay have been replaced with organic cotton, the objects of which are made of biodegradable material. In the same way, all kitchen utensils have been purchased in biodegradable material, plastic cups and bottles in the vending machines have been replaced by cardboard and plastic bags by others made of the same recyclable material
- The commitment to green energy continues, all of the hospitals and more than 99% of their medical centers consume energy from 100% renewable sources.
- In addition, HLA has replaced the use of fossil fuels throughout its healthcare network with less polluting ones, such as natural gas, which accounts for 86.16% of total fuel consumption; it promotes the use of high-efficiency and low-consumption appliances and lights; and it has eliminated fire extinguishers containing halons (chemical substances that can damage the ozone layer when released).
Leadership in the forética health and sustainability cluster.
The Group is expanding its alliances with the main sustainability organizations in Spain. In this regard, the company has become a leading company within the Forética Health and Sustainability Cluster. This working group constitutes a business meeting point for leadership, knowledge and dialogue, placing value on health and wellness as a fundamental axis of corporate sustainability.
In addition, the Group participates in three projects led by Forética: the Climate Change Cluster, which seeks to promote private sector leadership on climate issues; the Transparency, Good Governance and Integrity Cluster, with the aim of promoting a sustainable corporate governance model and addressing different issues related to the management of ESG (environmental, social and good governance) aspects; and the Social Action Cluster, which aims to exploit the commitment to sustainability of companies, promote alliances and collaborations between partners and major institutions and organizations.
- Promotion of general knowledge on sustainability.
The Group remains committed to bringing the ESG values with which it identifies its activity closer to employees, patients and the general public. Through various partners with which it collaborates, the group is committed to projects that train and update the main advances in sustainability. One example is the company's recent participation in the Early Adopter program of the United Nations Global Compact. This program allows companies that are part of the Global Compact to test the new digital Communication on Progress (CoP) platform by 2023, an annual disclosure requirement for Global Compact signatory companies. The new CoP platform will enable participating companies to understand, measure, track and disclose their sustainability progress against the UN Global Compact's ten principles and their contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals.
The HLA Group maintains a fluid and continuous relationship with its stakeholders, which allows it to access their needs and expectations and to expand the network of alliances on an ongoing basis, a reflection of this commitment is the ongoing collaboration with the health authorities to stop the spread of COVID-19, placing all its infrastructure, professionals and experience at their service. Likewise, the HLA Group supports various patient associations, NGOs, foundations, educational, social and sports organizations, etc.
Environmental commitment
The HLA Group is committed to improving comprehensive healthcare with the utmost respect for the environment. Aware that people's health also depends on the environment in which they live, the Group is based on the precautionary principle, analyzing and managing its main environmental risks throughout its entire value chain, considering both the direct impacts on the assets where it carries out its activity, and the indirect impacts derived from it
Its environmental management approach is based on the Quality, Excellence and Environmental Commitment Policy, which applies to the network of healthcare centers. This policy is the framework for the environmental management system based on ISO 14001, which is implemented throughout the HLA Group. Its strategy is adapted in parallel to the progress of the 2030 Agenda and the Principles of the United Nations Global Compact, focusing mainly on mitigation and adaptation to climate change by committing to the use of 100% renewable energy, energy efficiency and investing in more environmentally responsible buildings; transition to a circular economy as a basis for extending the useful life of materials with which it operates; prevention and control of pollution, as well as the protection and recovery of biodiversity and ecosystems in parallel to the development and excellence of its healthcare offer.
It also has a guide of Good Environmental Practices, applicable to the entire network of hospitals and medical centers, with recommendations both for the employees themselves and for patients and visitors during their stay in the healthcare centers. In addition, since 2020, it has a guide of good practices for the consumption of natural resources and measures that can help the centers to meet the environmental objectives established
The HLA Group has a Quality and Environment Committee in charge of defining and approving the Group's environmental policies and objectives, carrying out the management review of the system and establishing annual internal audit plans, among other aspects, as well as a Standing Committee in charge of resolving incidents in the system and identifying and promoting new areas for improvement, made up of a multidisciplinary team of professionals with experience in the Group. In the same way, it adapts and improves its system thanks to users who value the company's commitment to the environment after their stay at the centers.
