Only 14% of IBEX 35 companies have incorporated impact measurement models into their business

Transcendent, a strategic sustainability and impact consultant, has published a report entitled “Evolution of ESG management towards the impact of listed companies”, in which it has concluded that only 14% of IBEX 35 companies have incorporated impact measurement models into their business.

Among the other companies in the continuous market analyzed, only 2% have published an impact measurement analysis. This fact is, for the companies that are carrying it out, an opportunity to differentiate themselves and promote a profound transformation of their business and the sector in which they operate.

The study shows a clear trend of increase in environmental and social commitments in the last three years by the 35 IBEX companies and the 50 continuous market companies analyzed by Transcendent.

In this sense, 81% of the listed companies has some environmental objective, which represents 103% more than in 2020. A percentage that drops to 56% for social objectives; which, however, have increased by more than 360% in this period.

Current status of the environmental and social commitments of the 85 listed companies analyzed

Thus, the social objectives they are still the indicators with the most room for improvement for Spanish companies; although there is a discrepancy between the IBEX35 companies, which last year had 80% of tangible objectives in social aspects, and the rest of the companies analyzed, with 38%.

Among these, over the past year, most have been related to diversity within the company, to the increase in the number of women on boards of directors; and to the management of suppliers, in order to include their ESG assessments within the supply chain.

On the other hand, the IBEX35 companies have demonstrated a deep and determined commitment to environmental sustainability and they have aligned themselves with the regulation, since all of them have environmental objectives. On the other hand, of the rest of the listed companies analyzed by the consultancy firm, 68% have established objectives related to climate change, experiencing a very positive evolution, of more than 160% compared to those set by them in 2020.

Among the environmental objectives, the circular economy has begun to play a greater role, with 63% of IBEX35 companies focused on this sustainable development of the economy, as opposed to only 20% of the rest of the continuous market analyzed in the Transcendent report.

The IBEX35 companies have also led, within this area, the objective of being Net Zero in emissions to the atmosphere, with 63% compared to 15% of the rest of the continuous market. Likewise, 66% of the IBEX35 is committed to the Science-Based Objectives Initiative (SBTi), while only 18% of the other companies analyzed have relied on it.

Ana Ruiz, partner at Transcendent, says that “through this study, we want to promote in all Spanish companies the opportunity to differentiate themselves and truly promote change by incorporating impact management into their business activities. Thus, these data show that, despite the difficulties faced by listed companies in reporting all information, regulation has succeeded in boosting progress in setting sustainability objectives. In addition, that they have made great strides in their ESG commitments in terms of social aspects and that the pending task is to measure their impact, since this will offer them the possibility of leading the transformation of the Spanish economy to truly incorporate impact into strategic decision-making”.