02/07/2015

NEARLY 14,000 PEOPLE HAVE BENEFITED FROM ESTEVE’S SOCIAL AND WELFARE INITIATIVES

In 2014 this figure was three times that of the previous year thanks to several social initiatives set out in developing countries and among the most vulnerable populations in our country

Investment and environmental efficiency, as well as awareness campaigns, have cut CO2 emissions by 26%.

A total of 13,833 people have benefited from the social action initiatives set out by ESTEVE over the past year. Among others, improving the population's health and wellbeing, struggling against the risk of social exclusion and poverty, and access to medicines have been prioritized. This is reflected in the 2014 Sustainability Memorandum, rated A+ for the eighth consecutive year -ESTEVE being the only pharmaceutical company to have achieved this milestone, as recognized by the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), an international independent body that leads and supports the provision of transparent, verifiable information by companies on their own activities.

Due to the global crisis, the social needs among the most underprivileged communities have kept on growing. Attuned to these needs, ESTEVE has set out several social and welfare initiatives in developing countries (Third World) and in the most vulnerable populations of our country (Fourth World). In 2014 a total of 13,833 people benefited from ESTEVE's social action by means of (ongoing) collaboration with 23 non-profit entities.

Committed to the ten principles of the UN Global Compact and the UN Millennium Development Goals, ESTEVE has continued to make medicine donations through Farmamundi. Specifically, 54 expeditions to 36 countries through 37 ONG were carried out in 2014, in compliance with the World Health Organization and the Spanish Drug Agency guidelines.

ESTEVE also participates in Farmamundi's Humanitarian and Emergency Aid Fund (FAHE), which in 2014 carried out interventions in 11 countries. These included emergency interventions in Kenya, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia, Syria, Palestine, Serbia, the Dominican Republic, and Haiti; post-emergency interventions in Mali and Uganda; and humanitarian aid in Palestine, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Colombia. Also to be emphasized is ESTEVE's participation in GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance for Children in the Third World -nearly 600 children vaccinated in Cameroun, Mauritania, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Tanzania, Honduras, and Nicaragua.


Social initiatives in the Fourth World

In 2014 ESTEVE continued collaborating in several projects targeted on the communities at higher risk of poverty and social exclusion. In addition to expanding its "Eat Hunger Up" campaign, ESTEVE increased its contribution by fostering the "Rekindle Your Clothes" initiative.

The "Eat Hunger Up" campaign (donation of non-perishable basic food items) was organized in Christmas and in the summer, and yielded 14,800 kilos of food. Half of this amount was directly donated by workers and the other half was provided by the Company. All were distributed among the neediest people through different social organizations, such as Food Banks and other charities. The "Rekindle Your Clothes" campaign consists of second-hand clothing donation by ESTEVE workers, and two campaigns made to coincide with wardrobe renovation have been carried out at the ESTEVE centers of Catalonia. In total, 1,500 kilos of clothing were delivered to the Formació i Treball Foundation of Cáritas, which distributed them among low-income households.


Another noteworthy initiative is the start-up of the Family Plan, a program for disabled children of ESTEVE workers, managed by the Adecco Foundation. Its goal is to help these children develop competences and skills, as of their childhood, to enable them to integrate into society and enter the labor market. So far, 60% of ESTEVE workers with a disabled child have joined the Family Plan.

ESTEVE's eco-friendly activities

In 2014 the industrial expenses and investments made into the different centers by applying efficiency criteria, as well as the different awareness campaigns, have allowed ESTEVE to cut its total CO2 emissions by 26% -twice as much as the percentage achieved the previous year.

Also, consistent with the Preventive Environmental Policy in terms of fostering the use of renewable energies, 7,200m2 of photovoltaic panels are being installed in the roofs of three buildings of the Martorelles plant (Barcelona) to make use of solar power. This project is scheduled to be completed by the first semester 2015 and will allow cutting CO2 emissions by 138 tons per year.

Already in 2014 the Company compensated 375 tons of CO2 through a reforestation project in Chiapas (Mexico), promoted by ECODES in the framework of the Zero CO2. Initiative. Moreover, this project also involves other environmental benefits -such as the conservation of biodiversity- and social benefits -such as the cooperation for the development of the most vulnerable rural populations.

About the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI)

This independent institution created the first global standard for the preparation of sustainability memorandums by companies wishing to evaluate their economic, environmental and social managing activities. It currently leads the global sustainability reporting framework and is the official Collaborating Center of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Committed from the beginning to continuous improvement, this framework presents the principles and the indicators to be used by organizations to measure their economic, social and environmental activities

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