This Tuesday, it took place at Rock (Alicante) the fourth meeting of the project “One hour of change”, an initiative led by Waters of Alicante and the Association of Advanced tertiary of the Province of Alicante, which on this occasion had the support of the City Council of this city in the middle region of Vinalopó.
The day took place at the Espai Blanc of the Petrer Cultural Center and the participants on this occasion were Irene NavarroMayor of Petrer, Sergio SanchezGeneral Manager of Aguas de Alicante and Francisco BautistaInterim manager of the company PROYECTIVA, acting as moderator of the table Anabel Rosasdirector of LÍDER, media collaborator of the project.
The theme of this fourth session focused on the promotion of a sustainable trade and responsible, a sector that has been the essence of the constitution of our cities and which is currently going through times of uncertainty in the face of new consumer trends.
The mayor of Petrer, Irene Navarro, stressed that the path to sustainability requires a high initial investment, which is sometimes not easy to achieve, and to this must be added the change in the consciousness of citizens, the modification of his habits of life and collaboration in the measures implemented.
Regarding the actions taken to integrate sustainability measures into the city, work is being carried out in various areas, including the energy saving with the installation of presence detectors in municipal facilities, the installation of photovoltaic solar panels in municipal buildings and communities of owners, the change of lighting or the installation of charging stations for electric vehicles. The city has obtained aid of 2.8 million euros from the Next Generation Fund which, together with municipal funds and the contribution of the Generalitat Valenciana, will serve to condition the energy sustainability of five buildings of housing.
In terms of commerce, Irene Navarro highlighted the advocacy work of the local merchants’ association, as well as the example of local commerce that is the Food Market located in the so-called border area between Petrer and Elda. Among the main challenges in terms of commerce, the objective is to continue working to strengthen the small, specialized and local businesses that generate life in the city. For this, the Bonus Commerce campaign was launched again this year with a budget of 3 million euros for the rehabilitation of housing in the historic center to promote the establishment of new businesses.
These new business initiatives will receive support for their implementation of up to 15,000 euros. Another initiative supported is the creation of flea markets of proximity focused on selling items used. Petrer saw how its economy diversified, starting with the most important, that of footwear and leather goods, with the creation of commercial zones, which transformed the population into the “breadbasket” of the region.
For his part, Francisco Bautista, from the company Projective has conducted a review of the main trends and strategies that commerce is adopting to face new consumption models. This battle has long been fought by small businesses and given the difficulty of competing on price or investment in marketingNew sustainability trends can pave the way for success. Among the trends discussed by the projective expert, we can highlight the so-called “slow living”, which promotes lower consumption and higher quality, as well as reuse, giving another life to products, or zero kilometer and seasonal consumption.
As a future challenge, the implementation of European regulations is faced, which raises the need to address the post-consumer products. Demographic changes linked to the aging of the population will influence consumption patterns and sustainability will become a new decision-making criterion. The business world has an important task in transmitting these values, through its value chain, according to Francisco Bautista.
A moment of debate at the meeting held in Petrer
Sergio Sánchez, general director of Aguas de Alicante, explained the different projects carried out by the entity in terms of sustainability, such as the Circular Water project, whose objective is reuse 100% of purified waterthe use of by-products throughout the eco-housesprojects linked to biodiversity or even actions to be close to the customer and protect the most vulnerable people and young people with the Young Talents program.
The Director General of Water stressed that consuming tap water is one of the most sustainable actions, which is why awareness campaigns are constantly being carried out and work is being done to guarantee the supply and its quality. This consumption avoids fingerprint of the transportation and the use of plasticsIn commercial matters, Aguas de Alicante strives to transmit sustainability values to all its suppliers, with continuous monitoring, which results in a multiplier effect.
Anabel Rosas, director of LÍDER, who served as moderator, closed the event by thanking the Advanced Tertiary Association and Aguas de Alicante for the initiative that ensures that these issues are addressed, as well as the Petrer City Council and the company PROYECTIVA for their participation today, and I highlight your commitment to the issue of sustainability on the part of Líder.
“Under the motto “1 hour for change”, the challenges related to sustainability are addressed in the context of the United Nations 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals. During five programs in Living Podcast format, the aim is to inspire and give visibility to social commitment in different sectors of the province of Alicante. These programs serve as a point of meeting among the mayors municipalities where Aguas de Alicante operates, and professionals specialized throughout the province in social sustainability.
The Higher Tertiary Association of the Province of Alicante is the main multi-sector business association in the province, which brings together and defends the interests of companies in the province. technology sector and of advice advanced. Companies in our sector are characterized by the transfer of specialized knowledge with high added value.
We are at the forefront of progress, on the front line of change, representing a sector linked to the development of the economy and its capacity for innovation.
