The Chamber of Spain reflects in a study the results of its ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) self-diagnostic tool used by Spanish SMEs in 2023.
SMEs, which represent nearly 99% of our economic fabric, are making progress in terms of sustainability. In fact, four out of ten Spanish SMEs already integrate ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) sustainability criteria into the management of their business. This is one of the main results of the report “Situation of ESG in Spanish SMEs”, prepared by the Chamber of Spain based on the information offered by the 750 companies that used the ESG self-diagnosis tool developed by the institution.
The report classifies the sustainability maturity of SMEs into four levels: “initial” (the company does not apply or comply with any measures); “basic compliance” (compliant with the relevant regulations); “managerial” (in addition to regulatory compliance, the company establishes plans and objectives to improve management) and, finally, “strategic” (ESG issues are part of the company’s strategy and are overseen by the direction).
The analysis shows that the average maturity of Spanish SMEs in ESG matters is 2.52 points out of 4. This implies that SMEs comply with basic ESG regulations and are moving towards integrating these aspects into management. of the company.
One of the conclusions of the report is that governance – which includes issues such as ethics and transparency, taxation or the management of the fight against corruption and unfair competition – is the area in which SMEs have achieved the most progress. Generally speaking, the level of maturity in this aspect, with 2.63 points, is higher than in social and environmental issues.
This is because a higher percentage of SMEs have already included governance issues in business management and strategy, 20% and 25% respectively.
However, the average maturity in applying a global management model does not exceed 2.34. In other words, SMEs are progressing individually in environmental, social and governance aspects, but they are even further behind when it comes to having a model that integrates all these aspects and determines their management with policies, systems and specific management procedures regarding sustainability.
The larger the size, the greater the progress in sustainability.
The study also shows that the degree of maturity in implementing ESG aspects is clearly determined by the size of the company. Below 50 employees, companies are closer to simply enforcing existing regulations than establishing more advanced goals and plans. Beyond 50 employees, more companies are determining measures to manage ESG issues.
Indeed, and in relation to the existence of a specific ESG management model, the report also addresses various questions such as whether the company carries out an assessment of its impact, whether it knows its stakeholders, or whether she communicates her actions.
There are still very few microSMEs that analyze the impact of their activity. However, as the size of the company increases, not only is the impact analyzed, but plans and goals are established in which the company’s management is involved.
Another relevant question concerns the communication that companies make regarding their social and environmental impact, since the majority of SMEs – whatever their size – communicate this information on an occasional basis or in accordance with purely regulatory requirements, while a still percentage low, it offers the public information on its management of relevant aspects of sustainability through different channels such as: website, physical spaces, packaging, etc. and transmits its social and environmental commitment to its stakeholders.
