Comprising more than 21,000 organizations from 160 countries, the UN Global Compact is undoubtedly the world’s largest partnership for sustainable development or, in other words, the best example of the UN’s SDG 17: Partnerships for achieving the goals. And this great agreement seeks to achieve them through various means, the most important of which is the sharing of knowledge and best practices. This is the main raison d’être of the Sustainable Supplier Training Program, whose 2nd edition we have recently completed as a member company of this great alliance.
In Spain, this program is developed by the UN Global Compact in collaboration with its local network, the ICO Foundation and ICEX Spain Export and Investment. Its objectives are as follows:
- To train the supply chains of large Spanish companies in the field of sustainability, based on the Ten Principles of the UN Global Compact. Ten Principles of the UN Global Compact and the SDGs.
- Position Spain as a benchmark in the contribution to the 2030 Agenda and in the promotion of corporate sustainability.
- Accompany companies in complying with the different regulations (national, European and international), specialized in this area.
- And, in general, to offer and knowledge to SMEs, always around issues related to sustainable development.
In 2024, more than 3,400 supplier companies, including MailComms Group, achieved these goals, supported by 37 major companies in a training program that lasted for much of the year. Geographically, entities from 50 countries attended. These figures are significantly higher than those recorded in the 1st edition, but the organization expects to exceed them in the next edition to be launched soon.
Of the companies participating in the second edition of the program, 94% stated that they found the training useful in their day-to-day operations. In addition, 69 % stated that they have integrated sustainability into their business strategy or are in the process of doing so.
Supply chain training
Working in supply chains involves working with one of the major drivers of the global economy, which is essential for the production, marketing and distribution of goods and services. Companies of all sizes, sectors and countries actively participate in these chains. It is therefore a unique channel for training and raising awareness of sustainable practices, with tangible and rapid results.
In addition, both governments and large corporations increasingly value working with suppliers that protect the environment in their day-to-day operations, something that this program facilitates in a standardized way, which also contributes to easier and more accurate information gathering and key metrics.
The third edition of the program will be launched in March 2025 and will run until September. Previously, two phases have been held to present the program, recruit the driving companies and contact and register the participants in the training.
This year, the organization aims to reach 5,000 companies around the world that, in one way or another, are part of the supply chains of large Spanish companies committed to the UN Global Compact Spain. And these thousands of SMEs will receive training in four modules on: general aspects of sustainability, the Sustainable Development Goals (and how to contribute to them effectively), the Ten Principles of the Global Compact (on topics such as human rights, labor standards, the environment and anti-corruption) and the internationalization of the company, incentives and communication.