Sacyr

Stakeholder engagement

Sacyr discloses how often and through which channels it engages with various stakeholder groups, and this engagement covers nature, biodiversity, and social issues including sustainability training, and social initiatives.

Impact and dependencies assessment

Sacyr assesses its dependencies on nature within its own operations, identifying the 20 most relevant ecosystem services and applying its natural capital quantification methodology.

Ecosystem conversion and restoration

Sacyr discloses several of its ecosystem restoration efforts beyond areas affected by its own operations such as offset mechanisms related to emissions generated by travel, reforestation programs and other tree planting initiatives.

Resource exploitation and circularity

Sacyr discloses its inputs, as well as some of its material footprint, according to an international standard. This includes materials used, as well as those recycled and disposed.

Water

Sacyr demonstrates it is reducing water withdrawal in its own operations, with a reduction of 6% between 2020 and 2021. The company reports that it reduced water withdrawn for its own operations in water-stressed areas by 4% between 2020 and 2021.

Solid and air pollution

Sacyr discloses the proportion of hazardous waste treated to reduce pollution compared to total waste, the hazardous waste diverted from disposal and the waste directed to disposal. This includes a waste hierarchy to reduce generation of hazardous waste, incentivise recycling and avoid disposal. The company reports it is building a plastics treatment plant using UpCycle technology and reducing single-use plastic throughout its operations.

GHG emissions

Sacyr has a target to reduce its absolute scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions 42% by 2030 from a 2020 base year. It also aims to become carbon neutral by 2050. The company reports progress against its scope 1 and 2 emissions target which is aligned with a 1.5-degree trajectory by 2030. The company is reducing its scope 3 emissions by 20% between 2020 and 2021. The company’s scope 3 emissions target is aligned with a 1.5-degree trajectory by 2030.

No leading practices were identified in the social inclusion and community impact area.

Sustainability strategy and accountability

Sacyr discloses its process for identifying and prioritising its most relevant sustainability impacts as well as the outcome of this process, in relation to its sustainability strategy. While the company discloses some sustainability targets, no evidence that the company has group wide targets on key sustainability topics for the most material parts of its value chain based on the SBTN Sectoral Materiality Tool could be found. The company reports consistently against all its targets however, it is unclear whether the company links performance criteria in senior executives’ remuneration policies to targets and objectives which cover nature, including biodiversity, and social issues. Also, the company does not disclose whether its highest governance body has expertise regarding nature-related topics.

Stakeholder engagement

Sacyr does not disclose an overview of the issues raised during its stakeholder engagement activities.

Lobbying

Sacyr discloses a list of trade associations of which it is a member wherever it operates, however, it does not disclose a clear and detailed framework for assessing alignment of its trade associations with nature-positive policies. As such, it does not report (potential) misalignment between the lobbying activities of its trade associations and nature-positive policies

Impact and dependencies assessment

Sacyr provides a list of its impacts on nature, including biodiversity, within its own operations. It is, however, still in the process of mapping its impact on nature, notably on a business model level. On the other hand, the company does not disclose any assessment of its impacts on nature, including biodiversity, in its supply chain and does not disclose any assessment of dependencies on nature of its upstream business relationships.

Key areas and species

Sacyr discloses the locations that are in or adjacent to areas important for biodiversity within its own operations. However, it does not disclose the locations of its suppliers that are in or adjacent to areas important for biodiversity. The company does not disclose species populations existing in or adjacent to its own locations or the locations of its suppliers. Nevertheless, the company does disclose the status according to national and international conservation lists of species identified in its own locations.

Ecosystem conversion and restoration

Sacyr does not disclose a commitment to ensure zero conversion or whether it has activities to achieve conversion-free supply chains. Similarly, the company does not disclose time-bound targets to achieve conversion-free supply chains, although it has a commitment to minimise ecosystem conversion. The company discloses some activities to minimise ecosystem conversion and is committed to restoring ecosystems. This includes processes to disclose details and outcomes of ecosystem restoration projects in areas affected by its own operations or by its suppliers.

Resource exploitation and circularity

Sacyr does not report quantitatively on its group-wide circularity performance. While the company discloses activities to improve soil health, it does not disclose a target to improve soil health in its production or sourcing practices.

Water

Sacyr does not disclose a time-bound target to reduce water withdrawal across its own operations or whether it engages with suppliers to reduce water withdrawal. While the company reports a decrease in water pollution, it has an opportunity to disclose targets to reduce water pollution. Furthermore, although the company states that it monitors the quality of its discharges, no further evidence was found that the company discloses its processes for managing and monitoring discharge water quality, and it does not regularly report on water pollution. The company does not disclose a commitment to respect the right to water or processes for implementing preventive and corrective action plans for identified specific risks to the right to water and sanitation of local communities.

Solid and air pollution

No evidence that Sacyr is reducing the production of hazardous waste or plastic waste was found. The company does not report on the amount of plastic waste generated and proportions directed from or to disposal. The company reports regularly on air quality parameters of emissions of harmful air pollutants. However, it does not report time-bound targets to reduce air pollutants across the most material parts of its value chain.

GHG emissions

Sacyr is reducing its scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions, and it has a time-bound target to reduce its scope 3 emissions. The company reports progress against its scope 3 emissions reduction target.

Invasive species

Sacyr has not identified any activities that could lead to the introduction of invasive species in its own operations.

Safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment

Sacyr does not disclose a clear commitment to respect local communities’ right to a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment, nor whether it tracks its actual or potential negative impacts on the health of local communities. The company is not committed to zero tolerance for acts of violence, threats, intimidation or judicial harassment committed against land and environmental rights defenders.

Indigenous Peoples’ and land rights

Although Sacyr is committed to respecting Indigenous Peoples’ rights, it does not disclose its processes for identifying and recognising the rights of Indigenous Peoples when activities in its own operations may impact their rights, nor does it describe how it obtains Indigenous Peoples’ free, prior and informed consent. The company has an opportunity to disclose a commitment to respect ownership and use of land and natural resources and related legitimate tenure rights, as set out in the relevant part(s) of the VGGTs or the IFC Performance Standards. Similarly, no evidence was found that the company requires its business relationships to have a process to identify legitimate tenure rightsholders, paying particular attention to vulnerable or marginalised tenure rightsholders, and to negotiate with them to provide adequate compensation.

While Sacyr discloses that it conducts due diligence in general, it has an opportunity to specify that it conducts human rights due diligence that includes a process for identifying human rights risks and impacts through its business relationships. The company also has an opportunity to describe a process for assessing the human rights risks it has identified and to disclose what it considers to be its salient human rights issues. A description of this process would include how relevant factors, such as geographical, economic and social, are considered. No evidence was found that the company has a global system to act on its salient human rights issues. While the company discloses the categories of stakeholders it engages with generally on sustainability issues, it is not clear if these stakeholders are those whose human rights have been or may be affected by its activities. No evidence that the company provides examples of its engagement with stakeholders whose human rights have been or may be affected by its activities was found.

Sacyr has a publicly available policy statement which shows it is committed to respecting the health and safety of workers. It also has a publicly available policy statement which shows it expects its suppliers to commit to respecting the health and safety of their workers. While the company is a member of the Platform Living Wage Financials, it has an opportunity to disclose a time-bound target for paying all workers a living wage or that it has achieved paying all workers a living wage. It also has an opportunity to describe how it determines a living wage for the regions where it operates. While the company states that it expects its suppliers to pay wages that are sufficient for workers and their families to fulfil their basic needs, it has an opportunity to disclose how it works to support the payment of a living wage by its suppliers. While the company discloses the proportion of its total direct operations workforce covered by collective bargaining agreements, it states that monitoring only covers a percentage of the group. No evidence was found that the company describes how it works to support the practices of its suppliers in relation to freedom of association and collective bargaining.

No evidence that Sacyr has a publicly available global tax strategy was found. The company takes steps to identify and address bribery and corruption. It also includes anti-bribery and anti-corruption clauses in its contracts with direct business relationships. The company does not disclose its approach to lobbying and political engagement in a public policy document.