TEXT SARA ELENA TORRES HORTAL | iMAGES MAPFRE
In this framework, this year we decided to dedicate our MAPFRE Week to sustainability. Held between June 7 and 11, the event brought together more than 33,000 colleagues around a shared objective: experience what sustainability means at MAPFRE so we can support our company’s commitment and integrate it into both our duties and our life at work.
We must aspire to incorporate sustainability into everything we do, always looking out for the benefit of our interest groups.
To achieve this, we need the commitment of all people that make up MAPFRE. In the fifth edition of MAPFRE Week, the concept of commitment was not just one of the themes, but was also reflected in the format as it was held online to continue protecting our health during the ongoing pandemic and maximize the company’s contribution to improving the environment and social commitment, thereby doing our bit toward the Sustainable Development Goals and the 2030 Agenda.
We overexploit resources at a faster rate year after year. Actions such as MAPFRE Week help us realize the key role each one of us plays in achieving a more sustainable world. This will not be possible without your participation!
We dedicated MAPFRE Week to sustainability, to the commitment we made with society to build a better, fairer, cleaner, and safer world that is more egalitarian, ethical, and prosperous.
And MAPFRE Week came along! Knowledge, commitment, and fun
Five days and five areas of action were the stars of MAPFRE Week. Five themes: Diversity, Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), the Environment, Health and Well-Being, and Socially Responsible Investment and Financial Education. More than 380 talks, activities, and/or contents, as well as five global challenges, were organized around these themes.
For MAPFRE, a broad and diverse program capable of encompassing the theme of sustainability, in a rigorous yet entertaining manner, is the result of a joint effort between all the countries, whose teams gave their all to ensure that this event grabbed the interest of all employees.
To do so, we had a helping hand from first-rate internal (employees) and external collaborators, as well as representatives from prestigious local and global entities. All are specialist speakers in their scope of action who, through their conversations and experiences, explained the key aspects of these five areas of sustainability and how they are changing (you can see some examples on pages 20 and 21).
In addition to these talks, we also enjoyed games, training sessions, practical classes, tutorials, videos, infographics, and much more.
What’s more, unlike previous Weeks when most actions were local and we could only take part in those organized in our country, in 2021 we could join any of the events scheduled by the countries participating in MAPFRE Week.
Great efforts were made to ensure that all employees knew how they could enter, sign up for, and take part in these events. In fact, we can relive the MAPFRE Week experience in the section dedicated to this event in the People area of the intranet, at the following path: MAPFRE looks after me — MAPFRE Week
What do the SDGs and diversity bring to MAPFRE’s commitment to sustainability?
MAPFRE is strongly committed to the 2030 Agenda and its 17 SDGs, which help guide our work in responding to major challenges related to equality, diversity, justice, health, education, growth, and the planet. Our company is helping to disseminate and publicize the SDGs and to give visibility to MAPFRE’s priority goals, with the understanding that the Group’s indirect contribution to their achievement is much greater due to the relationship between the SDGs.
With regard to diversity in all its forms —gender, disability, generational, cultural, and LGBTI+— this helps to foster an environment where people feel included and promotes equal opportunities, a culture of respect, and the development of talent based on merit. Only by having a diverse and inclusive workforce can we fully connect with society.
During MAPFRE Week, there were over 20 SDG-related activities and a total of 55 dedicated to diversity, such as the movie series organized in Venezuela, Cómo el emprendimiento transforma la vida de las mujeres y la sociedad en la que viven (Brazil), Empoderamiento femenino junto a ONU Mujeres (Ecuador), Sign language (Panama and Uruguay), the “Haz de tu hogar un ODS” contest (Panama), or the Easy Recipes and Non-Toxic Cleaning Demo (United States).
Do you want to take a look back at some of them?
Contents related to MAPFRE’s priority SDGs and, in terms of diversity, those related to LGBTI and diversity in general generated the most interest.
We make Socially Responsible Investment (SRI) and financial education more accessible
Are you a committed person? Are you worried about social equilibrium, responsible consumption, or where your savings end up? Financial education has taken on a leading role as a fundamental source of stability and protection, so much so that these contents were among the most visited during MAPFRE Week.
Through 15 activities, we took a closer look at this topic and found out more about many aspects, for instance, how MAPFRE is developing financial products to support sustainable development, the so-called socially responsible investment funds, its investment in portfolios that seek something more than just financial returns, or how we can all invest responsibly.
Some of the activities on offer were the financial escape room FINEXIT (Fundación MAPFRE), Aprende a elaborar tu presupuesto y educación financiera (Mexico), Tips para planear tu futuro financiero (Dominican Republic), Finanzas personales y planificación a largo plazo (Brazil), or the talk about socially responsible investment with José Luis Jiménez, general manager of investments, and Alberto Matellán, chief economist of MAPFRE Inversión.
We learned all about what MAPFRE is doing to help the environment!
MAPFRE is working on three areas of action:
- In terms of climate change, we are strengthening our environmental, social, and corporate governance risk analysis models in a comprehensive manner, as a business and as investors. We also identify opportunities for sustainable development in the insurance business.
- With regard to our environmental footprint, we are measuring our impact on the environment and setting objectives for carbon neutrality and reducing emissions.
- As for the circular economy, our model encourages us to reuse and recycle in order to extend the useful life of waste, increase waste recovery, and promote a market for secondary raw materials.
These three issues were dealt with in 86 activities during MAPFRE Week, including: Biodiversidad y recursos hídricos en el área del pacífico, con enfoque en desarrollo sostenible (Nicaragua), How to save the planet – easy home-use tips (Germany), Climax: I cambi climatici cambiano la storia (Italy), Acompáñanos a sembrar un árbol (Ecuador), Kentsel Tarım ve Atıksız Mutfak Atölyesi (Turkey), Taller de buenas prácticas para sembrar en casa con éxito (Costa Rica), Cuidemos el medio ambiente reduciendo nuestra huella de carbono (Paraguay). The most popular activities were related to biodiversity.
Were also key topics
Each and every one of us are MAPFRE’s most prized asset, and that is why the company is working so hard to offer us a well-being space in which to work, which includes taking care of our health, quality of life, and relationships with colleagues. More than 200 activities were focused on this topic during the fifth MAPFRE Week, including: Stretching @ Desk (Portugal), Nutrition for a healthy lifestyle (Malta), “Ask Julia” (Germany), Actividad física y alimentación (Guatemala), Manejo de ansiedad y saciedad a través de la alimentación (Chile), Ejercicios de tolerancia (Puerto Rico), Tecnoestrés, establece una relación saludable con la tecnología (Spain) and Laughter yoga (Colombia). The most popular activities were related to exercise and diet and mental well-being.
Looking to the future
After a break last year due to the pandemic, MAPFRE Week made a strong comeback and was the first global event that allowed us to all to meet up again and share special moments around a MAPFRE project. We took advantage of the tools made available for this year’s digital event to create closer ties and connect with our colleagues wherever they may be, learn, and have a good time so that we can continue working on our commitment to sustainability under the umbrella of MAPFRE week.
Thank you all for taking part in MAPFRE Week!
We could not have done it without you!
