Developing a biodiversity policy: Iberdrola
Tuesday, June 14th, 2016
Iberdrola has a strong biodiversity policy that puts the biodiversity mitigation hierarchy at the heart of its business strategy. The policy was introduced in 2007 and last amended in 2015.
Material business benefits: The major business benefits are around reputation and engagement with stakeholders, communities and employees.
A direct link to impacts: A direct link to impacts is central to Iberdrola’s approach to managing biodiversity. Its policy states that it will “undertake to preserve the biodiversity of the ecosystems, landscapes, and species where the Company carries out its activities, both in the construction and operation of their energy infrastructure” and details the most significant impacts on its website. The company also acknowledges the importance of “fostering a corporate culture” that is sensitive to biodiversity.
Iberdrola’s Biodiversity Policy commitments: The Biodiversity Policy has a number of key actions that include:
- Integrating biodiversity into Group strategy
- Promoting in-house biodiversity training
- Preventing and minimising the impacts of new infrastructure on biodiversity
- Incorporating this into environmental and social impact assessments
- Integrating biodiversity into the Group’s environmental management systems (EMS), setting goals, indicators and standards for the control, monitoring, and audit of biodiversity
- Participating in research, preservation and education, and cooperating with stakeholders
- Reporting on the biodiversity actions of the Group, the presence of facilities in protected areas, and research, preservation, education, and awareness actions
- Iberdrola is also a member of the Pact for Biodiversity promoted by the Biodiversity Foundation, under Spain’s Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment.
- It has developed Biodiversity Action Plans at many of its sites, in Spain and internationally.
