Sustainability encompasses the environmental, social and governance issues addressed by the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals. Climate change, biodiversity loss, extreme poverty, and increasing health and social inequalities continue to pose existential threats to our future.

Today there is clear proof that we are not on the right track to achieving the required goals. For this reason, it is time to act. Tackling sustainability demands the commitment of society as a whole and we have the opportunity and the obligation to play a role in this undertaking.

In this context, and as Puig stakeholders, we have to try, as far as our possibilities allow and as part of our obligation to leave a better planet for the future, to change social values and the attitudes to climate change and the use of finite natural resources. This is our responsibility and we have to encourage all organizations and individuals to do their part as well. In this respect, I see sustainability as a journey involving collective organization. It is of the highest priority and no one must be left behind.

As far as Puig is concerned, we launched our first sustainability program in 2014. It ended in 2020, the year when we decided to position ourselves among the most respected companies in terms of sustainability (ESG) in our sector. In 2021, we launched the company’s second sustainability program: the 2030 ESG Agenda. This agenda redesigns our roadmap for the coming years and takes another step towards achieving challenging, ambitious goals. It also aligns our strategy with the most relevant international protocols, such as the Paris Agreement on climate change, the EU Circular Economy Action Plan, the UN Global Compact, the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and the 2050 Net Zero goal.

Las year we have also incorporated three new companies (Uriage, Apivita and Charlotte Tilbury) and organized Puig into three new divisions (B&F, Derma and CTB). This will demand extra effort, as the three divisions will work to achieve the goals set out in the 2030 ESG Agenda in order to position Puig among the most respected groups in our industry.

The creation of the new position of CSO (Chief Sustainability Officer), on 1 January 2021, and of the ESG Committee will drive the ESG strategy and ensure that the mandate of the family is implemented. Moreover, it is vital to continue working with an embedded model where the commitment to the goals is made and shared at all levels of the organization, with everyone including this commitment in their work. We have to be rigorous and scientific and define indicators and metrics to measure our performance. Only then will we know if we are helping to tackle these international challenges.

For its part, the Makers program of Invisible Beauty helps to build a sense of community and enables the teams on each project to grow. We’re talking about talent and cooperation, capabilities at the heart of any ESG agenda and business strategy.

The Makers remind us that without the cooperation of all the actors in society we cannot make progress. And there is no doubt that the current challenges we have to face as a company, as a society and as a planet, are becoming increasingly demanding, which is why there is now a sense of urgency, a need to act more quickly and resolutely.

Looking to the future, our aim continues to be to contribute to making the world a better place for the generations to come; this will be our legacy. If we look back at our achievements to date, we can see that we have come a long way since we launched the first sustainability program; but we have not yet arrived at where we want and need to be.

The collective effort of all the divisions, employees and partners of Puig is fundamental; no one can be left out. This collective effort should give us good reason to be proud of what we are doing, as well as gaining the respect of the society we live in.