IVIRMA’s environmental commitments at the 8th IVIRMA Congress

Within the framework of World Environment Day and within our environmental commitments, we share with you our sustainability report 8^th International IVIRMA Congress which, among other actions, makes public the 100% compensation of CO emissions_two generated in our eighth edition of the congress, which took place last April in Mallorca. There were 48 tons of CO_two registered in this biennial event that IVI has compensated by sponsoring 300 m^two oceanic Posidonia, which is part of the SAVE POSIDONIA project to conserve a basic species in the ecosystem of the Balearic Islands.

Initiatives like this show our clear social and environmental commitment, fundamental pieces in the definition and implementation of the strategic plan that we follow in our congress, marked by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) proposed by the UN. This plan resulted in First World Health Congress integrated by the SDGs, a global initiative that arises with the aim of eradicating poverty, protecting the planet and ensuring that all people enjoy peace and prosperity.

“We are aware of the need for involvement in environmental sustainability from a global perspective, as we have done in our congress. All the initiatives we have implemented go in a single direction, which governs our commitment to sustainability to achieve a planet in balance and create an environmental legacy ”, he explains Andreu Miquel, global director of HR and the CSR area of ​​IVI.

Within the area of climate change Other actions were carried out such as the supply of 100% renewable energy, the efficient use of energy, and the compensation of 33 tons of CO_two equivalent, from the air travel of IVI workers, among other measures.

The sustainability plan designed for the congress was outlined around 4 lines of work:

1. Climate change, already discussed above.

2. Circular economy

The result achieved in this area was the recovery of 2,300 kg of organic waste and 800 kg of glass container waste. These actions were joined by the development of a mobile application to provide information to attendees and the placement of screens to consult scientific posters and as an element of signage, all under the slogan: “Paper 0, committed to the planet.”

Likewise, IVI recognized the most sustainable stand, which in this case was Merck, by sponsoring the aforementioned Posidonia area, whose name was set as Merck Posidonia.

3. People

The equality and the inclusivity They have been two of our maxims, so the initiatives we undertook were focused on the inclusion of groups at risk of exclusion with the collaboration of the ADECCO foundation. Thus, we ensure the absence of physical accessibility barriers in the congress spaces and the visibility of social initiatives, with the presence of Doctors without Borders at a stand.

In addition, IVI made a donation of € 3,000 to the Rafa Nadal Foundation, an integration center for more than 200 minors at risk of social exclusion in Palma de Mallorca. This project was chosen by those attending the congress from a selection of 3 projects proposed by the employees of IVI Mallorca and the Balearic population.

Finally, and framed in our social commitment, the company Proyecto 3 Glops was in charge of placing water sources in the facilities. It is a local initiative with employees with disabilities who participate in the entire production process, from design to marketing.

4. Natural resources and local production

Throughout the congress, the consumption of Kilometer 0 food, more environmentally and socially sustainable.

“The 1,674 attendees to our 8^th International IVIRMA Congress, from more than 78 countries, the 17 stands sensitized and committed that have shared with us the firm commitment to the SDGs as the central axis of our sustainability strategy, and the balance of results that supports this commitment as necessary as mandatory they help us to continue walking with a clear objective: to innovate with the heart to create meaningful lives ”, concludes Miquel.

Committed to the environment

One of our basic pillars is preservation and respect for the environment, which is why we have a waste management procedure to carry out good waste management in all our clinics.

In addition, we are carrying out actions to reduce paper consumption, such as the implementation of the biometric signature and the patient portal.

With regard to energy, we seek in our protocols the greater energy efficiency of our facilities, therefore, in 2016, all our clinics in Spain carried out an energy audit to optimize the actions to be implemented at this point.