Grupo Piñero celebrates its first edition of the “Los Más Ecoístas” awards

Within the framework of Fitur 2023 and under its own movement "Somos Ecoístas", Grupo Piñero has presented the "Los Más Ecoístas" awards to 7 companies in the tourism sector with the aim of recognizing the great work they do in terms of sustainability environmental: Air Canada Vacations, Baleària, Despegar, Expedia, Meliá Hotels International, Salesforce and TUI Group. The selection process has involved listening to the Group's employees, in an exercise led by the company's Sustainability Division, which understands culture and talent as two of the fundamental pillars of its success.

The ceremony, which has been held at stand C03, located in Hall 3 of the IFEMA fairgrounds, has been led by Sandra Gallego, founding partner of the magazine specialized in sustainability Ethic, and has included the intervention Isabel Piñero, Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO) of the Group, who has dedicated a few words, as well as presented the awards, and Cristina Almodóvar, renowned artist, sculptor and designer of the same.

Before handing over the awards, Isabel Piñero reflected on the evolution of the Group and the relevant role that sustainability currently plays in the business strategy: "In 2015 we began to work on the implementation of a CSR model. It has not been easy, but what we can assure is that, to this day, our sustainability strategy is our central axis, broken down into 3 extremely important lines: Governance, People and Planet”.

In the same way, he explained the purpose they pursue with the "We are Ecoists" movement: "We wanted to raise our commitment and channel it through this movement that transfers our environmental sustainability strategy while also seeking to involve society to bring out the 'ecoist' that they carry inside. A movement aimed at anyone who, like us, notices and feels that this planet is also theirs”. It is in this context where Isabel Piñero has highlighted the importance of the awards, with which they intend to "build alliances in favor of a transformative change in the sector, which allows

promote a more sustainable, just and equal planet, facing collective challenges such as climate change and the challenges of the 2030 Agenda”.

For his part, Almodóvar explained the manufacturing process of the award, which in turn forms part of his “Proliferations” series: “Deciduous leaves represent the clean and perfect cycle of recycling natural life. That is why this award is a sheet made of PET plastic from bottles, cut and modeled with heat, as well as finally painted with the cleanness that gives the white color, imitating nature in its regenerative capacity”.

Finally, Isabel Piñero thanked Teresa Pereira, Director of Product Development at Air Canada Vacations, for "being eco-friendly"; Baleària; Matias Zelaschi, VP Commercial Non Air Partners & Media Solutions at Despegar; Luis Hurtado de Mendoza, Director of Strategic Accounts at Expedia; Manuel Melle, Regional VP Sales at Salesforce; and Richard Pavelka, Purchasing Manager, from TUI Group.

In this sense, all companies have carried out good practices in terms of environmental sustainability: Air Canada Vacations with its Climate Action Plan; Baleària and its reduction of Co2 emissions; Despegar, which promotes and raises awareness about sustainable tourism; Expedia, which joined the Travalyst Coalition and signed the Glasgow Declaration for Climate Action in Tourism; Meliá Hotels International, recognized for its great track record over the years in the integration of ESG criteria in the company; Salesforce, for promoting solutions aimed at achieving neutrality in carbon emissions with 'Net Zero Cloud'; and TUI Group, for its implementation of good practices in the company in energy efficiency and decarbonization.

“They say we are selfish by nature. For this very reason, we should be aware of our impact -both positive and negative- on our land, which we love to visit, enjoy and savor so much. Let's all be a little more 'ecoist', for our own well-being and that of our loved ones. Out of pure selfishness ”, Sandra Gallego also adds.

Standard bearer of "regenerative tourism" with an investment of +€6M in 2023
Aware that its properties and tourism activities are carried out in natural environments, as well as understanding the responsibility that this entails for the environment and the communities in which it operates, Grupo Piñero promotes responsible leadership aligned with the 2030 Agenda, contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals.

So much so, that Grupo Piñero will invest more than 4 million within the framework of the Natural Capital strategic axis, specifically in its Comprehensive Coastal Management Plan in all its Caribbean destinations, and an additional 2.5 million in the Energy and Climate, for energy control and saving in complexes.