Grupo Piñero honors the Most Ecocentric companies in the tourism sector at FITUR 2024

• Iberostar Group, Transat, Der Touristik, Logicalis, BBVA, Zafiro Tours and Schneider Electric were the companies to receive recognition for their projects and initiatives dedicated to caring for the environment and incorporating environmental sustainability into their activities.
• The ceremony, moderated by Raquel Nogueira, editor of Enclave ODS in El Español, also recognized José Luis Gallego with an honorary award for his role as an environmental communicator.
• This award ceremony marks the second edition of the "Most Ecocentric" awards, reflecting Grupo Piñero's commitment to continue promoting a sustainable tourism model within the framework of its "We Are Ecocentric" movement.

Madrid, Friday, January 26, 2024. - As part of FITUR 2024, Grupo Piñero held the second edition of its "Most Ecocentric" awards, which seek to recognize companies in the tourism sector that have demonstrated significant efforts in the area of environmental sustainability. The awards, rooted in the essence of the "We Are Ecocentric" Movement, are designed to promote responsible tourism in the sector and, in this edition, have recognized 7 companies: Iberostar Group, Transat, Der Touristik, Logicalis, BBVA, Zafiro Tours and Schneider Electric .

The ceremony took place at stand 3B03 at the IFEMA fairgrounds, moderated by Raquel Nogueira, editor of Enclave ODS in El Español, and was attended by Isabel Piñero, Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO) of Grupo Piñero, and José Luis Gallego, naturalist and environmental communicator.

The awards, presented to the winners by Isabel Piñero, were designed by Antonio Rizo, an artist from Murcia, originally from Mula, the Piñero family's hometown, who has experience in various disciplines and styles. Antonio created a unique piece with a composition that unites the natural with the artificial, composed of an engraved natural wood base, which supports a piece made of thermo-pressed plastic material from recycled water containers. The sculpture given to the winning companies was designed with the "Ecocentric" purpose in mind, representing the use of recycled materials and the beauty of giving them a second life.

In addition to introducing the event, José Luis Gallego received honorary recognition from Grupo Piñero, which highlighted his great work in environmental dissemination and sustainability consulting. In his speech, the award winner stressed that “the tourism sector must believe in its business, as it carries out the noble action of teaching the planet. But we have to start doing it differently, being responsible and aware of what we do.” In addition, Gallego pointed out the great work of Grupo Piñero in this area, stressing that “at Grupo Piñero you understand nature as part of your family, and that is the key.” 

Prior to the presentation of the awards, Isabel Piñero dedicated a few words to recognize Grupo Piñero's evolution in the incorporation of sustainability as a key element in its operations: “We started working on the implementation of a CSR model in 2015 and, today, thanks to much effort and above all commitment, our sustainability strategy is at the core of the Group.”

The Group's CSO also highlighted the importance of the "We Are Ecocentric" Movement and the presentation of these awards: “With ‘We Are Ecocentric’ we wanted to raise our commitment and channel it through a movement that would involve others to bring out the ‘Ecocentric’ in them. For this reason, we created awards that distinguish the efforts of companies that promote responsible tourism and that motivate us all to be more 'Ecocentric'.”

Finally, Isabel Piñero thanked all the representatives of the awarded companies for their "Ecocentric" spirit: Gloria Fluxá, Vice President & Chief Sustainability Officer of Iberostar Group, Peio Belausteguigoitia, Country Manager of BBVA Spain, Renée Boisvert, Vice President of Transat, Rolf Eckstein, from Go Vacation Dominican Republic representing Der Touristik, Pablo Carrillo, Territory Sales Director of Logicalis, Victoria Asensi, CEO of Grupo Zafiro and Maria Canals, Digital Buildings Segments Sales Manager of Schneider Electric.

All the award-winning companies were selected by Grupo Piñero's Sustainability Division for their great effort in incorporating sustainable actions and initiatives in their different activities. Iberostar Group with its Wave of Change movement; Transat with its carbon footprint reduction action plan; Der Touristik with its DER Welt verpflichtet ("Committed to the World") program; Logicalis for its Carbon Disclosure Project; BBVA for supporting its customers in their transition to decarbonization with advice and financing; Zafiro Tours, for its actions on responsible production and consumption; and Schneider Electric, with its industry-leading sustainability barometer.

Grupo Piñero continues to drive sustainability in 2024

With the aim of further consolidating its transversal sustainability strategy, Grupo Piñero is planning an ambitious 2024 in the field of sustainability. ESG projects and initiatives for this year include the renewal of the Travelife and EarthCheck sustainability certifications, the implementation of a product and service design process with ESG criteria, a sustainable procurement and contracting project, and a sustainability awareness plan.

In the Environment area, the Group plans to focus on consolidating the Sustainability team, improving the environmental data collection of its different business lines, increasing the energy efficiency of its hotels and residential developments, advancing in the expansion of photovoltaic energy, and improving the conservation of the beaches at its destinations. In addition, with the launch of its Eco-Bahia Foundation in the Dominican Republic in 2023, the Group also aims to consolidate the presence of its foundation in this destination, and also to strengthen it in Mexico.