info@ecija.com

ESG

ESG

Plenty of small people, in small places, doing small things, can change the world | E. Galeano

All of ECIJA’s professionals express a firm commitment to society, from the point of view of equality, diversity, sustainability, care for the environment, social development and sport. We are committed to professional excellence alongside immutable values that drive us towards the best version of ourselves and help us build a diverse, global, sustainable society with equal opportunities for all.

Our ESG commitment is embodied in initiatives launched with the aim that all #EcijaTeam professionals have the option to contribute to positive and sustainable changes for the benefit of society, making a difference in the lives of people around the world.

These initiatives are geared towards achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals set out by the United Nations, and each action is related to one of these SDGs.

Since 2018 we have had a personal corporate volunteering programme in all of ECIJA’s offices that, in collaboration with different associations, offers its employees the possibility to participate in social activities on a voluntary basis. Some of the foundations with which we collaborate are:

  • Junior Achievement, with whom we collaborate from the Madrid office in its most representative programmes: partners for a day (hosting young people in the office during a working day, to help them in their professional orientation) and ORIENTA-T (a programme focused on promoting the participation of women in STEM professions). Contributing to SDG 4. Quality Education.
  • TrustLaw, a foundation that offers our lawyers at a global level the possibility to actively participate in pro-bono activities with different associations and foundations around the world.
  • The Achalay Foundation, with whom we collaborate on a voluntary basis in the distribution of food to underprivileged families in the Community of Madrid. Contributing to SDG 2. Zero Hunger.
  • The Leadership and Responsible Organisations Foundation [Fundación Liderazgo y Organizaciones Responsables], with whom we voluntarily participate in the Diversity Committee from the Buenos Aires office. Contributing to SDG 5. Gender Equality.

ECIJA and its employees have a firm commitment to care for the environment that surrounds us and to the footprint we leave on the environment. In this sense, all our offices carry out initiatives aimed at reducing the impact that humans have on the environment. These are some of the most important activities:

  • In all ECIJA offices globally we have implemented responsible consumption policies (paper, water and recycling) to control the impact that our daily activity has on our environment. Contributing to SDG 12. Responsible production and consumption.
  • Through an alliance with the NGO “Reforest”, this January 2022 we planted the #EcijaTeam forest, which involves the reforestation of more than 200 trees to help preserve the environment, fight climate change and reduce our carbon footprint. Our forest is located 25 kilometres from Madrid and each tree represents one of the Firm’s professionals in Madrid, a figure that increases every six months with new hires. Contributing to SDG 13. Climate Action.
  • In Puerto Rico, we collected more than 1,000 gallons of rubbish from local beaches through a volunteer initiative coordinated by professionals from the San Juan office. Contributing to SDG 13. Climate Action.
  • In collaboration with La Vinca Ecologistas en Acción we carried out reforestation activities on a voluntary basis, helping to transform the forest landscape in areas devastated by fires in previous years in the Canary Islands. We have achieved an increase in forest mass in less green areas, increasing the CO2 capture area. Contributing to SDG 15. Life of terrestrial ecosystems.

Over the last few years, our ESG actions have been dominated by actions aimed at achieving real equality between men and women, and increasing the presence of women in leadership positions and their visibility inside and outside ECIJA. Some of the main initiatives are:

  • The Equality and Conciliation Committee, created by professionals in Madrid who, on a voluntary basis, decided to create this working group sponsored by the management team, which meets to share ideas and analyse proposals and actions that help us to advance on the path of work/life conciliation and equality, facilitating the hiring of candidates with any personal situation. This committee is part of an ad hoc committee that works locally on ECIJA’s equality plan. Contributing to SDG 5. Gender Equality.
  • In line with its inclusive culture, ECIJA has flexible policies in all its professional areas that facilitate the hiring of candidates with any personal situation at a global level: fully flexible working hours to facilitate reconciliation with personal life, free and unlimited teleworking for all professionals, and a free dress code, which eliminates any discrimination for this reason (heels, skirts, etc.). Contributing to SDG 8. Decent work and economic growth.
  • ECIJA has been recognised with the seal of good practice in equality between men and women in the practice of law by the Madrid Bar Association, for its constant work and commitment to equality between men and women.

In the context of diversity, ECIJA professionals propose participating in “Affinity Groups”. The aim of these working groups is to bring together professionals with common interests from all ECIJA’s offices around the world, regardless of their area of practice or expertise.  These groups carry out activities, initiatives, projects and lines of action that promote their common interests. To date we have 3 active groups working along complementary lines:

  • ECIJA Pride: professionals with an interest in working on the visibility of LGTBIQ+ groups carry out initiatives related to awareness, visibility and training at a global level on this subject. Some of the latest actions carried out include a comparative study on the differences in legislation on LGTBIQ+ groups in the different countries where ECIJA is present. This group is currently working on the Inclusive Management Manual, which will be applied in the management of professionals (from the pre-recruitment phase) to ensure that all professionals are aligned with the value of diversity, which is part of the Firm’s DNA. Contributing to SDG 10. Reducing inequalities.
  • ECIJA by Women: an affinity group made up of women from all ECIJA’s offices that works on a voluntary basis on training, mentoring, visibility and action to achieve a professional environment that encourages and facilitates women’s access to leadership positions in all ECIJA’s offices around the world. Contributing to SDG 5. Gender Equality.
  • ECIJA CSR: ECIJA has this specific group that works on the necessary alliances and identifies local and global social actions and their relationship with each of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. It is currently working on the CSR social report that ECIJA has implemented to achieve the SDGs. Contributing to SDG 17. Partnerships to achieve the goals.

Meritocracy is a must in our corporate culture. That is why we encourage our professionals to participate in corporate sport activities such as the #EcijaTeam football team, which participates weekly in the corporate tournament in Madrid, the Golf tournament in ECIJA Lisbon, the weekly Cardio-Salsa classes for ECIJA professionals in San Juan, Puerto Rico, participation in the Businesses Race [Carrera de las Empresas] for ECIJA professionals in Madrid. Contributing to SDG 3. Health and Wellness.

  • In addition, at the corporate level we support Paralympic sport by sponsoring championships, athletes and financial support for different activities with the aim of providing Spanish Paralympic athletes with the best possible conditions to prepare themselves in their various events.
  • ECIJA states its commitment and links with the Human and Employment Rights recognised in national and international legislation and with the principles on which the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the United Nations Global Compact are based.
  • This commitment is evidenced by the active participation of all the Firm’s professionals in contributing to achieve the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.