Barcelona, January 26, 2022.- Ferrer, an international pharmaceutical laboratory based in Barcelona, has become a B Corp company thanks to its positive impact on society and the planet. The company has exceeded the B Corp standard globally for its compliance with the highest standards in terms of social and environmental performance, transparency and corporate responsibility in all the territories where it has a direct presence. Having passed the certification process, Ferrer is the first Spanish pharmaceutical company to be part of the international B Corp community, the group of companies aimed at building a more inclusive and sustainable economy.
Mario Rovirosa, CEO of Ferrer, expressed his satisfaction with the entry into B Corp and explained that "being a B Corp company is the culmination of a process that began many years ago, when the President and owner of Ferrer, Sergi Ferrer-Salat, laid the foundations of how he wanted the company to be. That vision has intensified in the last four years with the definitive transformation into an organization with a positive impact. Our entire strategy revolves around people and the development of their talent, the protection of the planet and the fight for a fairer and more equitable society. This recognition is just the beginning and our commitment is to continue working to continue generating a positive impact on society."
Pablo Sánchez, executive director of B Lab Spain – the organization in charge of evaluating B Corp candidate companies – also highlighted: "We are delighted to welcome Ferrer to the B Corp community. This community works to reduce inequality, respect and regenerate the environment, strengthen communities, and create high-quality jobs with dignity and purpose. Ferrer is a new member of the B Corp community, demonstrating by example how these results can be achieved."
Ferrer has become part of the B Corp movement after having scored 100.6 points in the certification process, forming part of the reduced 25% of the more than 4,500 companies in the B Corp movement on a global scale that have obtained more than 100 points.
More than 50 cross-cutting projects globally
To award the B Corp distinction, the non-profit organization, B Lab Spain, carries out a rigorous certification process through which companies must provide evidence of their good practices.
In the case of Ferrer, different companies of the organization have been evaluated, with a presence in 15 countries (Spain, Portugal, Germany, Austria, Greece, Kazakhstan, USA, Mexico, Chile, Peru, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Colombia, Uruguay and Argentina). The process has lasted 2 years and has helped to transform the company completely, through the implementation of more than 50 transversal projects globally. This commitment responds to Ferrer's recently adopted corporate strategy, based on three pillars: Great People, through which Ferrer promotes a people-centred culture, based on trust and responsibility, in which talent thrives; Liveable Planet, with which the company promotes the protection of the environment for the good of all; and Social Justice, through which Ferrer supports people in vulnerable situations to contribute to a fairer and more equitable society and ensure equal opportunities.
Among the projects carried out, B Corp has highly valued the implementation of a global strategy to develop innovative therapeutic solutions capable of transforming the lives of patients suffering from serious and debilitating diseases. In addition, the ability to operate with the highest standards of quality and safety, transparency, ethics and honesty has been recognized with, for example, the modification of the bylaws to ensure that decision-making takes into account the social and environmental impact or the development of an internal and third-party code of ethics.
In the field of people, they have highlighted talent development, self-leadership and team management programs, continuous feedback, among others. On the other hand, in the social and environmental field, initiatives such as the celebration of the first corporate volunteering days, the donation of 50% of the net profits obtained in the last two years to different social projects through foundations, the launch of a Sustainable Procurement Policy, the definition of the 2030 Climate Strategy to reduce emissions by 46% and the design of a sustainable management model have been valued. sustainable packaging to mitigate the environmental impact of products.
New standards for the pharmaceutical industry
In addition to becoming a B Corp, Ferrer has also participated in defining standards for the pharmaceutical industry. When developing certification requirements and taking a position on certain controversial issues, B Lab requires significant research and support from groups involved in a given sector. Once the new standards are created, they are reviewed and voted on by members of the B Lab Standards Advisory Board, an independent and diverse group of responsible and sustainable business experts from around the world.
Redefining business success
With this process, Ferrer joins a community of more than 4,500 companies around the world that are helping to redefine the meaning of business success: a success that is measured not only by economic benefits, but also by the well-being of people, communities and the planet, and thereby getting all companies to compete to be, not only the best in the world but, above all, the best for the world.
Throughout the certification process, Ferrer has been advised by Roots for Sustainability (R4S), a social impact agency that designs, implements and evaluates strategic and transformative projects for companies, non-profit organisations and governments in terms of sustainability, social impact and inclusive business activity.
About the B Corp Movement
B Corp is a global movement of people who use the strength of business to solve the social and environmental problems of the 21st century. Unlike companies that only pursue economic ends, B Corp companies – today more than 4,500 worldwide – meet verified high standards of social and environmental performance, public transparency and legal accountability. These companies are transforming the economy and helping to redefine the meaning of business success: success that is measured by the well-being of people, communities and the planet; and with this achieve that all companies compete to be not only the best in the world; but above all the best for the world. In Spain, there are more than a hundred B Corps. Among them, we find companies in the food sector such as Danone or Veritas, fashion such as Ecoalf or Patagonia, banking such as Triodos Bank or energy such as Holaluz, among many others. www.bcorpspain.es
About B Lab Spain
B Lab Spain is a non-profit organization that is transforming the global economy to benefit all people, communities, and the planet. As a leader in systemic change to a new economy, our global network creates standards, policies and tools for businesses, and certifies those companies that, known as B Corps, are leading the way. B Lab aims to drive a global movement of people who use business to make a positive impact on the world. Its initiatives include the Certification of B Corp Companies, the implementation of social and environmental impact measurement systems through the B Impact Assessment and the support of governance structures such as companies of collective benefit and interest. B Lab's vision is to foster an inclusive and sustainable economy capable of generating prosperity for all people. Today, there are more than 4,500 B Corps worldwide from 150 industries and 77 countries, and more than 190,000 companies use the B Impact Assessment.
About Ferrer
At Ferrer we want to generate a positive impact on society and we do so by reinvesting a significant part of our profits in initiatives with a social and environmental impact, as well as in our people. To help us achieve our purpose, we offer trusted therapeutic solutions, with an increasing focus on vascular and interstitial lung diseases and neurological disorders. We were born in Barcelona in 1959, we are currently present in more than a hundred countries around the world and we have a team of more than 1,800 people, who we empower, develop and take care of so that they feel proud to work at Ferrer.
We are Ferrer. Ferrer for good.
