CANTORIA, ALMERIA, SPAIN -- Cosentino, a global leader in the production and distribution of sustainable surfaces for architecture and design, publishes its Sustainability Report for the 2023 fiscal year that reinforces its commitment to its stakeholders by transparently reporting on the evolution of its strategic objectives based on Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) principles.

The report is based on the Non-Financial Information Statement (NFS) reporting model, using the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) standards. The data shown, verified externally by KPMG, showcases Cosentino’s progress in three areas: carbon footprint reduction, circular economy and low-impact product design. The report also highlights its progress as brand employer, including training, as well as overviews of the different initiatives that generate a positive impact on society through education, art and culture.

Decarbonization and Circular Economy

Sustainability management continues to be one of the areas with the greatest investment in Cosentino. In 2023, the company invested nearly €30 million (29.4M) in environmental, health and safety assets, and €13.5 million in environmental control and improvement. This commitment translates into a further reduction of its carbon footprint by 1.3% as compared to 2022, and by 10.3% compared to 2018, the base year for measurement. Currently, 78% of its carbon footprint in 2023 was due to indirect emissions from its value chain (Scope 3). 

Cosentino’s industrial solar energy installation project for self-consumption was completed in 2023, which included installing 28,000 panels on the roofs of the factories and centers of the Cosentino Industrial Park in Cantoria. With this, Cosentino now obtains 20% of its current annual electricity consumption from this renewable and clean source. Additionally, this commitment is being extended to Cosentino “Centers” with the progressively installation of solar panels for self-consumption. 

The company is also researching and studying ways to implement a clean energy mix in its production and logistics model. Simultaneously, in 2023 Cosentino activated its own Urban Wastewater Regeneration Station (ERAR), giving wastewater from the neighboring towns a second life. All of these milestones add to Cosentino’s sustainable achievements in the past such as the use of 99 percent recycled water, zero dumping (with a daily recirculation of 80,000m3) practices and the use of 100% renewable electricity.

The company also continued to make progress in the recovery and reuse of its waste. In 2023, Cosentino increased its recovery ratio of all solid waste generated in production processes to 16.5%. It also increased the use of recycled or recovered raw materials in the manufacture of its Silestone® and Dekton® products to 9.6%. As a result, 60% of the Dekton® ultra-compact surface portfolio now contains a minimum of 5% recycled raw materials. In the Silestone® hybrid mineral surface, 45% of the portfolio contains a minimum of 40% recycled raw materials.

Job creation and Training

Commitment to people, their employability and training remains are core value to Cosentino. In 2023, Cosentino maintained its commitment to quality employment by increasing its workforce by 188 new jobs, reaching a total of 6,039 employees worldwide by the end of the year, an increase of 27.4% since 2020. Of these, 58% are located in Spain at Cosentino's headquarters and Industrial Park in Cantoria (Almería). Ninety-eight percent of the group's entire workforce has a permanent contract.

In terms of equality and diversity, the workforce is made up of professionals of 78 different nationalities and the number of women in managerial positions increased to 23.5% (+1.5% vs. 2022). During the past year, 39 initiatives were implemented as part of the company's equality plans. In terms of internal training, the company dedicated 70,000 hours to employee training, of which 8,186 were dedicated to Health and Safety, more than doubling the number of hours dedicated to this subject last year. 

This commitment extends to the social and economic prosperity for the communities where Cosentino is present, especially its immediate environment. Cosentino is a pioneer in regards to training, for example, with the implementation of Dual Vocational Training programs carried out in its facilities. In the current academic year 23/24, 190 students are participating in the company’s five degrees, four of which are dual programs. Eighty-five percent of these students who take the Dual Vocational Training or FCT courses end up joining the Cosentino’s workforce. Likewise, at university level, Cosentino promotes initiatives such as Ingenia or Impulsa, one-year paid corporate programs aimed at recent STEM graduates with a vocation in the industrial sector, or recent university graduates with different profiles that allow them to start their careers in the corporate, industrial and commercial areas.

Furthermore, the Eduarda Justo Foundation supported numerous activities such as the Eduarda Justo Scholarships or the Canada TECH Scholarships, which enabled 236 young people to receive training in different international entities last year. Likewise, 160 young people from 22 schools in Almeria have also participated in other training activities of the Foundation.

Contribution to Society 

Cosentino also supports a multitude of collaborations and sponsorships in disciplines such as architecture, design, sports and gastronomy, including its own Silestone Institute and the Cosentino Design Challenge contest. It also promotes art and culture through the activities of the Ibáñez-Cosentino Art Foundation. Throughout 2023, the Foundation has developed an extensive cultural program divided into three main areas: temporary exhibitions, cultural promotion, and didactics and mediation. This program has been developed in the five Almeria’s cultural spaces it manages: the Ibáñez Museum, the Pérez Siquier Center and the Almeria Art Collection -located in the City of Culture of Olula del Río- and the two venues in Almeria city, the Doña Pakyta Art Museum and Espacio 2. 

The Foundation organized a total of 35 exhibitions and cultural activities during the past year in the aforementioned spaces it manages. In addition to these museums, this year included the management for the Museum of Contemporary Spanish Realism (MUREC), which was inaugurated last March. Finally, it should be noted that in 2023 the company undertook a volume of 1.5 million euros in direct donations to different entities and associations.