- Last year, the entity allocated nearly 2.8 million euros to contribute to 163 initiatives developed in seven countries
- In the 16th edition of its Social Value Awards, it granted the largest historical endowment of these awards, which reached €500,000. An increase that was used to promote actions aimed at mitigating the effects of the pandemic.
- During the presentation of these awards in Madrid, Phillipe Boisseau, president of Fundación Cepsa and CEO of the company, said: "The COVID-19 pandemic has made Fundación Cepsa's activity more important and necessary, a responsibility that we have assumed and want to continue to promote at a time as unique as the one we are living through."
- Fundación Cepsa adapted its activity in 2020 to the social and health needs caused by COVID-19
- In its new phase, in addition to contributing to social initiatives, the foundation will promote environmental and scientific-educational projects to contribute to the challenges of the energy transition.
Today, the entity has culminated the delivery of its Social Value Awards with the celebration of the ceremony of these awards in Madrid. These are awards that each year promote different social projects that promote the inclusion and quality of life of underprivileged people or groups. In this 16th edition, the organization has increased the total endowment by €100,000 to reach the maximum in its history, €500,000, to give special support to projects focused on providing assistance to people affected by the health and social crisis caused by COVID-19.
During the presentation of these awards held this morning at the Cepsa Tower, Philippe Boisseau, President of the Fundación Cepsa and CEO of the company, thanked all the participating entities for their work: "Your generosity to the people who need it most in these difficult times is an example to us all. The COVID-19 pandemic has made Fundación Cepsa's activity even more important and necessary, a responsibility that we have assumed and want to continue to promote at such a unique time as the one we are living through. The Social Value Awards are and will continue to be here as one of the Foundation's main and best known activities, awards that in their 16 editions have improved the lives of more than 60,000 people through 360 projects".
The president of the foundation also thanked the commitment of Cepsa's professionals, who actively participate as sponsors of the entities, as donors in different actions promoted by the foundation throughout the year, and as volunteers in the initiatives promoted by the Voluntas program.
In this edition, the different juries -formed by experts in the social field- have recognized 43 solidarity initiatives, among the 435 projects presented by social entities from the Canary Islands, Madrid, Huelva, Campo de Gibraltar, Portugal, Colombia and Brazil; places where Cepsa has a relevant activity and where it has established close ties and relations with the community. This is the year with the highest number of participating projects in the 16 editions held so far. Thanks to the work of the awarded entities, this year, 8,627 people will be able to improve their quality of life.
Other initiatives
The global pandemic has generated a complex social and health environment that has led society to a situation never seen before. For this reason, Fundación Cepsa adapted its activity in 2020 to contribute to mitigating the effects caused by COVID-19, especially among disadvantaged groups.
In Spain, in particular, the foundation strengthened its usual collaboration with food banks. In April, together with Cepsa professionals, it donated 480,000 kilos of basic necessities to the Spanish Federation of Food Banks, an action that was later reinforced in the Great Food Collection with the delivery of fuel checks to facilitate their transport and distribution.
On the other hand, through the Red Cross, among other entities and administrations, Fundación Cepsa delivered fuel checks to collaborate with the transportation of personnel and medical material. This action was also carried out in Portugal. Likewise, in Colombia and Algeria, the entity donated sanitary material to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
In the same way, the foundation reached an agreement with Fundación Persán to jointly contribute €180,000 to manufacture 180 tons of biodegradable detergents for laundry and home care, which were subsequently delivered to 18,000 vulnerable families to help ensure the necessary hygiene to combat the spread of the pandemic.
Finally, through Voluntas, Cepsa professionals participated in activities to accompany the elderly and the sick, both by mail and by telephone, with the collaboration of the Spanish Red Cross, Iniciativas Humanas, the Adopt a Grandparent association and the Theodora Foundation.
New stage in Fundación Cepsa
After four years of activity, Fundación Cepsa changed its board of trustees last December, with the incorporation of Íñigo Díaz de Espada, as vice president, Cristina Ortiz, as director, and Cepsa executives Paloma Alonso and Alex Archila as new members. With these appointments, the entity begins a new phase in which, in addition to continuing to promote social initiatives that contribute to improving the quality of life of the most vulnerable groups, it will increase its support for environmental and scientific-educational projects, with the aim of contributing to the challenges posed by the energy transition.
In this sense, in scientific-educational matters, the foundation will continue to collaborate with research projects through the chairs it holds with different Spanish universities, as well as promote initiatives to increase employability in the energy sector. In the environmental field, Fundación Cepsa will continue to promote and coordinate projects to protect biodiversity and care for the environment, such as research to eradicate an invasive algae species that is endangering the Andalusian coastline. It will also continue to carry out remediation projects for the Laguna Primera de Palos in Huelva and launch initiatives to recycle waste, among others.