Generali España announces the national winners of the first edition of SME EnterPRIZE

Environment, Welfare and Community: these are the three categories considered to proclaim the winners of the first edition of SME EnterPRIZE.

The Spanish jury, composed by Rosa Visiedo, rector of the CEU San Pablo University, Marco González, president and editor of the Corresponsables Foundation and ObservaRSE, and Javier Aguirre de Cárcer, Chief Communication Officier of Generali España – selected among all finalists three winners who are to receive 30,000 euros each to finance a sustainable project and participate in the closing event in Brussels, together with the winners from the other 6 countries participating in the SME EnterPRIZE project.

The three winning Spanish firms are:

• Cajamir from Zamora, awarded in the environment category, thanks to the sustainable management of a care centre for the elderly. The facility follows the PASSIVHAUS standard characterised by thermal insulation, filtration control and low energy consumption. The company has 30 employees and seeks to ensure a balance between social welfare, care for the environment and the development of those areas of Spain that are still lagging behind when it comes to Sustainability. The company will use its prize to install photovoltaic panels so that 100% of the centre’s energy consumption comes from renewable sources.

• Mapiser (Manipulados y Servicios El Picarral) from Zaragoza, awarded in the Welfare category, for more than 20 years has been helping people who, for various reasons, were excluded from the labour market. Mapiser’s aim is to promote an egalitarian environment, inclusion and work-life balance. The award will consolidate the jobs of 35 people through training programs that will enable them to work in the field of gardening, cleaning, or relocations.

• Rioma from Cordoba, awarded in the Community category, has been fighting against social exclusion. The company has been active in the textile sector since 1984 and currently has 54 employees. The company has a Foundation that operates both in Spain and South America helping young people at risk of social exclusion. The prize will be used to carry out psychological, social and community interventions to alleviate the effects of the crisis on vulnerable young people in its area of operation, mainly concentrated in the town of Montilla (Córdoba).

Javier Aguirre, Chief Communications Officer of Generali España, said: “With 190 years of experience, Generali is aware of the important role that SMEs play in economic development at both national and European level. We have also made a firm commitment to sustainability, one of the fundamental pillars for the competitiveness of the European economy. For this reason, we wanted to reward Spanish SMEs that have demonstrated the greatest capacity to integrate sustainability into their business models. These are good examples of how far Spanish SMEs can go.”