2022 | 2023 SUSTAINABILITY IN ACTION

LETTER FROM THE CHAIRMAN

This year, I am once again sharing our most significant achievements for the period covered by this Sustainability Report.

In the last report, for the years 2020 and 2021, I reflected on the context of that time and the challenges we faced, many of which persist and continue to impact our lives and operations. Outstanding among these challenges are the volatility of energy costs and, in particular, the climate emergency, which remains an urgent threat requiring decisive action. Now we must add the advance of Generative Artificial Intelligence and its transformative potential, the need to invest in our energy transition, as well as political and strategic changes at a global level. I would also add the growing concern about cybersecurity and changing economic trends, such as inflation and interest rates. This complex landscape urges us to rethink our mind-set and our approach to the mobility of the future also, where sustainability and climate change mitigation must be key priorities.

Although the previous report was characterized by exceptional challenges such as the Covid-19 pandemic and the extreme weather episode that affected Madrid in early 2021, in this one we have witnessed a gradual recovery in demand and the adoption of new mobility habits that have transformed the employment and mobility landscape in our area of influence. Teleworking, which has become a partially adopted practice in our business centres, has significantly influenced demand and mobility patterns. However, despite these changes, demand for our service has undergone a 46% increase compared to the users transported in the previous period, demonstrating our users’ trust and their preference for our services. And all the people who use Metro Ligero Oeste are increasingly manifesting their full satisfaction with the service we offer. The latest Quality of Service Index shows that 95% of users considers the service “excellent or satisfactory”, giving Metro Ligero Oeste the best score in its history (8.4 out of 10) in valuation and quality of service.

The current complex context, dominated by the climate emergency, the emergence of Generative AI, the energy transition, and geopolitical and economic changes, leads us to a change of mind-set regarding the mobility of the future, in which sustainability is a priority.

During the 2022-23 period, we not only maintained our commitment to the responsible and sustainable management of our services but we also leveraged the accumulated experience to drive new strategies. These actions led us to redefine objectives and specific actions within our Strategic Sustainability Plan, allowing us to move toward a more responsible and transparent future.

Along these lines, we updated our Strategic Plan and ESG Scorecard for the 2022-23 period, consolidating indicators that reflect our commitment to responsible practices and adapting to sustainable development trends. As part of the restructuring of our strategic plan, we have introduced changes in the presentation of our environmental performance data compared to previous reports. These modifications allow us to provide a clearer and more comprehensive overview of our sustainability efforts and achievements, in addition to identifying areas for improvement and growth opportunities.

I am proud to point out that our efforts to improve our performance have been internationally recognised. In the Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB) 2023, we achieved second place worldwide in the urban transport sector. With an overall score of 90 points and significant improvements in the environment, social and governance areas, we reaffirmed our commitment to providing quality service and continuing to move toward a more sustainable future.

We want to assume a relevant role as decisive actors and accelerators of sustainable mobility in the cities of the future, so we assume our responsibility and a strong commitment to drive change in our sector.

With regard to labour, I would like to highlight the successful negotiation and signing of the collective agreement on working conditions at the company in 2023. Our ISO 45001 certification and priority focus on occupational health and safety are fundamental pillars of our corporate culture. And we continued to implement policies and practices that encourage a balance between our employees’ work, family and personal lives, thus maintaining our commitment to corporate social responsibility. As a result, we successfully renewed our efr (Family Responsible Company) certificate, promoted by the Másfamilia Foundation, which reflects our on-going commitment to our employees’ integral well-being.

In the environmental field, we made significant progress in reducing our impact and promoting eco-efficient practices. We registered very significant decreases in the consumption of natural resources and our carbon footprint during this period that I would like to highlight: an 8% reduction in total water consumption, 31.7% in gas consumption, 21.3% in maintenance energy and a 27.21% reduction in our carbon footprint.

These achievements are the result of our continued commitment to energy efficiency and the implementation of innovative measures, such as self-generation of electricity from renewable sources. The installation of 1,600 photovoltaic panels at our facilities is a clear example of our commitment to clean and sustainable energy. It has meant self-generation of 13% of the energy consumed and the annual generation of 1.2 GWh. Moreover, the creation of an Energy Committee has strengthened our ability to identify and seize opportunities for improvement in our energy efficiency. Thanks to the actions taken by this committee, we achieved a total savings of 7% in energy consumption during the period in question, demonstrating our commitment to innovation and operational excellence.

I would like to take this opportunity to point out that the cumulative total number of investments in system improvements and innovations since the beginning of our operation has reached close to 43.1 million euros. This achievement not only supports our on-going effort, but also underscores our contribution to the safe and sustainable mobility of the future.

In terms of our commitment to the community, we consolidated our line of work, deepening our knowledge of social needs and trying to meet them as far as possible. Thus, we continue to broaden our contributions, especially with regard to SDG 11, through initiatives focused on sustainable mobility. Additionally, we carried out actions with the local community in the areas of sport, culture, social exclusion, disability and in bringing students closer to the world of work. Among these activities, I would like to highlight the preparation and dissemination of the accident prevention campaigns “#DesconectaMiraCruza” (“DisconnectLookCross”) and “De la mano llegamos siempre más lejos” (“Hand in hand we always get farther”), specifically aimed at younger and older users, respectively. These campaigns reached a joint audience of more than three million people.

In short, this period was marked by significant challenges and outstanding achievements in our pursuit of sustainability and corporate responsibility, which we reconciled with the measures necessary to address the risks arising from the context I cited at the beginning.

I am signing off, reiterating that we will continue to move in this direction, reaffirming our commitment to a more sustainable and transparent future, especially focused on assuming a relevant role as decisive actors and accelerators of sustainable mobility in the cities of the future. Sustainability and climate change mitigation are top priorities on any company’s agenda, but even more so in our case because of the responsibility we have and the commitment we adopted to drive change in our sector. And, naturally, we will achieve this, just as we have advanced in the past, thanks to the commitment of all our employees to the company’s mission and vision. Their professionalism, integrity and honesty will enable us to successfully address the challenges of the future.

Máximo del Río Ortiz
Chairman of the Board of Directors
Metro Ligero Oeste