Letter from the Chairman
Inspiring People through Innovative and Sustainable Spaces.
However we view our organisation’s performance in 2020, it is necessary to build on the unprecedented event that marked the lives of people, companies and countries in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.
From the outset, Cosentino launched a health emergency monitoring plan, setting up a crisis committee to constantly evaluate the data and information available in order to make the most appropriate decisions. We set three priorities in our action plan. Firstly, we made the safety and integrity of the employees in our factories and offices our principle value to protect. Secondly, we ensured the sustainability of the business by guaranteeing the production of our plants, demonstrating the essential nature of this activity, as we are dedicated to supplying construction projects internationally on several continents. And thirdly, our aim was to work with health authorities to provide large quantities of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), such as masks, gloves, covers, etc, and also to put our logistical capabilities and supply sources at the service of the general public.
Looking back, and with the knowledge provided by the data on the impact of the pandemic among our employees, I must once again recognise the exemplary, courageous and supportive conduct of the workers at Cosentino’s various factories The responsibility of the works council during those difficult months must also receive my gratitude and recognition. The commitment of all members of the Cosentino team during 2020 led us to decide on a special bonus for the entire workforce, amounting to more than four million euros, thus demonstrating our recognition and gratitude to them.
Now that we are reporting on our achievements in 2020, I must acknowledge my admiration for the economic and financial results we achieved, with sales of 1,078 million euros, which is very close to the previous year’s figure, something that was very difficult to imagine in the first months of the pandemic. Similarly, we reported an Ebitda of more than 214.2 million euros, which demonstrates a management marked by the containment of all types of costs, the maintenance of income, as well as the precedent of a greater contribution of new market segments that we have been investing in for some time without losing our focus, which is retail: kitchen and bathroom marketing.
Despite all conceivable difficulties during 2020, we have managed to invest over 120 million euros in product innovation and development, industrial and environmental management to ensure that the Company is based on sustainability and a long-term vision. In addition, we have increased our Silestone® production capacity by more than 30%, following the automation and digitalisation of our production plants. At the same time, we have achieved milestones through innovation such as the launch of HybriQ® and HybriQ+® technology, which have once again made Silestone the world’s leading brand of its category, thanks to a new formulation that brings greater safety for those who produce it throughout the value chain. This is a milestone in our commitment to ensure that the occupational safety of our employees comes before any other objective.
As part of our commitment to environmental sustainability, I would like to highlight one tangible step this year and that is the certification of Dekton as a carbon neutral product. Furthermore, in 2020, the Company invested 22 million euros worldwide in environmental and safety assets, such as new extraction and emission cleaning systems, equipment for the confined storage and transport of raw materials, and the expansion of water treatment systems for full water recovery.
Although this year has been affected by the adverse effects of the pandemic, Cosentino has continued its commitment to quality employment, raising the rate of permanent contracts to 83%. We ended 2020 with a workforce of 4,740 people across the globe, comprising professionals from 70 different nationalities and with 16.5% of our management team being women. This diversity enriches our vision when making decisions and paves the way for our leadership.
To conclude this summary vision of the year 2020, I must highlight the great progress Cosentino has made in the digital transformation process. This year we have reached over 50,000 active professionals on e-Cosentino, our digital platform. More than 80% of orders have been processed on e-Cosentino. Furthermore, the digitalisation of processes continued, strengthening the architecture of the technological infrastructure and improving both internal communication tools and customer contact channels at a collaborative and commercial level. Cosentino is rapidly implementing the vision set out in 2018 to be the leading company in the digital transformation of its industry.
Finally, I wish to stress that we have reached 155 business and commercial units across the five continents, of which 119 are Centres and 15 Cities, in addition to 4 distribution hubs, and 5 logistics operators, which together with the 12 processing workshops located in the United States, consolidate Cosentino’s global leadership within the stone industry of innovative surfaces for architecture and design, so that our purpose of inspiring people through innovative and sustainable spaces, is a long-term vision to which we are all committed.
Francisco Martínez-Cosentino Justo
President, Cosentino® Group
Our Vision of Sustainability
Sustainability means seeking to harmonise today’s benefits with those of the future and bearing the consequences of our behaviour as a company.
At Cosentino we want to reaffirm our commitment to harmonise the pursuit of profit with social impact in order to create conditions for the progress of the people who are part of the societies in which we operate, and with environmental impact in order to contribute to maintaining and improving our planet. This commitment has been reinforced by the unexpected pandemic which we have not yet overcome and which forces us, as a committed company, to be up to the task and to strengthen the integrity and safety of our most valuable asset, our people.
Commitment to the SDGs
Our purpose of ‘Inspiring people through innovative and sustainable spaces’ marks the strategic approach of our corporate culture: environmental, economic and social sustainability as the only way to imagine and commit to the future.
As a result of this approach, in 2020, the Company continued to work to fulfill the commitments made with regard to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. This requires the involvement of governments, companies, third sector entities and society in general to successfully tackle the ecological transition, with the major social and environmental challenges facing the world.
The key Sustainable Development Goals to which we are contributing are:
SDG 3 – Health.
The health and well-being of our employees and all the workers in our value chain is of fundamental importance to the company.
SDG 8 – Decent work.
Cosentino remains committed to the constant growth of quality employment –a fact that has marked our human resources processes in recent years– and we contribute to development in the areas in which we operate.
SDG 9 – Innovation and infrastructure.
We are committed to R&D&I to transform our industrial model towards more sustainable systems and we promote innovation in the communities in which we operate.
SDG 12 – Responsible consumption and production.
We never cease to innovate and develop more sustainable products, in addition to improving our production systems in order to progress towards a circular economy. Environmentally sustainable products, produced with a reduced use of resources, are a good example of this commitment.
SDG 13 – Climate Action.
Combating Climate Change is of paramount importance to Cosentino and is one of the top 15 material issues for all of its stakeholders. Progress in the decarbonisation of our value chain and the launch of carbon neutral products support this strategic line.
Here is a list of secondary Development Goals to which we also contribute through our activities:
SDG 4 – Quality Education.
Cosentino’s commitment to quality education comes mainly in the shape of the Eduarda Justo Foundation, established in 2006 to promote the economic, social, educational and cultural development of Cosentino’s immediate environment. Cosentino is also committed to dual training and the potential of art and culture to develop talent.
SDG 7 – Affordable and Clean Energy.
An important goal from the point of view of Sustainable Facilities and its own effect on the climate through emissions, it is gaining weight together with internationalisation. Since 2014 Cosentino has been committed to the consumption of renewable electricity in its production processes, and since 2019 it has been collaborating with the Public Administration to obtain permits to implement self-consumption projects at its facilities.
SDG 11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities.
A relevant goal in terms of Sustainable Architecture and new business lines such as façades and refurbishments.
SDG 17 – Partnerships to achieve goals.
Essential to achieve the current goals of expanding business areas in line with the 2030 Agenda, product innovation and sustainability. Cosentino is aware of and promotes partnership with stakeholders, which is key to leading and promoting the ecological transition we need.
In doing so, we want to advance not only our commitment to the SDGs, but also the selection of key indicators to which we contribute. These are part of our management model, which allows us to quantify our contribution to the 2030 Agenda. Throughout this report we describe how we contribute to the SDGs.
Who are we?
The Cosentino Group is a global, family-owned Spanish company that produces and distributes innovative, high-quality surfaces for the architecture and design sectors worldwide.
We work alongside our customers and partners to offer high-value solutions and design, inspiring the lives of many.
Company purpose
To inspire people through innovative and sustainable spaces.
Mission
A leading company that works responsibly with its customers to anticipate and imagine the future, creating innovative, high-value surfaces for the world of architecture and design.
Vision
To lead the global surfaces market through our brands, offering innovative architectural solutions that provide design, value, and inspiration to our customers.
Our DNA
As Cosentino Group employees, we all share a single DNA composed of the following values:
Cosentino’s main accreditations
Unlike previous years, this report, in addition to offering Cosentino’s achievements and commitments, has based its research on a larger number of GRI (Global Reporting Initiative) indicators, has included the Statement of Non-Financial Information (NFID) and has reflected its commitment to 5 of the 17 ODS (Sustainable Development Goals) approved by the UN.
GRI Indicators
In this edition, Cosentino has reported a greater number of GRI indicators, which has improved the report in terms of standardization of the economic, environmental and social criteria.
The GRI is an independent institution that created the world’s first standard of guidelines and technical protocols for the preparation of the CSR report in order to increase the quality of the information in terms of comparability, rigor, credibility, periodicity and verifiability.
EINF
On this occasion, in response to the Law 11/2018, which obliges companies that meet specific requirements (more than 500 workers, or that they are entities of public interest) to prepare, present and publish their Non-Financial Information Statement.
The EINF helps to measure, monitor and manage the performance of companies and their impact on society. Therefore, the publication of this information in Cosentino’s CSR report makes it possible to substantially improve the transparency of the company’s activities.
SDG
Finally, the Report faithfully reflects the 5 Sustainable Development Objectives chosen by Cosentino in order to improve the quality of life for all. The Agenda 2030, approved in 2015 by the UN (United Nations), has 17 ODS in total, from which each company can choose the objectives that are the most linked to their activities.
For this reason, Cosentino has decided to work on a daily basis towards the following 5 sustainable development objectives: health and well-being, Quality Education, Increasing Work and Economic Growth, Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, and, Responsible Production and Consumption.