Environmental and sustainability policy

 

In 2012, Universidad San Pablo-CEU approved an Environmental and Sustainability Policy that fully assumes the contents of Agenda 21 of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), as well as its adherence to the United Nations Global Compact and its declaration as a socially responsible University. For this reason, our environmental policy incorporates environmental ethics in all our teaching, research and service activities and is based on the following principles::

 

1. Preventing, reducing and eliminating wherever possible the environmental impact that may arise from its activities. Controlling and assessing the environmental aspects associated with academic, research, sports, publishing and service activities.

2. Complying with the legal regulations and provisions on environmental matters and collaborating with regional, national and European environmental bodies.

3. To inform, raise awareness and train all University staff to ensure that the regulations established in the environmental policy and current environmental regulations are observed in the performance of their duties.

4. To promote maximum efficiency in the use of natural and energy resources.

5. To promote the recycling, recovery and reuse of materials, as well as the reduction of waste generation.

6. To establish annual environmental objectives and targets and evaluate the degree of progress achieved with respect to previous years.

7. To adapt its environmental policy to the constant and new demands of the environment and to the progress achieved under a continuous improvement approach.

8. To publicise and disseminate its environmental policy so that it is known and respected.

9. To compile the actions of control and reduction of environmental impact annually in the actions report and publish them on the Transparency Portal.

10. Establish with the Units involved the procedures for the compilation of environmental actions in the following areas:

a. Recycling.

b. Energy efficiency.

c. Digital efficiency.

d. Paper reduction.

e. Use of plastic.

 

In order to make effective the set of actions to contribute to sustainability and prevention of environmental impact, since 2012 an Environmental Management System defined in accordance with the requirements of the ISO 14001 standard was implemented and effectively integrated into its management systems.

The ISO 14000 series of standards is a set of international standards published by the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO), which includes the ISO 14001 Standard that sets out the requirements for establishing an effective Environmental Management System (EMS).

It is, therefore, the standard that accredits the highest international excellence in the protection of the environment during the performance process of an Organisation and within the framework of ISO 14001 the University has the following documents in force:

1. Certificate "International Environmental management systems".

2. Universidad San Pablo-CEU Environmental Policy Document.

3. Environmental management system manual.

4. Operating Procedure for the Management of Toxic or Hazardous Waste (PO- SGM1).

5. Operating Procedure for the treatment of Formaldehyde spills (PO-TVF).

6. Authorisation as a small producer of toxic and hazardous waste.

7. Authorisation from the Community of Madrid for the opening of the health services of the centres. All of this is articulated through the Environmental Management Manual, a framework document that establishes:

The objectives, goals and management programmes.

Legal and regulatory requirements.

The planning, structure, responsibilities and functions of the different departments and units.

- Responsibilities and functions.

The implementation and operation of The Environmental Policy.

Communication aspects.

The documentation necessary for The Environmental Management System and its control.

Operational control.

Emergency plans and response capacity.

Maintenance of equipment and facilities.

Evaluation and selection of suppliers and contractors.

Monitoring and measurement.

Incidents and non-conformities. Corrective and preventive actions.

Review and corrective action. Internal audit of the EMS.

The environmental policy is interrelated with those of Prevention, Health, Safety and Welfare, responsibility of the area of the same name of Fundación Universitaria San Pablo-CEU, as well as with those of Process Quality and Corporate Social Responsibility.

In this sense, the following certifications underpin and contribute to the environmental policies obtained:

 

AENOR INTERNACIONAL, S.A.U - ISO 45001

AENOR INTERNACIONAL, S.A.U - Healthy Company Models

AUDELCO - "protected COVID space".

COMUNIDAD DE MADRID - MADRID Guarantee (COVID)

COMUNIDAD DE MADRID - Excellent MADRID

AENOR Occupational Risk Prevention Certificate in accordance with ISO 45001.

Occupational Health and Safety Management System Certificate SST 0059/2018.

IONET International Certification for Health and Safety at Work and Healthy Company ES2018-0001.

 

 

In accordance with its responsibility and competences in environmental and sustainability matters, the General Services and Maintenance area of the Management will annually review the University's environmental policy, in line with the procedures set out in the Management Manual and in the environmental standards 14001 and ISO 45001 on health and safety at work. The area of General Services and Maintenance of the Management will collect from the following Departments and Units the actions carried out in relation to:

- Use of water

- Use of plastic

- Reduction in The Use of plastics

- Paper recycling

- Energy efficiency

- Saving and air conditioning

- Sustainable and Healthy facilities

- Education, awareness and communication

- Impact and waste Reduction

To this end, the units listed here will receive an annual email informing them of the obligation to make an inventory and communicate the actions they carry out in these areas. The units involved are:

- Management: Maintenance and IT

- Foundation: Corporate Social Responsibility

- Foundation: Prevention, Health, Safety and Welfare

- Sports facilities

- Communication (communication, training or environmental awareness-raising actions)

- General Secretariay's Office

These Units, once the email has been received, will report the set of environmental or impact prevention actions carried out, in an accessible and structured manner, or they will upload them to the OneDrive digital file communicated by the responsible area. The General Services and Maintenance area of the Management, once the environmental and sustainability actions carried out by the different departments have been obtained, will send them to the Administrative Management and Transparency area of the Vice-Rectorate for Institutional Relations and General Secretary's Office, for publication on the Transparency Portal and their reflection in the University's Annual Reports.

Vice-Rectorate for Institutional Relations and General Secretary's Office