Grupo SOS has made its modest contribution to a number of world initiatives designed to promote best practice among companies in the following contexts:

• People
• Social and environmental sustainability
• Ethical practice
• Social engagement
• The fight against climate change

Below we give details on the specific means by which we take part in these initiatives:

• Commitment to business excellence
  The Group has adopted a management model focused on excellence, informed at all time by the concepts of sustainability.
  
  
• Social engagement
  Grupo SOS, in partnership with the Fundación Empresa y Sociedad (Company and Society Foundation), is a company committed to:
  
  
  • improving the strategy of its social engagement.
  • managing that engagement adequately.
  • taking an active part in the institutional activities of the Foundation in order to promote the cause of social engagement among companies generally.
    
    
• Sustainable development
  The Group shares the ambitions of the Fundación Entorno, Spanish member of the Regional Network of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, and is wholly convinced of the need for business to play a leading role in this area.
  
  Grupo SOS recently joined a work group intent on establishing means of fighting climate change. Further information on the contents and activities of this work group can be found in the section on the environment.
  
  
  
  
• Compliance with the principles of the World Pact
  This dates back to December 2004 when Grupo SOS subscribed to the agreement as part of its ambition to make the Global Compact and its guiding principles a key component of its corporate strategy, culture and day-to-day activities.
  
  In October 2007 the third Progress Report was presented. This was an instrument drawn up by the Spanish Network of the Global Compact of the United Nations (ASEPAM). It was then that the Group was invited to join the Executive Committee of ASEPAM when it last renewed membership of this body, the appointment being approved by the Extraordinary General Assembly held on 26 November 2006.
  
  
• Compliance with corporate principles of ethical conduct
  In addition to the guidelines laid down by outside agencies, Grupo SOS has also developed its in-house Code of Conduct based on the Group's own values, chief of which is its endeavour to ensure honest conduct by all those who work for it. This is part and parcel of the Group's efforts to ensure the maximum quality of its products as a means of achieving its ultimate objective, creating an economic value that is fully compatible with environmental and social development.

FTSE4GOOD Ibex

Our efforts of the last few years have resulted in our being included, in September 2008, in the Ibex FTSE4GOOD index. The Ibex FTSE4GOOD is the Spanish index for medium and large cap companies listed on the Spanish stock exchange and that meet the standards of the FTSE index organisation. In the case of Grupo SOS we were adjudged to meet these standards in the following areas:

• sound management of health and safety risks in the supply chain.
• fighting climate change and harmful emissions.
• maintaining good relations with stakeholder groups.
• achieving environmental sustainability.
• defending universal human rights.

FTSE4Good, an indicator of socially responsible investment targets, is now one of the key world indices, watched by all those investors who wish to identify companies employing responsible business practices.