Repsol Foundation and Faconauto sign strategic agreement to address major mobility challenges
The Repsol Foundation and Faconauto (Federation of Automotive Authorized Dealers' Associations) have signed an agreement to jointly develop actions to promote, disseminate, and foster sustainable, efficient, and digitalized mobility in all its aspects. The Minister of Industry, Trade, and Tourism, Reyes Maroto, was present at the signing ceremony.
With this partnership, they intend to promote public debate on the major challenges that mobility faces in the coming decades, through the carrying out of a series of conferences, studies, and joint reports, as well as national and local events and other training actions from Open Room, the Repsol Foundation's digital platform on the energy transition, the Repsol Foundation’s Energy Transition Education and Research Program, and Faconauto University.
In addition, both entities expressed their willingness to make the sustainability and new economy projects the Repsol Foundation is working on through triple impact investment initiatives available to the more than 2,000 associations that are part of Faconauto, which they would be able to access in a personalized manner.
These initiatives can be carried out thanks to the Foundation's network of investee companies through Repsol Social Impact such as the Sylvestris Group, with which it is developing the Green Engine project, the largest reforestation project in Spain for emissions offsetting, or Global New Energy, an expert company in eco-sustainable renovations for the efficient use of energy.
The signatories of the agreement were Repsol Chairman Antonio Brufau and Faconauto Chairman Gerardo Pérez, and it took place as part of the 2022 Faconauto Congress & Expo – the most important automotive event in our country with around 1,300 professionals from the sector in attendance.
Repsol Chairman Antonio Brufau highlighted “the great need and in turn the great opportunity that can result from a fair and inclusive energy transition, which is capable of protecting our economy, industry, and employment. The automotive industry in Spain, in its three major manufacturing dimensions, production of components, and retail distribution, represents a first-rate technological, industrial, and commercial value chain worldwide, and we therefore have the obligation to protect it by making this transition, its speed, and its costs appropriate.”
Brufau emphasized that, “We are facing a technological challenge and not facing ideological prejudices. Spain emits 0.9% of global emissions, while Europe emits 7.9%. In this regard, both our industry and European industry have to be able to compete on equal terms with other regions of the world where decarbonization goals are less restrictive. And so that the result of all of this isn't more unemployment and greater delocalization of the economy and industry. We therefore have to implement urgent carbon border price adjustment measures and support the export sector of countries.”
Faconauto Chairman, Gerardo Pérez, pointed out that “we have the responsibility to multiply the projects and initiatives that help to explain, and above all rationalize, the public debate around the revolution that the concept of mobility is experiencing, which runs parallel to that of the energy transition. The transition must be orderly and fair, and the greatest justice is that jobs aren't destroyed in this process and that more territorial imbalance isn’t caused in our country. In that regard, the agreement that Faconauto today signs with the Repsol Foundation will help bring visibility to the essential work that authorized dealers are undertaking in the transformation of the country, attending to one of the matters that is concerning society, such as the advance towards a decarbonized mobility.”
The Repsol Foundation
The Repsol Foundation reinforces the company's strategy by promoting a sustainable, fair, and inclusive energy transition. This mission and this purpose are deployed in four lines of action:
In terms of impact investment, the aim is to support the corporate world and grow a network of new economy companies that contribute to the energy transition by generating this triple positive impact.
To this end, in 2019 the Foundation created Repsol Social Impact, a company endowed with up to 50 million euros to promote the investment and growth of companies focused on reducing and offsetting emissions, sustainable mobility, circular economy, and energy efficiency. In addition to being economically profitable and sustainable, investee companies must promote social and environmental development in Spain.
Regarding disseminating knowledge on energy, the Repsol Foundation has developed Open Room, a digital space where knowledge is shared by renowned experts and institutions and from all spheres: public, private, academic, and social. Open Room members have access to information and events covering a wide variety of topics and presented in multiple, high-quality formats covering everything related to the energy transition: the circular economy, energy efficiency, sustainable mobility, hydrogen, low-emission synthetic fuels, etc.
Over the past three years, 52 events have been held dealing with the energy transition with 30,000 people joining online to hear over 200 speakers. These have included members of the European Commission, ministers, ambassadors, secretaries of state, distinguished academics, mayors, chairpersons and CEOs of major companies, a variety of well-known representatives from the academic and scientific communities, as well as members of various associations, think tanks, and international organizations.
To promote development and scientific and technological knowledge, the Repsol Foundation launched an Energy Transition Education and Research Program at leading universities. The current program is made up of:
FACONAUTO
Faconauto is the business organization that integrates official automobile, industrial vehicle, and farm machinery dealerships in the Spanish market. It represents the interests of 2,022 dealerships, including the main farm machinery brands. These companies generate 152,000 direct jobs, a turnover of 30 billion, and represent 3% of GDP.