To OPWAY Engenharia, S.A., sustainability means to grow in a consolidated, competitive and stable manner not only in client terms, but also in workforce terms. It means working towards the achievement of the various challenges, to sustained development and being prepared for risk management.

The sustainability concept, which has been in existence for some time, was an inevitable part of the 1987 World Commission on Environment and Development report:  “Our future in common”. This report defines sustainable development as one that satisfies this generation’s necessities without compromising those of future generations.

This concept is obviously extremely relevant to the construction business: our natural and social environment is highly affected by construction works. It is essential to incorporate economic, social and environmental criteria into business strategies in order to promote a more sustainable construction, and may help to build reasonable economic, transparent and prosperous relations.  On the other hand, moral and ethical values must also be respected.

These companies long term sustainability strategies, whose aim is not only performance and profit, but also to contribute to the communities well being and improvement of quality of life.

A Company’s social responsibility is like any other commitment an organisation must have with society, and these are reflected in the positive way in which their actions and attitudes affect a community.

The five sides of a company’s social responsibility are:

Community
Co-workers
Suppliers
Clients
Shareholders / investors

Going back in time to November 2005, this was when SOPOL published its first Social Responsibility Report. The report described the Company’s economic, environmental and social performance for the year 2004 (sometimes including facts and figures from 2002). The GRI-Global Reporting Initiative guidelines were followed in the preparation of this report. The second Social Responsibility Report was published in 2007 and covered 2005 and 2006.

Looking forward to 2013, OPWAY Engenharia, which is the corporate project with skills in all aspects of the construction sector, has defined a business and growth strategy based on a solid framework of first-rate management, market leadership and internationalisation, linked with sustainability.

It is in this context that in 2008 a set of developments that represent the pillars of this new company project took place, among which we can highlight the following:

— The definition of the Vision, Mission and Values of OPWAY Engenharia are questions of great importance since they show us our direction (Vision), what we need to be to get there (Mission) and how we are to do it (Values), allowing our employees to share our motivation and adopt our chosen path;

— The setting up of the Advisory board for sustainability, due to the strategic importance connected with questions of the Sustainable Development of the construction sector and of our company.

This Board’s main mission is to contribute towards the development of a strategy that allows the clear definition of objectives, its monitoring and close observation, as well as to promote and to encourage the adoption of good practices in the company, and also to broadcast the policies and the strategy of the company with regard to this matter. Sensitive to the cross-sector approach to sustainability, this Board is made up of members of several operational areas in the company.

In our first year as a company we have put together and published a Sustainability Report. This document’s main topic is the history of the merger and so everyone who was closely involved to the merger have participated - employees, consultants, ex-employees – played a part in compiling this report. In this report we find an overview of OPWAY Engenharia and the key indicators of performance in this first year of activity. The Company’s commitments for 2009-2010 are also set out.

In 2008, given the necessary focus on our internal organisation, we gave priority to following up the projects inherited from the two companies as we considered it righ to continue to support them.

We maintained our association with the Business Council for Sustainable Development (BCSD), with the Worldwide Pact of United Nations and with the Enterprise Movement for Volunteers, and we have a considerable number of volunteers to whom we allow 2 days per year for activities of this nature.

The main activities include:

— Participation in some of the initiatives carried out by the “Mão-na-Mão” “Hand-in-Hand” Project (voluntary work with children of the Rehabilitation Centre of Alcoitão in the ‘Conchinhas do Mar’ activity, and voluntary work with the aged in the Parish of St. Nicholas scheme). As part of the same project financial support for some of the initiatives was given (International Day of the Volunteer, the Chocolate Festival activity, with children from the Barreiro and Gaiato Children’s Homes, and Carnival activity with young people linked to institutions of the Centro de Promoção Juvenil and AMI - Chelas), as well as donations from the surplus from OPWAY’s Christmas party presents (an event with the homeless of the Vida e Paz Life and Peace Community);

— A Safety, Hygiene and Health in the workplace workshop, given by an internal OPWAY trainer, for inmates at Sintra Prison (EPS) and donation of surplus materials to the same institution. Both these initiatives came under the project for restoration and upkeep of a prison building, following a protocol with this institution.

It is safe to say that through their sustainability strategy and market position, OPWAY Engenharia, S.A. will continue to guarantee the preservation of the environment for future generations, respecting ethical and moral values by offering their co-workers the best possible working conditions so that OPWAY may continue to grow in a sustained manner.