Implemented sustainable practices by Clos La Plana and Grup Cal Blay, associated through concrete actions with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.Managed by the Cal Blay Group, which administers 6 restaurants, 7 venues for celebrations, a catering line and, in addition, offers companies gastronomic solutions, coordinating kitchen tasks and providing essential elements or directly managing the catering service.Equality and Parity Policies

At Cal Blay, there is almost absolute parity, with 51% of our workforce being female. In management, in the office, in the kitchen, in the restaurants, etc. Female representation is found at all levels, on an equal footing with men. In addition, we have a staff made up of people from many different cultural and religious backgrounds and of the most diverse origins, all of whom enrich and create an international atmosphere that can be experienced day after day in our centers.

Sustainable Awareness

In 2019, we launched the “Sustainable Awareness” campaign, both internally and externally, to promote respect for the environment. The idea is to save on resources – paper, plastic, water, light – in kitchens and offices, to use recyclable materials in services and to facilitate internal recycling. To implement this, several actions have been undertaken:

Internal:

• Signs in bathrooms and kitchens requesting a responsible use of water, electricity, and paper.
• Placement of paper and plastic recycling bins in offices and warehouses; the use of a waste bin installed in the staff cafeteria has been encouraged.
• The use of plastic cups for staff coffee, tea and beverages has been limited, favoring the use of crockery.
• An informative campaign was carried out for all personnel, through our internal communication channels (newsletters, e-mail, and bulletin boards), to inform everyone of all the sustainability-related initiatives that we can all implement within the company.

External:

• Signs in restaurant restrooms requesting a responsible use of water, electricity, and paper.
• New material was purchased for services, choosing glasses, plates, and cutlery with the ECO seal, which ensures that they are biodegradable, in some cases, and made from recycled material, in others.

SOCIAL ACTIONS
Below, we present a series of collaborations that are part of our raison d’être and that keep us rooted in the territory that has seen us grow: integrated in the Penedès society and region. We believe that the economic fabric has a more positive – and fairer – impact with social return initiatives. We are of the opinion that a company needs to go beyond the impersonal worker-owner contract for the work-salary exchange and contribute value to the community where it is located because it is, in a way, indebted to it.

One-off Actions

• Makeit Blue: Make it Blue Collective. Showing appreciation to essential workers in Spain. #makeitblue #makeitbluespain. We have colored all our spaces blue.
• Cava for Healthcare Workers: Here at Cal Blay, we would like to give our heartfelt thanks to all healthcare workers, hospitals, clinics, emergency rooms and others. So, any worker from the healthcare sector who had lunch or dinner at a Cal Blay restaurant during 2020 was gifted a bottle of cava.
• Medicalized hotels: We continue working for those who need to be full of energy and well fed, providing specially prepared menus as part of our speciality for hotels that accommodate medical staff and their families in different parts of Catalonia.
• Vilafranca Regional Hospital: we delivered 2,000 gloves and 100 gowns to the Alt Penedès Regional Hospital.
• Solidarity Bottle Cap: in recent years we have given our female employees and clients a solidarity candle for Sant Jordi (April 23^rd). The money spent on the purchase is donated to the Tamaia, Vivir Sin Violencia Association, which fights against gender violence. On the other hand, a Solidarity Bottle Cap is also provided on International Women’s Day (May 8^th).
• The Gold Coast dives in for ALS: we collaborated by offering a charity dinner at Samà Park. As part of this day in support of ALS research, the ultra-distance swimmer, Jaime Caballero Echeverria, swam 24 km along the beaches of the Gold Coast. At each stop, people affected by this disease were waiting for him and, in addition, representatives of the Hotel, Catering and Tourism Business Federation made donations for the cause. We contributed 35% of the proceeds from the dinner, 1,680 €.
• Vallformosa Foundation: We collaborate annually with this Foundation, lending them the Masía de Esplugues venue for the presentation of the IV Martí Vía Award, destined to oncology research. The Vallformosa Foundation and the GESCO Family present the Martí Vía Award for oncological research on a yearly basis. The grant is endowed with 30,000 euros. This award consists of a grant for professionals and researchers in areas related to pediatric or adult oncology to develop a research project at a national or international referral center.
• The TV3 Marathon: Sports day with E4 at the Mirador de les Cavas in support of the TV3 Marathon, which began with a Pilates class, followed by a Zumba session and then vermouth for all participants.
• Cáritas: during the company’s 2018 Christmas dinner, employees collected toys that, together with the bicycles purchased by management, were delivered to Cáritas to be given to the most underprivileged children.
• Cáritas: every year the Confraria del Cava de Sant Sadurní d’Anoia organizes the Charity Gala at the MNAC in support of Caritas. Every year Cal Bla collaborates with 4€ per diner and it is attended by approximately 250/300 people.

Local Actions

• Solidarity Orientation Race in Sant Pere de Riudebitlles. Cal Blay was present in 2017 as a collaborator because it defends the very positive objectives of this sporting activity. First, it is a race organized in the town where Cal Blay has its official headquarters, Sant Pere de Riudebitlles, and collaborating with community and local organizations is part of the company’s ideology.
• The 2020 solidarity cause was to support the Nidia White Project in Puerto Cabezas (Bilwi) in Nicaragua. This Association collaborates in the prevention of gender violence and fights for women’s rights.
• El Calcetín (The Sock): we are sponsors of the Sant Pere de Riudebitlles puppet festival, which this year celebrates its 9th anniversary. A multidisciplinary celebration full of shows, music, dance, and puppets for all ages. The Calcetín Riudebitlles has a local, family friendly, welcoming, grassroots, irreverent and transgressive character. The spirit of the Calcetín is to be a small, approachable, and popular Puppet Festival, that’s demanding in its quality, fun and full of bold proposals.
• 15^th anniversary of the E4 Gym: We contributed to participation by offering the venue and a meal. The activity consisted of a walk around the Subirats Castle, Pilates, Zumba and karate and dance exhibitions.
• “Tió Solidari” in Sant Sadurní d’Anoia: every year we collaborate with this Christmas celebration by cooking and serving hot chocolate.

Sustainability certifications

Biosphere