Towards Sustainability
“Through continuous development, the company aims to move towards a sustainable future for all.”
A clear emphasis on sustainability in the Blue Lagoon’s policy-making is very important. It promotes greater efficiency, improves our organization and target setting and therefore the success of the company – whether it be from a financial, social or environmental point of view. Through continuous development, the company aims to move towards a sustainable future for all.
UN Sustainable Development Goals
The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were adopted by representatives of all UN member states in September 2015. The global goals are manifold and ambitious and require the participation and cooperation of different stakeholders. The Blue Lagoon contributes to supporting the global goals.
The contribution of the Blue Lagoon’s staff is important in shaping and developing the company’s sustainability path. Their opinions laid the foundation for the choice of global goals, which the Blue Lagoon considers appropriate and right to place a special emphasis on in its journey. Although all the goals are undoubtedly important globally, the following five goals were prioritized by the company this year and will be focused on specifically over the next ten years.
Blue Lagoon Sustainable Development Goals
3 – GOOD HEALTH AND WELL-BEING
Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.
7 – AFFORDABLE AND CLEAN ENERGY
Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy.
9 – INDUSTRY, INNOVATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE
Build resilient infrastructure, promote sustainable industrialization and foster innovation.
12 – RESPONSIBLE CONSUMPTION AND PRODUCTION
Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns.
13 – CLIMATE ACTION
Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.
SDGs integration in operations and reporting
| 2020-2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| Prioritization of SDGs for the operation of the Blue Lagoon | Target setting with regard to SDGs | Assessment and communication of results of SDGs integration |
Corporate Social Responsibility
The Blue Lagoon’s journey towards sustainability is both an old and new story, since in its day the Blue Lagoon was originally founded around the idea of how the residual resource streams could be used for value creation and well-being in a sustainable manner. Since its inception, it has been an important guiding principle for the company to promote well-being for the environment, as well as the guests who choose to visit the Blue Lagoon. This journey is nowhere near completed and there are constant endeavors to find new ways to strike a better balance between economic, social and environmental factors, while at the same time meeting the needs of the company’s stakeholders through cooperation and consensus.
Since 2019, an interdisciplinary committee has been operating in the company and managing Corporate Social Responsibility issues. The aim of the committee is to implement CSR in all units of the company, as well as improve the company’s performance in social and environmental matters. Policies, projects and goals are defined annually and the committee meets weekly, since the ultimate objective is always to bring the Blue Lagoon increasingly closer to sustainability.
The ten principles of UN Global Compact
Since 2018, the Blue Lagoon has looked at the basic principles of the UN Global Compact initiative when formulating policy, setting targets and enhancing procedures, especially with regard to social responsibility. Companies in general play an important role in ensuring universal human rights, the labor market, environmental protection and the combat against corruption, and the Blue Lagoon is no exception.
The Blue Lagoon operates according to these principles, as can be seen in the company’s policies below:
Human Rights
Principle 1: Businesses should support and respect the protection of internationally proclaimed human rights.
Principle 2: Make sure that they are not complicit in human rights abuses.
Labour
Principle 3: Businesses should uphold the freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining.
Principle 4: The elimination of all forms of forced and compulsory labour.
Principle 5: The effective abolition of child labour.
Principle 6: The elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation.
Environment
Principle 7: Businesses should support a precautionary approach to environmental challenges.
Principle 8: Undertake initiatives to promote greater environmental responsibility.
Principle 9: Encourage the development and diffusion of environmentally friendly technologies.
Anti-corruption
Principle 10: Businesses should work against corruption in all its forms, including extortion and bribery.
Reporting Standards
The Blue Lagoon’s Sustainability and CSR report is prepared in accordance with Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Standards, which are internationally recognized standards for reporting on the economic, environmental and social impact of companies.
These standards are designed to assist companies in disclosing their performance on social issues, as well as implementing and promoting sustainable development. The process entails the involvement of many parties and definitions of the issues and criteria that are collected at any given time.
The ISO 26000 Guidelines is important as a benchmark and tool in implementing CSR practices in the Blue Lagoon’s administrative system and policy-making. From concepts to actions, the guidelines guides companies through how they can assess their current situations and work towards reform and enhanced social responsibility. The Blue Lagoon took the guidelines into account in its redesign of the administrative system in 2021. The next steps are to activate social responsibility in all the units of the company with the help of Chapter 7 of the ISO 26000 Guidelines.
Corporate Social Responsibility Goals
| Goals 2021 | Performances 2021 | Goals 2022 | Long-term goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Lagoon Community Grants – Process definition | New process determined and approved | Implementation of a new process for community grants | Community grants in full accordance with company’s priorities |
| Boost education and knowledge of CSR within the company | Increased knowledge of CSR through HR division events | Increase employee participation in community projects | CSR becomes an integral part of the Blue Lagoon’s culture |
| Offer community education on sustainability | Blue Lagoon stakeholders updated | Perform a more in-depth stakeholder analysis | Effective communication plan with the company’s main stakeholders |
| Evaluate ISO 26000: 2010 guidelines for CSR approach | ISO 26000 implementation plan defined | Initiate ISO 26000 implementation | Blue Lagoon’s management system complies with ISO 26000 guidelines |
| Prepare a new sustainability report | Presentation of report refined | Publish a Sustainability Report that integrates the UN SDGs | An accessible and clear report that well describes the CSR and sustainability of the Blue Lagoon |
| Prioritized UN SDGs | SDGs prioritized through employee’s engagement | Link the company’s goals to SDGs | Fully implement SDGs in all operations and target setting of the company |
| Procedures relating to CSR | Improvements in certification of administrative system | Perform B-impact assessment for B-corp certification, which is an internationally recognized rating in CSR | Obtain B-corp certification |