Alejandro Pertusa
Sustainability Manager in Supply Chain for Footwear at Inditex

Why did you choose to educate and train your colleagues? How does this fit into your sustainability strategy?

We needed a common language and a shared awareness of sustainability issues, specifically in relation to our context: the fashion industry. Through common training, follow-up exercises and designated time for reflection, everyone developed a shared understanding for the key concepts, a knowledge of the challenges we faced, and possibilities within our industry and our company.

How many colleagues from your company participated, and how did they respond to the education and training?

We sent 6 colleagues and all of them had a positive experience and impression.

What have the benefits of the training been?

Convenience, the right focus (sustainability within the fashion industry), action-oriented training, and tailored-made, so that we could go as deep into relevant topics as we needed.

What advice do you have for other companies planning to engage, educate or train their staff on sustainability topics?

I would suggest that they make sure there are as many people from as many different departments /roles as possible involved, and that they are clear that EVERYONE is important for building the path towards sustainability. It is very important to empower everyone and all the different roles and functions in the organisation to work in the direction of sustainability.

What advice do you have for other companies now planning to get the most of the SFA Sustainability Fundamentals course and SFA’s services overall?

I would recommend that they set aside time in advance (ideally outside work hours) to complete the exercises together among colleagues, as there is a lot of shared knowledge to be gained from staff as a whole, which in turn increases the possibility for relevant actions. Also, it is helpful to make sure, as much as possible, that the training fits well within the availability and time constraints of the participants.

Is there anything else that stands out about your SFA training experience that was helpful and you would like to share?

I liked that every topic had a specific expert in the field talking about up to date initiatives and perspectives. I also liked that the course modules not only on the challenges, but also on the possibilities.