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2011 Sustainability Report
LETTER FROM
THE PRESIDENT
After another year, we present you the Abacus Sustainability Report, which
gathers the most relevant facts of our activity in 2011, regarding to social,
economic and environmental dimensions. The purpose is to review who we are,
what we do and what we want for the future in order to understand our project,
be part of it and build commitment.
Our 2011-2012 Strategic Plan is based on the service, the people and the
entity’s online presence, as well as on the enhancement of the role of the
consumption members and social bodies, both being the axes that articulate the
cooperative’s activity throughout the fiscal year. As you might already know, 2011
has been a complicated year marked by an adverse economic context. However, I
truly think that new innovative solutions and positive chances can arise form
complex environments. And this is the attitude we have to face the future with.
Abacus mantains its commitment to quality and service because these are the
distinguishing features of the cooperative. That is why we have stressed the selec-
tion of our products, reaching a well-balanced quality-price ratio without
lowering our criteria requirements. Furthermore, we carry on developing signifi-
cant social dynamization activities through the intercooperation with other
entities of the territory in order to promote new collaborations and to undertake
new projects in the fields of culture, education and cooperation. The dedication to
these issues is a commitment we have shared for the seventh time with the
“Premis Abacus 2011” (2011 Abacus Awards), a recognition to people and projects
that promote a new way of doing things and a new understanding of the world.
These steps have been possible thanks to the work, the effort and the dedication
of all our members. In 2011 there has been a rise in the number of consumer
members -reaching more than 727,000 members (a 4.5% increase over last
year)-. We have also incorporated new employee members, who have made the
total employee members increase up to 477 people at the end of 2011.
I would not like to finish these lines without saying that in 2012 our main purpo-
se is to become a more participatory, innovative and sustainable cooperative.
Abacus’ main challenge is to be prepared to face future changes. Certainly,
cooperativism can be a powerful tool to overtake difficult situations and it is
also a high-valued organization model that has, in 2012, its commemoration
year. Indeed, the United Nations declared 2012 to be the International Year of
Cooperatives, with the theme of “Cooperative enterprises build a better world”,
and Abacus cooperative can not be missing!
Anna Martínez Salas
,
Vice President
(President-in-Office)