Sustainable logistics makes companies more efficient and creates value, according to experts gathered at the Cajamar Forum
Business leaders agree that innovation, technology, and public-private collaboration are key to the transition to more efficient models and ensuring the country's competitiveness.
Cajamar held the second edition of the Cajamar Sustainability Forum at its Financial Center. The event brought together executives from leading companies, institutional leaders, and innovation experts who, along with the bank's president and manager director, Eduardo Baamonde and Sergio Pérez, analyzed how sustainable logistics creates economic, environmental, and social value, focusing on a sector that is strategic for Spain.
In a global landscape marked by geopolitical uncertainty and trade tensions, where military conflicts are once again impacting transport flows and driving up fuel prices, requiring companies to make greater efforts to continue supplying markets, participants emphasized that innovation, technology, and public-private partnerships can generate economic, environmental, and social impacts throughout the logistics chain, and that the transition to more efficient models is key to ensuring the country's competitiveness.
They also highlighted that supply chains face the challenge of adapting to new regulatory, environmental, and social demands without compromising their operational efficiency. The development of green infrastructure, the progressive electrification of transport, the use of renewable fuels, and the integration of advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence and predictive analytics are rapidly transforming the way products are produced, moved, and reach the end consumer.
In Spain, this transformation process is particularly relevant due to the weight of the logistics sector in the national economy. With more than 212,000 companies and 1.2 million workers, as indicated by the Spanish Transport and Logistics Observatory of the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, transport and logistics are a key driver of the country's competitiveness, contributing more than 4.6% of GDP, and of territorial cohesion between regions. Spain's geostrategic position, as a gateway between Europe, Africa, and the Mediterranean, makes its logistics network a fundamental asset for international trade and for the development of essential sectors such as agri-food, manufacturing, tourism, and e-commerce.
In this context, accelerating the energy transition of transport in Spain becomes crucial for promoting more responsible and independent logistics models, capable of reducing their exposure to the volatility of fossil fuels and moving towards clean energy solutions. This change will not only reduce emissions associated with freight transport, but also strengthen the resilience of the entire supply chain, improve operational efficiency, and attract new investment opportunities linked to more sustainable technologies.
The forum began with a presentation by Sergio Pérez, manager director of Cajamar, who welcomed attendees and emphasized that “logistics is no longer a secondary element in the profit and loss statement. It is a strategic factor. For many sectors, logistics costs represent up to 25% of the final product price. In an environment of tight margins and more complex supply chains, those who optimize their logistics improve their competitiveness".
Pérez recalled that “the Mediterranean has been the great highway of global trade for millennia.” Referring to the present, he added: “If we consolidate infrastructure, intermodality, digitalization, and sustainability, this Mediterranean arc can become one of the major logistics hubs of Southern Europe. And that's not just theory: it's a reality that many of the companies present here are already building".
Regarding Cajamar's commitment to sustainability, he explained that “at Cajamar, we believe in sustainability not as a slogan, but as a long-term strategy. Sustainability is competitiveness. It's efficiency. It's resilience. It's the ability to adapt without losing our identity. We have been supporting companies and regions through times of change for decades. And we know that challenges are best overcome when faced together".
Following the welcome address, a dialogue took place between Roberto García Torrente, general director of Sustainability at BCC-Grupo Cajamar, and José Manuel García-Margallo, former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of the Spanish Government. García-Margallo provided a geopolitical perspective on the global context, explaining that we are not merely in an era of change, but rather a change of era. “A change of era in which the Community of Nations has eroded, to unimaginable limits, the international order established at the San Francisco Conference in 1945, which created the United Nations and can be summarized in three points: universal rules accepted by all, administered by multilateral institutions that limit the sovereignty of member states, and aimed at promoting democratic values".
However, he continued, “these principles have been ignored recently, beginning with the first invasion of Ukraine in 2014 and even more so with the disregard for the principles of international humanitarian law in the Gaza war. They have now been practically destroyed with the second invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and, above all, with the attacks that Israel and the United States have unleashed on Iran without authorization from the United Nations Security Council". He stated: “Force has become the source of law, replacing multilateralism, diplomacy, and consensus among nations. Furthermore, peace is not considered an end in itself but a condition sought by force of arms to guarantee the permanence of one's own dominance. And finally, the world is being designed by the great powers: the United States, Russia, and China, each establishing its spheres of influence, and all of them guaranteeing the permanence of these spheres of influence to the others".
The first session, moderated by Cinta Pérez, director of Corporate and Business Banking at BCC-Grupo Cajamar, focused on the needs of companies as users. Representatives from some of Spain's leading companies shared their experiences, challenges, and logistical innovations, which have contributed to their success in achieving leadership positions in their respective sectors. Fernando Pérez, Operations Director at Cosentino, noted that "logistics plays a key role in reducing companies' emissions, highlighting the cross-cutting nature of sustainability. The integration of technologies—beyond simply using more efficient modes of transport—for route optimization and raw material procurement is one of the major challenges we face, not to mention geopolitical tensions". Acesur's CEO, Gonzalo Guillén, emphasized the importance of olive oil logistics, stating that "it begins in the tree and reaches the tables of millions of consumers. But the chain doesn't end with the bottle: nearly 80% of the fruit that isn't used for oil becomes a byproduct. Adding value to this byproduct, transforming it into biomass and contributing to the circular economy, is just as strategic for the sector as getting the packaged oil to international markets in the most efficient and sustainable way".
For her part, Ángela Baus, general manager of Fulfillment at PcComponentes, commented that “logistics has become a strategic element for many companies, especially in e-commerce. At PcComponentes, we have experienced this firsthand, and that is why today we also offer our logistics services to other brands through our fulfillment service—the complete order delivery process to customers". She added that “we are no longer just talking about speed or cost, but about how to design efficient operations that allow the business to scale without compromising the customer experience. When you optimize processes, reduce errors, and better plan operations, you not only improve service and competitiveness, but you also reduce unnecessary movement and additional transport. Therefore, in many cases, the most sustainable logistics is also the most efficient".
Fran Martínez, Commercial and Social Economy director of Cajamar, led the second session, in which several logistics service providers discussed the transformations they are undertaking to meet the needs for logistics infrastructure and services and to transition towards more sustainable models. Along these lines, Gerardo Landaluce, president of the Port Authority of the Bay of Algeciras and Vice-President of the European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO), emphasized “the need to preserve the maritime connectivity of ports, as one of their main assets, which also serves the regional and national productive sector.” Thus, he warned of “the impact that the European Union's Emissions Trading System will have on European ports, with the risk of traffic and investment being diverted to third countries where this European environmental regulation is not applied, and the consequent loss of connectivity, activity, and jobs that this will entail.” Landaluce emphasized “the efficiency of the Port of Algeciras (recognized by the World Bank) and its commitment to sustainability and innovation to be leaders in decarbonization and the energy transition".
Likewise, Juan Manuel Valverde, director of Sustainability and Quality at Ontime Logística Integral, emphasized that “the future of logistics hinges on two major transformations: the consolidation of a historically highly fragmented sector and the decarbonization of transport. At Ontime, we are making progress on both fronts alongside our clients, growing organically, integrating capabilities, and preparing our operations to ensure that future energy sources are decarbonized and, above all, economically sustainable".
Gabriel Castañares, manager of Management Systems at Renfe's Sustainability and Energy Efficiency Department, pointed out that “the logistics sector has the opportunity to incorporate the advantages of rail transport by focusing on four key areas directly linked to sustainability: passing on the lower energy costs of rail to customers, offering comprehensive and sustainable intermodal solutions, leveraging existing public incentives, and investing in rail freight corridors. Combining these four actions not only improves the environmental impact of logistics but also reduces energy costs, lowers emissions, and enhances its reputation with customers and markets that value sustainability". Finally, he noted that “today, sustainability is not an abstract concept: it influences price and service, and it directly impacts customer needs. For these reasons, rail is a central element in a sustainable logistics model".
For his part, Antonio Ruiz, director of Decarbonization and Strategic Alliances at Moeve, explained that “the solutions we offer at Moeve to help our clients decarbonize their operations are multi-energy. For sectors such as industry and heavy transport by road, sea, or air, we are offering alternatives that can be implemented now, such as second-generation biofuels like biomethane, renewable diesel HVO 100, or SAF, produced from waste and usable in current combustion engines. We are also making progress in the development of new synthetic fuels".
The session also featured a presentation by innovation expert and former managing director of Google for Spain and Portugal, Isabel Aguilera, who analyzed smart territorial competitiveness. “We shouldn't have to choose between competitiveness and sustainability; it's about competitiveness through sustainability. Regions that understand sustainable logistics as a strategic tool will not only move goods, but they will also shape their future, because when logistics works, a region thrives. Logistics, sustainability, and territorial cooperation are key elements that not all regions are optimizing", she explained.
“To paraphrase Nietzsche’s famous phrase: those who have a why, and a clear understanding of for whom, can bear almost any how. And so Almería has demonstrated that it is possible to build global competitiveness from a complex territory with extreme conditions, some very favorable and others quite the opposite. It is no longer a matter of demonstrating productive capacity, but rather of consolidating a sustainable, well-organized, and socially integrated model. Sustainable logistics and sustainability are not moral decisions: we are talking about strategy, business, brand, reputation, territorial competitiveness, and above all, common sense", he concluded.
The president of Cajamar, Eduardo Baamonde, closed the day by highlighting the relevance of the timing of this forum, marked by the impact of the Iran-Contra conflict. “We live in a globalized world where any event has repercussions on a global and local scale. We will ultimately have to analyze how the increase in fuel prices and the consequences of the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz for international logistics influence the current economic situation in the world, Europe, and Spain.” He also assured attendees that, “nevertheless, our country has an efficient logistics sector and that, despite the geopolitical situation, its services are guaranteed".
Baamonde summarized the main conclusions of the speakers and emphasized that “Cajamar, true to its clear mission of serving businesses and cooperatives, will strengthen its support in the face of the current geopolitical uncertainty to help ensure the supply chain continues to function".
Link to the video: Second edition of the Cajamar Forum for Sustainability