Our commitments and partnerships
SCML is a signatory of national and international sustainability commitments as a way of strengthening the promotion of sustainable development.
Since 2018, there has been a continuous and active cooperative relationship with GRACE — Responsible Companies. GRACE is a non-profit business association of public utility, whose mission is the promotion and development of a sustainable business culture, fostering the participation of member companies in the context in which they operate.
In 2018, Santa Casa strengthened its commitment to respecting diversity by signing the Portuguese Charter for Diversity. With this commitment, the Institution aims to reinforce its management model on the promotion and inclusion of diversity, recognising and elevating its potential as a driver of creativity and value creation. In 2021, Santa Casa reinforced its commitment to the Charter by becoming a member of APPDI — the Portuguese Association for Diversity and Inclusion.
In order to strengthen Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa's commitment to sustainable development and improve its performance in this area, it joined the UN Global Compact and its Portuguese Network (GCNP) in December 2018, also joining the SDG Alliance initiative. By joining this initiative, the UN Global Compact expects signatory entities to be committed to adopting the ten principles in their strategies, processes and operations and to achieving the 17 SDGs.
In March 2019, Santa Casa became a member of Lisboa E-Nova — Lisbon's Energy and Environment Agency. This association aims to promote the sustainable development of the city of Lisbon and its metropolitan area, through improved energy efficiency, the use of endogenous resources and environmental management.
Aware of its role and responsibilities in the city of Lisbon, Santa Casa da Misericórdia signed the Lisbon European Green Capital 2020 — Climate Action Lisbon 2030 Commitment, committing to implement over the next 10 years a set of measures that contribute to reducing its environmental and carbon footprint and, consequently, to improving the city's environmental indicators. In 2021, the Institution approved the internal action plan to deliver on its commitment in this area.
In July 2021, Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa became a member of APPDI — the Portuguese Association for Diversity and Inclusion. APPDI's mission is to promote Diversity and Inclusion within organisations and in Portuguese society in general. Among other activities it carries out for this purpose, it manages and monitors the implementation of the Portuguese Charter for Diversity.
In 2022, Santa Casa was one of the founding members of the Portuguese Council for Health and the Environment (CPSA), a Council whose vision is that future generations may live in a sustainable world, no longer threatened by climate change, in healthy environments. One of the Institution's duties as a founding member is to present an explicit strategy for reducing the ecological footprint of the activities it carries out.
In April 2023, Misericórdia de Lisboa joined the Portuguese Platform for Integrity, which emphasises the prevention of corruption, transparency and good governance as fundamental pillars of an inclusive and sustainable global economy. The Institution thus committed to mirroring the implementation of policies, instruments and measures that contribute to building a solid ethical culture and a practice of integrity.
Misericórdia de Lisboa, through its Gaming Department, subscribed to the European Lotteries (EL) Environmental Initiative in April 2023. This initiative aims to commit all EL members to adopting environmental sustainability measures, in particular regarding the paper used in the production of gaming tickets and the management and monitoring of greenhouse gas emissions.
