CHILE - As part of its strategy of responsible growth with the environment, Imperial – a retail specialist chain of wood and panel boards formalized its entry into the Global Compact Network Chile, a United Nations entity that in Chile operates under the wing of the University Andrés Bello.

Imperial and Global Compact share pillars and fundamental principles regarding the concern for human rights, respect for labor standards, the care of the environment and anti-corruption practices. In this sense, Imperial committed to adopt the ten principles promoted by the United Nations.

Patricio Silva, CEO of Imperial, said that "adherence to the Global Compact means meeting the desire to formalize our work on social responsibility and sustainability. This is a job we have been developing throughout our history and is now formalized with this undersigning."

This was also the occasion for the presentation of the Imperial’s first Sustainability Report the company presented its economic, social and environmental performance, following the guidelines of the G4 methodology of Global Reporting Initiative (GRI).

It is important to point out that in 2007 the home improvement retailer Sodimac bought 60% of the Imperial hardware store chain, maintaining its brand image and network stores, but diversifying its scope in the public.

Today, Global Compact has more than 10,000 participants worldwide who voluntarily signed the commitment to this important international forum. The agency was created by the UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan, in 1999, and its main objective is to promote sustainable growth and civic responsibility of committed and creative companies.

Meanwhile, Margarita Ducci, Executive Director of the Global Compact Network Chile, take this instance to ensure that "through the accession of Imperial hope to publicize the importance of sustainability in our country to all employees and contractors."