IBERDROLA : offers its customers the possibility of supporting the AECC via their bills

IBERDROLA and the Spanish Association Against Cancer (AECC) have launched the campaign Together Against Cancer, in which the electric utility offers its customers the possibility of supporting the AECC via their electricity or gas bills. IBERDROLA has also undertaken to provide the same amount as selected by its customers, which may be €0.25, €0.50 or €1 per month.

This initiative, which is being launched on Sunday 23 October next, was signed at IBERDROLA's offices in Madrid by the Managing Director of the AECC's Scientific Foundation, Isabel Orbe Martínez-Avial and IBERDROLA's Director of Retail in Spain and Portugal, Iñigo Alonso.

Together against Cancer is a campaign targeting IBERDROLA's customers in the free market in Spain (7.3 million people). These customers will be able to join the initiative without the need for any prior paperwork. IBERDROLA will make it possible to support this charity initiative with a straightforward process carried out via its usual customer support channels: the face-to-face outlets, website and free hotline.

This initiative, the first of its kind in Spain, is part of the agreement reached by the two organisations a year ago with the ultimate goal of increasing the amount of support available to continue cancer research.

In that time, they have carried out joint information and awareness campaigns and held charity runs in Madrid, Teruel and Zaragoza. Coinciding with the launch of Together Against Cancer, the 5th Valladolid March Against Cancer will be held next Sunday. It is expected to draw a crowd of 30,000 people.

IBERDROLA has experience with a similar initiative that has been organised since 2012 in the United Kingdom, in which ScottishPower supports the British association Cancer Research UK. In this case, the Scottish subsidiary offers a fixed price to its customers, the Help Beat Cancer Fixed Price. Signing up for this price means that the company commits to providing up to £5 per year per contract to the organisation. This project has already raised over £9 million.

The AECC, 63 years' experience in the fight against cancer

AECC is a private NPO (non-profit organisation) with public interest status that has been working to fight cancer for the last 63 years. The AECC brings together patients, families, volunteers and professionals who work together to prevent, raise awareness, accompany cancer patients and their families and fund cancer research projects that will enable better diagnosis and treatment for cancer.

One of the AECC's top priorities is quality cancer research. It is now the private organisation that allocates the most funds to cancer research, with €34 million earmarked for this purpose. In the year 2015, the AECC supported over 447,000 people affected by the disease.

IBERDROLA, committed to society

This pioneering project reaffirms IBERDROLA's commitment to society, which has led to various initiatives designed to enhance the quality of life not just of those that belong to its organisation, but of the general public, as a sign of its contribution to sustainable development.