Héctor Hernández-Pons Torres
Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer
GRI: 103-1, IP-4
At Grupo Herdez we promote a culture of respect and care for our environment. In 2020, we involved our collaborators even more in this important task of preserving the wellbeing of the planet. We made synergies in key areas of the company and with our stakeholders to design strategies, guidelines and policies focused on generating actions that have a positive impact on this pillar of our sustainability strategy.
In 2020, I had the chance to participate in creating the strategic sustainability plan of Grupo Herdez. The situation has challenged us to be atypical and work for our projects and initiatives to move forward."
Arturo Guzmán Chimeo, Environmental Sustainability Manager
In 2020, we invested $45,250,268 MXN on environmental programs, 50% higher compared to 2019, and we used it for strategic projects focused mainly on:
GRI: 103-1, 302-1, 302-3, 302-4, IP-10
At Grupo Herdez, energy consumption is fundamental to conduct our operations, thus taking our products to Mexican tables and throughout the world. In this regard, as part of our commitment to sustainability, each year we seek for alternatives of clean energy and more efficient that favor environmental care. We implement actions to favor climate change and responsible production and consumption, actively contributing to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).
In 2020, we made some important changes on our energy consumption reports, since we included Avomex, Cogeneración and Té plants, as well as the Lagos de Moreno Distribution Center (CAF) in the calculation. Additionally, with the divestment of the tuna business, the figures suffered an important reduction as of the end of the year.
As a result of a great effort, 62% of the energy consumed by Grupo Herdez came from clean sources, including wind power and cogeneration.
This year we dispensed the consumption of certain fuels such as marine diesel, fish waste oil and jet gas, which represented a reduction of 18% in the consumption of non-renowable sources.
The total consumption of energy resources used in our operation in 2020 was 1,249,836 GJ, including fuel and electricity, which represents a 1% reduction with respect to the previous year.
The total energy intensity that we generated as a Group was 2.01 GJ/Ton produced, a 14% reduction with respect to 2019.
The inclusion of Avomex, Cogeneración and Té plants, as well as the Lagos de Moreno Distribution Center, represented an increase of 19% with respect to the previous year in total energy consumption (175.97 Kwh/ton produced) and 67% in fuel consumption (19.21 m3/ton produced).
With the intention of strengthening the culture of continuous improvement to continue to reduce our fuel consumption and use of electricity, this year we introduced different initiatives.
GRI: 103-1, 303-3, 303-4, 303-5
As part of our strategic pillars, we are moved by a sense of continuous improvement, therefore, we monitor, measure, and compare our environmental performance indicators, obtaining information that enables us to detect new ways of optimizing our water consumption and improving our processes. Additionally, we drive our collaborators and suppliers to join our commitment to the wellbeing of the planet, through the training that we offer for the adequate management of water resources.
As part of our actions, in 2020:
For the purpose of improving our environmental performance and reducing consumption of this vital liquid, this year, we implemented several actions:
Trap to retain grease, oil, and/or large solids.
Linear or circular Dissolved Air Flotation (DAF) system
Conventional mud biological systems with clarification systems.
Sand and gravel filtration system with activated carbon and manual or online clarification and/or ultraviolet system to mainly eliminate fecal waste and other biological microorganisms.
GRI: 103-1, 301-1, 301-2, 301-3, 306-2
Just as we seek to use efficiently and sustainably the resources that we use in each process, we also seek to take advantage of waste and reintegrate it into the production cycle.
Such is the case of our cardboard inputs (small boxes, boxes, and trays), which we acquire from a supplier, and are prepared with 80% recycled materials. This year, we used 156,616 pieces of recycled cardboard pieces, which is equivalent to 2.24% of the inputs that we use to produce and distribute our products.
This year we generated 64,335 tons of hazardous and non-hazardous waste, from which 83% of them entered into a reclying process.
Elimination Method | 2020 (Ton) | 2019 (Ton) |
---|---|---|
Recycling | 23 | 71 |
Final disposal | 79 | 43 |
Total | 102 | 114 |
Elimination Method | 2020 (Ton) | 2019 (Ton) |
---|---|---|
Recycling | 53,261 | 31,604 |
Sanitary filling: it includes special management waste and solid urban non-assessed waste | 10,972 | 10,327 |
Total | 64,233 | 41,931 |
No Data Found
In 2020, we carried out the following initiatives to recycle and reuse our waste:
GRI: 305-1, 305-2, 305-5
At Grupo Herdez, we have worked to identify the main environmental risks that may affect the continuity and transcendence of our operations, as well as those that generate the largest footprint, thus generate actions that compensate and reduce our impacts on the environment.
From the results of the Climate Change Risks Study prepared in 2019, we prioritized risks, and made a financial impact assessment to be able to propose manageable initiatives.
The risks that we identified were classified according to their probability of occurrence and impact, with the three main pillars being:
In 2020, total direct and indirect emissions were 78,862 Tons of CO2 equivalent, which represents a 14% reduction in total emissions with respect to 2019.
Like every year, we sought to implement initiatives that allow us to reduce our environmental footprint, and generate more positive impacts.
Our GEI (Ton CO2e) emission reduction projects consisted of:
For this reason, in 2020, through Herdez and Aires de Campo brands, we joined “Sembrando una Nueva Normalidad” initiative, promoted by civil society organizations Ríos Tarango and Ectagono, the purpose of which is to increase the plant coverage of the valuable environmental area “Barranca de Tarango”.
This year, Herdez® proposed the goal of planting 200 trees corresponding to 0.182 acres, which may absorb approximately 29 tons of CO2 per year.
Additionally, this initiative promoted the training and creation of 200 temporary jobs, since work opportunities were offered as forest restorers to the inhabitants of alcaldía Álvaro Obregón, who had environmental training, and lost their job as a result of COVID-19. Likewise, with this initiative, we joined the promotion of social reinsertion, by offering temporary jobs to young persons.
To guarantee the correct execution and implementation of forest actions, we provided theory and practical training to all persons involved.