Water consumption and resources optimization in the Grupo Rotoplas facilities in Guatemala

Water consumption and resources optimization in the Grupo Rotoplas facilities in Guatemala
Through an operational efficiency approach and in accomplishment of the Environmental Management Systems of the company, the Guatemala plant has started with the implementation of optimization initiatives for water, resources and enhancing their water culture.

The Guatemala facility has started with various recycling & resource optimization projects, developing 3 principal actions:

Recycling
Water optimization in the production processes
Water culture

 

Recycling:
Nowadays, we recycle paper, paperboard, nylon and e-waste. In respect to the recycling of paper we developed initiatives such as the “Day of the order and cleanness” and the implementation of recycling stations located in spaces near our collaboratives. We have recycled more than 800 lbs. of paper and the annual projection is about 700 lbs. The economic earnings of this recycling activities is donated to the foundation “Nature Defenders” which mission is to conserve the economic diversity and culture of important ecosystems in Guatemala, through the sustainable use of natural resources and with the active participation of the community.

Water optimization in the production processes:
In the final phase of rotomolding, we implemented a process that recovers water through the installation of 2 filters (one holds resins, and the other one holds carbon) and a gravel and pomex detainer. This has aloud us to increase the cycles in which we use water, using it between 9 or 10 times, recycling it in 80 %. This recovery project traduces in a total save of 30 cubic meters of water monthly and its bombing energy.

Rotoplas implements projects to supply renewable energy to its plants

Rotoplas implements projects to supply renewable energy to its plants.
Aware of the importance of reducing dependence on non-renewable energies, Rotoplas implements projects to supply renewable energy to its plants.

Extrusion, grinding, injection and rotomolding are the four industrial processes that we use in Rotoplas to manufacture the water solutions that we provide to families, schools, communities and companies in the 14 countries where we operate. These processes require energy to be carried out, mainly Natural Gas or LP Gas and electricity. This is how we ensure the operation of the machines installed in our 21 Plants.

In 2016, electricity was the second most used source of energy in our operations, which represents almost 25% of our energy consumption, and is equivalent to 37.4 million of kWh. This consumption emitted 14,000 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) during that year.

Recognizing the importance of energy consumption and efficiency, as well as the necessity to move toward less aggressive energy schemes with the environment, in Rotoplas we have implemented different alternatives in our Plants and work centers to progress in the use of renewable sources of energy that feed our work processes.

Through purchase and production schemes of energy from clean sources such as solar and wind, in Rotoplas we have achieve that 86% of electricity used in our processes, its obtained from the use of renewable sources. This indicator has improved over time, helping us reduce our emissions of Greenhous gases (GHG). In this process of continuous improvement, our team of Supply Chain, Purchasing, Operation and the Plant personnel have been fundamental to achieve positive results.

As the result of this approach is that some of our most important plants in Mexico are supplied, almost completely, by electricity from clean sources. Such is the case of our plant in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon; our plant in Lerma, Mexico City; and our factory located in Leon, Guanajuato. This approach generates not only environmental benefits, but also economic benefits.

This initiative is identified in the second focus of our Sustainability Model: Collaborative Innovation with Meaning.

We invite you to learn from this and other sustainability progresses in our 2016 Integrated annual report.

The first sustainable school of Argentina is constructed near Buenos Aires

The first sustainable school of Argentina is constructed near Buenos Aires
With the objective of being the first sustainable municipality of Argentina, Mar Chiquita receives in 2018 the project “A sustainable school”. Rotoplas would help the students of the school with getting access to water.

The program “A sustainable school” have the goal of developing a network of several public schools of Latin America that are self-sufficient. By generating a triple impact: in the children that study in the school, the community that surrounds it and the society in general.

The initiative was launched by Tagma, which is an organization that woks in the educative, the community and the massive sector among other allies. The project is located in Mar Chiquita which is one of the municipalities with the biggest biodiversity in Argentina. There you can find: sea, sand beaches, lagoons, prairies, dunes, grasslands and streams.

For constructing the school, they used a method developed by the arquitect Michael Reynolds and its enterprise Earthship Biotecture which has been used for around 45 years to generate self-sufficient buildings around the world. The design of the school seeks to take advantage of the energy from the sun, the water, the wind and the ground.

The concept of Earthship is designed to develop spaces under 6 fundamental principles that guarantee self-sufficient buildings comfortable for their users:

• Natural and recycled materials.
• Solar heat and thermic mass.
• Solar Electricity.
• Harvesting water.
• Sewage water.
• Food production.

To secure that the school has a sustainable access to water, Rotoplas helps to supply and install 28 rain water catchment systems. This collected water would be principally used for human consumption, sanitation, crop harvesting and storage.

The project would benefit indirectly around 23,000 persons that live in the municipality. This way, in Rotoplas we seek to help to guarantee the access to water and sanitation in schools, houses, communities and public spaces by improving the quality of life of people. We invite you to know about other successful projects in our site: Solutions for development.

 

Rainwater harvesting systems for households in the State of Mexico

Rainwater harvesting systems for households in the State of Mexico
In the efforts of reconstruction after the earthquake in Mexico City of the past September 2017, Rotoplas collaborates with other allies to supply rain water catchment systems to the affected houses.

The earthquake affected severely the population in Mexico City, Chiapas, State of Mexico, Guerrero, Morelos, Oaxaca y Puebla. The event helped to awake the spirit of solidarity of Mexicans that helped in every way the affected persons.

The most challenging phase has been the reconstruction, because several families are in the uncertainty of having a home again. Thus, several social organizations have come to the idea of developing integral projects of reconstruction that helps to reduce the waiting time, helps the affected persons to get involved in the reconstruction process and guaranteeing a secure home again.

This is why Rotoplas is working with strategic allies involved in the reconstruction phase of affected houses. Along with the foundation “Vamos a dar” and through the “Programa de Apoyo para Zonas Afectadas (PAZA)”. Rotoplas has developed a rainwater catcher system that aloud around 200 families to use the resource in an efficient way. These systems let the users use the rain water for consume, food washing, purification and other domestic chores. The total capacity of storage is around 80, 000 liters.

By the end of this project, that is expected to last around 3 months, around 200 houses of the municipalities of Ocuilán, Villa Guerrero, Tenancingo y Joquicingo in the State of Mexico are going to diminish their dependence of the water net, by counting with a sustainable system of rainwater catchment that elevates their life quality by getting access to water.

We invite you to know about other successful project in our website: Solutions for development.

Rural agriculture workers improve their productivity through ecotechnologies

Rural agriculture workers improve their productivity through ecotechnologies
To obtain certifications that aloud their crops to be exported, Rotoplas has created sanitation projects in different agriculture fields in Mexico.

To export their crops, the producers must accomplish several requirements of sanity from different governmental entities to guarantee the quality of the products. In the certification process the laborers need to demonstrate that the solid human waste is well processed in a way that doesn’t contaminate their crop fields.

For that, Rotoplas is working in the West of Mexico with the supply and installation of wet bathrooms, which are a sanitation system that allowed the proper treatment of the human feces and helps the laborer’s to secure de quality of the food produced, and certificate them.

With this project, more that 70 agriculture fields have been benefited in the states of Jalisco and Nayarit.

This is how this type of projects allowed Rotoplas to carry more and better water along with proper sanitation to rural areas of Mexico and Latin America. You can get to know other projects of Rotoplas along with other allies in our section Solutions for Development.