REYBANPAC, FERTISA AGIF, and REYLÁCTEOS shared their good environmental and social practices in sector forums

Last week, REYBANPAC, FERTISA AGIF, and REYLÁCTEOS, companies of the Favorita Fruit corporate group, shared their good environmental and social practices in different forums with business associations and GRI (Global Reporting Initiative) representatives for Latin America.

Leonardo Viteri, Vice President of Corporate Affairs; and Denisse Noboa, Head of Integrated Management Systems and Regulatory Affairs of FERTISA AGIF (agricultural inputs division), took part of the AEBE Talks, held on May 30 by the Association of Banana Exporters of Ecuador.

In his speech, Viteri emphasized that REYBANPAC has stood out for being a pioneer in the industry in the implementation of environmental certifications. “Our company’s sustainability vision is what has allowed us to anticipate and achieve an important position in demanding markets such as the European Union, which today is our main export destination,” he added.

In addition, Viteri said that in 2022 REYBANPAC's first sustainability report was published with the aim of making this information more accessible to its stakeholders. “We are currently preparing the publication of our biennial report corresponding to 2022 and 2023 referenced to the GRI (Global Reporting Initiative) standard,” he said.

Viteri also expressed that it is key not to lose focus and to continue doing things the right way. “We will continue to strive to achieve our sustainability goals in terms of resource optimization, circular economy, and strengthening the role of women in agribusiness. We will also maintain our commitment to biodiversity protection and our contribution to the development of rural communities through employment generation and the Wong Foundation's social and educational programs,” he concluded.

Denisse Noboa highlighted the importance of responsible production that contributes to climate change mitigation. In this regard, she said that FERTISA AGIF offers a portfolio of biological, botanical, and compatible products for organic crops with added value for its customers.

“We have programs such as ‘Doctor Fito’, ‘Doctor Nutri’, which not only offer regulated and responsible agro-inputs, but we also provide training to farmers in order to promote the culture of good use of products,” she detailed.

In 2021, FERTISA decided to participate in GRI’s Competitive Business Program to prepare its first sustainability report. From that experience, Noboa said that the company was able to lay the foundations for the management of sustainable indicator in all departments involved.

“We are committed to the sustainable development objectives that we have set as a company and, furthermore, to provide our customers with eco-friendly products and to be their strategic allies for sustainable agriculture,” Noboa said.

In this same series of meetings, REYLÁCTEOS joined in a encounter with members of the Dairy Industry Chamber (CIL) and the National Association of Food and Beverage Manufacturers (ANFAB). On this occasion, Leonardo Viteri emphasized that, in the last five years, REYLÁCTEOS has been implementing water recovery projects at different stages of its production process, including cattle farms and production plants.

“As a result, in our Mirador plant, we have managed to reduce water consumption per liter of milk produced by 34%. At the same time, we recovered 50% of the wastewater at our second plant in Sangolquí for our production process,” he said.

In terms of renewable energy and circular economy, REYLÁCTEOS uses energy generated by biomass, which covers 60% of the requirements of one of its plants for the milk pasteurization and sterilization processes. This is possible thanks to a wood-fired boiler, which uses the residues from the sawn wood of REYBOSQUES, FAVORITA FRUIT's forestry unit.

“With this, we achieved a 76% reduction in bunker consumption,” explained Viteri, who also pointed out that REYLÁCTEOS produces its own balanced feed for the cattle, which contains more nutrients, allowing to improve their productivity.

Bananas are also one of the components of the cattle's diet. “To this end, we use part of the non-exportable fruit from our banana unit as part of our actions to avoid food waste,” said Viteri.

These actions are complemented by the commitment and responsibility with the rural communities near the operations of the companies that are part of FAVORITA FRUIT. Nearly 900 children and young people in the provinces of Los Ríos and Santo Domingo receive quality education thanks to the WONG FOUNDATION through its four Child Development Centers, three Educational Units, and technical programs.

Taking part in discussion forums is a valuable tool for the promotion of good social and environmental practices in business. In this way, Reybanpac, and its sister companies, put into action their commitment to contribute to greater sustainability in agribusiness.