The cost of sustainability against not being sustainable

Guayaquil, Ecuador. - On September 26, a discussion panel around “How much does sustainability costs vs. not being sustainable” was held at Casa Grande University. The event was attended by Xavier Parra, business expansion manager of Reybanpac; Denisse Cajas, director of environmental and industrial services of Veolia Ecuador; Frella Ruiz, financial director of DP World Ecuador; Jorge León, financial planning deputy manager of Grupo Difare; and Santiago Atozqui, plant manager of Unilever Ecuador.

At the meeting, which students from various business branches attended, the panelists addressed sustainability from an economic approach. In this regard, Xavier Parra stated that the social responsibility that Reybanpac has maintained for more than 30 years through the Wong Foundation has not been an expense, but an investment in the future for the company.

“We started providing access to primary and secondary education for children and young people in the rural communities near our operations, and then we incorporated technical education for young people in those areas. You might think that this meant an additional cost for the company, but it was always thought of as an investment. We create development opportunities for people in these areas and encourage them to be part of the agribusiness, thus reducing migration to large cities. In turn, it has allowed us to have more qualified personnel and better productivity,” he explained,” he explained.

Being an organization that has been committed to responsible production for decades (Reybanpac was a pioneer in South America in obtaining ECO OK environmental certification in the 1990s) has also brought other benefits, such as the possibility of accessing the most demanding markets.

“Having this type of certification opened doors for us to access more markets, such as Europe, which is today the main destination for our exports,” said Parra. Furthermore, Reybanpac's sustainable vision has enabled it to access efficient financing for the benefit of the operation to continue pursuing strategic objectives with an environmental approach.

Along the same lines, Dennise Cajas, of Veolia, agreed that it is more costly to be unsustainable than sustainable if one takes a long-term view. “The planet is experiencing a crisis associated with climate change and environmental pollution. The main conclusion we have reached is that the cost of living the consequences of unsustainability is much higher than the cost of ecological transformation,” she said.

On the role played by consumers today, Santiago Atozqui, from Unilever, stressed that society is more informed and aware, which is why it also demands responsibly produced products. In this regard, he highlighted one of the company's products, a dilutable detergent that uses a smaller plastic container. “This represents a reduction in the amount of plastic used, less energy consumption in packaging, fewer trucks for distribution and it is even cheaper for the consumer”, he said.

Frella Ruiz, from DP World, also highlighted the importance of intensifying efforts today, not only for the benefit of the company, but also for the community. Jorge León, from Difare, whose efforts are aimed at generating health and well-being, agrees: “In 2004 we created an educational foundation to train the people who attended the points of sale, as well as their families, who were the owners of the businesses, so that they can also have the tools to grow and improve their economy”.
The speakers concluded that it is possible to be sustainable and that both companies and consumers must generate awareness and become agents of change. “We must be sustainable today. Today is the time to prepare for the future,” said Xavier Parra.

This is the fifth occasion in which Reybanpac, Veolia, Unilever, DP World and Grupo Difare meet to promote corporate sustainability; this time, inviting future professionals to integrate sustainability in their business actions. The five companies will continue to generate these and other types of spaces to promote commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals.