IMA and the Environment
Before we talk about our strong commitment to the environment and how we are working internally to continue to successfully deliver on our green goals, we will explain what this environmental day represents and what it has to do with Green Friday.
World Environment Day and Green Friday
World Environment Day has been celebrated since 1974 but was only officially recognized by the UN on 15 December 1975. This day aims to make the world's population aware of different environmental issues. It is intended to motivate people and companies to move towards more sustainable practices in the short and long term.
Green Friday was born in 2018 as an alternative to Black Friday (compulsive shopping day) in which responsible, green and ethical consumption is promoted. In this way, companies and large corporations are trying to incorporate sustainability into their product catalog.
Each year, one country hosts World Environment Day. This year 2020, the host country is Colombia and the theme is Biodiversity, a major global environmental concern. Recent catastrophic events such as the large-scale forest fires in Brazil, California, and Australia, the locust invasion in the Horn of Africa, and the COVID-19 pandemic show that Nature is sending us a message..... But...
What is biodiversity?
Biodiversity is the variety of living things on the planet and encompasses the enormous variety of ways in which life is organized. It includes each and every species that cohabits the planet with us, be they animals, plants, viruses, or bacteria, the spaces or ecosystems of which they are apart, and the genes that make each species, and within them each individual, different from the rest.
Why is it so important?
Biodiversity provides many fundamental benefits to humans beyond the supply of raw materials. Biodiversity loss has negative effects on several aspects of human well-being. It affects food security, vulnerability to natural disasters, energy security, and access to clean water and raw materials.
IMA incorporates in its business philosophy the will to promote respect for the environment. Therefore, one of the objectives of the Environmental Management System is the reduction of 15% of the Carbon Footprint.
In order to achieve this goal, we have optimized energy consumption, reviewed and implemented good environmental practices in all areas of IMA, and implemented a Photovoltaic Energy Generation installation on the roof of the plant.
To optimize water and office paper consumption, we have implemented general good office and production practices.
Regarding Waste Management, currently, 85% of the waste is managed through recovery or recovery treatment, thus generating the minimum amount of greenhouse gas emissions.
At IMA we have the ISO 14001 certificate (Environmental Management Certificate) and we also collaborate with the "Programa d'Acords Voluntarism" of the Generalitat de Catalunya.
In addition, we have also collaborated with several educational centers with whom we share materials and certain waste. These resources are transformed into pedagogical tools to materialize this change of habits in the consumers of the future, as well as to promote their creativity and respect for the environment.
