In connection with this event, the San Luis Potosi site was visited by local, state and federal authorities, including:
urgent remediation steps, which have been addressed and resolved, according to each type of required procedure. At present, only the measures recommended by the Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection (PROFEPA) are opened and pending; these involve soil remediation and civil protection relating to investments. A fine of Ps 7,000 was levied, by the municipal civil protection authorities; the other agencies have not yet formally closed the procedures.
One of the values that guides the operation of Grupo Pochteca is caring for the environment and abiding by all related norms. For that reason, our management system includes monthly monitoring of all norms, the detection of any violations and action plans to avoid their recurrence, as well as allotting the resources to necessary to fulfill those objectives.
The types of activities our company is engaged in requires that we abide by environmental rules at the municipal, state and federal levels. These obligations are contemplated as part of the controls, monitoring and reports that are part of our Integrated Management System (SIG) nationwide. These reports are reviewed each month by the Senior Management to assure that we maintain the necessary compliance.
In 2016 we were the target of 35 inspections, nine by federal environmental authorities. From this visits we had 4 sanctions: 2 by the Ministry of Labor and Social Security (STPS), 1 from the Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT) and 1 from Civil Protection, totaling Ps 160,280 pesos. The violations in question were dealt with to the satisfaction of the authorities.
In addition to such governmental inspections, our clients and suppliers conduct an annual evaluation of our environmental performance through second and third hand audits. In 2016 we were the subject of 27 audits, 21 of which comprised part of their evaluation of environment aspects. In all of these we received favorable evaluations and in some cases suggestions for improvement.
The results of such verifications are communicated to the organization through our communications and collaboration portal PochtecaNET. Moreover, we share each branch location’s normative performance though their site within that same portal.
Environmental legal requirements are regarded as one of the main criteria to be used for acceptance or rejection when evaluating possible new projects. For that reason, over the course of the year we requested the necessary permits and studies for the installation and operation of three solvent distillation units at our facilities in Leon, Guanajuato, Mexico.
Data highlights
Total paper sheets: 928,521
Trees consumption: 111
CO2 consumption: 11,792 kg
Equivalence of hours of a light bulb light: 738,329 hours
Total paper sheets: 310,129
Trees consumption: 37
CO2 consumption: 3,939 kg
Equivalence of hours of a light bulb light: 246,604 hours
By investing Ps 35 million in 2015 to acquire 3 solvent recovery systems, we were able to increase the volume of material recovered in 2016, as follows:
| 2015 | 2016 |
|---|---|
| 1,660 liters | 5,538 liters |
