We constantly work to reduce the risks related to our operations
Concerned about the environmental problems facing our planet, at Pochteca we constantly work to mitigate the risks that our operations might pose while also looking for preventative measures that can make a positive contribution to our surroundings.
Our Integrated Management System (IMS) is aligned with national and international environmental protection standards so we can be certain that our operations are conducted in accord with applicable norms. All of our activities are controlled, monitored and reported in keeping with this strategy.
Biodiversity
Our operating centers are located in industrial parks authorized for conducting our commercial activities so none of our land-use permits contain any restrictions related to biodiversity conservation.
Pochteca’s Accident Prevention Program (APP) spells out operational and infrastructural controls for cases in which harm to biodiversity could be generated by our operations. Furthermore, our Environmental Risk Assessments (ERA) specify the types of flora and fauna that could be affected in the event of a contingency.
As a precautionary measure, we maintain environmental liability and risk insurance coverage to cover environmental damages.
Water
GRI 303:
103-1,
103-2,
103-3
303-1,
303-3
Water is necessary for any process. Given its scarcity, we work with strategies and technologies that help us to better manage this vital resource.
Our operations include a solvent recovery process whose distillation phase demands deionized water use. For this purpose, we have at our disposal five units that require 300 liters of water each. Thanks to these units’ vapor recovery system, it has not been necessary to refill them since we first deployed them in 2014. Neither has it been necessary to refill the 700-liter deposit of the cooling tower that services these units since it was put into operation.
The water supply for all of our facilities in Mexico except Cancun and Merida, Mexico, consists of municipal waterlines or purchases of tanker truckloads. The Cancun facility has its own water well that it uses exclusively for sanitization needs and we never surpass the consumption levels specified by Mexico’s National Water Commission (CONAGUA) in our concession title, and the facility does not yet have a water harvesting facility of its own.
We reuse 89% of our drums (4 turns per drum)
We improved our container recovery and recycling process by 11%
9% reduction in number of sheets printed per capita
matErials
GRI 301:
103-1,
103-2,
103-3
301-1,
301-2,
301-3
Below is a list of the basic containers we use for packaging and storage.
| Container | Number of pieces |
|---|---|
| Bucket | 31,459 |
| Jug | 170,091 |
| Drums | 226,710 |
| Tote | 7,163 |
| Total | 436,163 |
Due to the nature of the products we are unable to recover all our containers. For those not sent for final disposal (drums and jugs) we have a special cleaning process that can be conducted on the premises or outsourced to suppliers with the necessary facilities.
By washing the metal drums in our San José and Minatitlán, Mexico facilities, we were able to reuse each drum 4 times.
Due to the greater efficiency achieved in container usage, we saw a reduction in their sale for recycling compared to 2016:
As part of our commitment to promote the reuse of materials, and with an eye toward achieving mutually beneficial results, we initiated sales of cellular equipment to our associates. During 2017, we sold associates 215 iPhones that had been retired from company use at a 60% discount to their market price.
Our operations employ previously used wood pallets we acquire and recondition locally at a 78% effective re-use rate.
As part of our waste reduction program, we have assigned a Ps 500,000 budget for controlled printed equipment, which allowed us to maintain an environmental impact record of tree consumption derived from such printing and CO2 emissions per user. Thanks to the support of our associates, in 2017 we lowered our per capita sheet consumption at our largest warehouse facility (San Juan), which also has the greatest number of people employed. We plan to lower resource consumption by implementing a responsible printing campaign at every one of our sites.
Energy
GRI 302:
103-1,
103-2,
103-3
302-4,
302-5
Compared to 2016, we achieved the following energy consumption reductions:
| Energy source | Results 2017 |
|---|---|
| Diesel | 9% better fuel yield in transport equipment |
| Biodiesel | In our first year using biodiesel it accounted for 6% of our transport fuel consumption |
| Gasoline | 3% savings L/PK in passenger cars |
| Electricity | 9% savings through operational optimization and improved maintenance program |
Emissions
GRI 305:
103-1,
103-2,
103-3
305-2,
305-3,
305-5
Most of the activities Pochteca engages in consist of storage and distribution, so the CO2 emissions generated by our operations are derived exclusively from our consumption of electricity, gasoline and diesel, as well as mobile sources in the form of transport vehicles.
We arrived at a reading of those emissions using the Emissions Calculator of the National Emissions Registry (RENE), which showed an annual total of 1,054 Ton CO2 eq, which is well below the maximum level (25,000 Ton CO2 eq a year) required for the registry’s Annual Operations Certificate.
During 2017, we spent7.4 pesos per average kilometer traveled
Transport
To facilitate our activities, we have assigned 284 company cars to executives and sales representatives and operate 103 transportation vehicles. To guarantee proper operation and compliance with the applicable environmental regulations, we maintain service records on all our vehicles and have a policy on switching out vehicles after a certain period of use or mileage; we also assign gasoline cards to control consumption.
We work to lower our greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), which consist primarily of those generated by our transport vehicles. The actions we have taken in this regard include:
436.7 ton CO2 are generated by indirect electric energy sources
Electric Energy
We have a number of initiatives for lowering our electric energy consumption including:
Because of the nature of our operations, we have no need for heating, refrigeration or steam, so no other GHG emissions are generated.
Effluents and waste
GRI 306:
103-1,
103-2,
103-3
306-2,
306-3,
306-4
Our operations generate hazardous waste in connection with:
When handling materials containers or packages may be breached or broken, products may prove to be non-compliant or other emergencies may arise. This is why most of our facilities are rated “small generators” of hazardous waste with only three of our plants classified as “large generators.” None of these facilities surpassed the maximum limits established for these categories.
We generated a total of 200 tons of hazardous waste in 2017. In all cases, the waste was disposed of responsibly, in keeping with applicable SEMARNAT rules.
Leaks and spills are among the environmental risks we contemplate in our operations. For that reason, we have the infrastructure and equipment necessary for containment in the case of storage and transport of liquids as well as the very specific emergency protocols and procedures for each of these scenarios.
The following table lists the leaks and spills that occurred in 2017.
| Site | # of spills | m3 |
|---|---|---|
| Reynosa | 1 | 0.1 |
| León | 7 | 7.4 |
| San Luis Potosi | 1 | 0.6 |
| Torreon | 1 | 14.5 |
| San Juan | 1 | 5.8 |
In all cases, the spills took place within the primary containment areas of the product handling zones, meaning on concrete paving with protective trenches, therefore the material was collected and disposed of in keeping with our toxic waste management procedures.
Following each event, we conduced an accident investigation to determine their causes and take preventive measures in anticipation of future situations. The spills that occurred were the result of failures to abide by established procedures and a lack of training, so we are stepping up efforts in both regards as well as review controls and their supervision.
None of the incidents involved violations of regulatory norms or voluntary codes.
As part of our sustainability strategy, we have 5 German-technology solvent recovery and recycling units that allowed us to recover 3,428,000 liters of clean solvent. In addition, we invited our customers to participate in our initiatives to reduce hazardous waste by offering our cleanup and solvent reuse services.
Our drum washing efforts at one facility require us to maintain a water treatment plant for which we conduct annual studies to assure the discharge parameters remain within applicable regulatory standards. At all other locations, the residual water we generate is derived exclusively from sanitization services.
Regulatory Compliance
GRI 307:
103-1,
103-2,
103-3
102-11,
307-1
As part of our core values, we promote environmental protection and abide by all regulations applicable to our operations. Through our IMS we monitor compliance with all obligatory norms, quickly detect any violations, and develop action plans to assure such infractions are not repeated. Furthermore, we allot all the resources necessary to fulfill those objectives.
The types of activities our company engages in require that we abide by environmental laws at the municipal, state and federal levels. These obligations are contemplated nationwide in our IMS by means of controls, monitoring and reports that are reviewed each month by Senior Management to assure we maintain the necessary levels of compliance.
We were the subject of 30 inspections during 2017, 8 of which were conducted by environmental authorities. They detected minimal infractions that were dealt with quickly and to the satisfaction of the authorities, so no penalties were imposed in any instance.
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 2017 we were the subject of 33 audits, all of which produced favorable evaluations and in some cases suggestions for improvement.
The results of such verifications are communicated to the organization through our pochtecaNET portal. At the same time, we share each branch location’s normative performance though their site within that same portal.
| Month | Closed cycle | Internal consumption | Total liters |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 48,522 | 158,938 | 207,460 |
| February | 72,346 | 83,722 | 156,068 |
| March | 221,147 | 96,852 | 317,999 |
| April | 175,734 | 171,151 | 346,885 |
| May | 174,168 | 118,729 | 292,897 |
| June | 211,576 | 77,252 | 288,828 |
| July | 175,218 | 258,047 | 433,265 |
| August | 187,069 | 216,394 | 403,463 |
| September | 131,180 | 302,697 | 433,877 |
| October | 159,215 | 328,612 | 487,827 |
| November | 131,100 | 283,155 | 414,255 |
| December | 72,757 | 313,288 | 386,045 |
Compliance with environmental rules is one of the main criteria we use when deciding whether to accept or reject possible new projects with a determination made during the evaluation phase.
We internally evaluate our performance using process indicators we review on a monthly basis, and once a year during management’s strategic planning session. From there we decide on the actions needed to correct any departures from our objectives and strategies, and in this way assure that our company continues to improve and grow.
Expenses and Investments
Pochteca invested Ps 486,000 in environmental protection measures in 2017, including permits, studies and legal consultancy.
At the same time we sustained our efforts in the wake of the 2016 accident in San Luis, but no funds were needed in addition to the Ps 1.5 million originally allocated. The corresponding environmental authorities continue to conduct their assessments of whether the site has been fully restored.
