The commitment that companies have to make to the environment is not only important but also urgent. Sustainability is essential today. While taking action in this regard requires considerable effort, it has been shown to have a very positive impact on both the planet and companies. Between changes and learning, the question is placed in the center of the table: What are organizations doing for a world where future generations will settle down?

These issues were discussed at a meeting organized on the second day of the updated and innovative version of Management 2030. ᲔᲠᲘ And Accenture, which will air for nine years in 2022. At the panel, chaired by Jose Del Rio, secretary general of the newspaper’s editorial office, heads of companies from various sectors told what measures they had taken in recent years to that end. Switch to more sustainable schemes and mitigate the effects of climate change.

Sustainability is related to a central aspect of companies: profitability. It is shown that from 2013 to 2019 firms with high environmental, social and managerial ratings Reached an operating margin of almost five times higher than those with a low level of efficiency. “A long-term company must be sustainable to be profitable. We are in a model where perfect solutions are required, but it is too late, action must be taken now, “said Sergio Kaufmann, president of Accenture Argentina and the Spanish region of South America.

“The future has already come, there is no crack. We are all on one side, “said Juan Marotta, President of HSBC Argentina and CEO of HSBC LAM Sur. Or said that The bank aims to become a pure zero carbon emissions company by 2030. Along the same lines, he said the company is trying to help customers who want to move to cleaner economic models that require resources. “We also want to support new ideas with pure ideologies and be with innovators who come up with models that did not exist and that are going to replace old technologies,” he said.

Why is it so important to move towards a sustainability scheme? Laura Barnator, General Manager of Unilever in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, summed it up as follows: If we do not work on this line, the world will no longer remain. “For us, this is the framework of our strategy. “In 2010, we were pioneers in implementing a sustainable living plan, and everything we do is connected in different ways,” he explained.

For Maria Bengochea, Director of Cookunity Sustainability and Standardization, a start Based in New York, Los Angeles, Texas and Miami, the first step is to understand that life has an impact on the planet. “You have to wake up and think about how this impact is happening. Consider and change our habits, both within individuals and within companies and organizations; “They have the ability to develop greater impact strategies,” he said.

After hearing the responses of people who casually answered the question on the street about what it means for a company to be sustainable, the leaders agreed that individual effort has a huge impact on the environment. “One might think that due to the situation and problems in the country, people are not worried about this issue. However, according to studies, Argentina is one of the countries in the region that It has more people who care about sustainability and who understand that they are part of the solution. ” Noted the barnator.

In the same vein, Kaufman argued: “Micro solutions made within the company make a big difference. Today people are forcing us. “We have the 100th anniversary of the Industrial Revolution, so change takes time, but small decisions have a big impact.” Marotta agreed with the vision. “Every small effort makes a big difference when we multiply it by the thousands of offices we have on every continent, in 70 countries,” he said.

As for the actions taken at HSBC, He noted that ticket printing was reduced by less than a third from 30 million remnants. In addition, he clarified that the company has already allocated more than $ 2.5 billion for green projects in Latin America, and said that many of the firm’s buildings have undergone alterations and received LEED certification. “In our iconic building in Florida and Peron, we’re tearing it down and repairing it. “It will be a sustainable building with efficient use of technology, waste and a circular economy model,” he suggested.

In Unilever, however, the goal is ambitious. “Our goal is to achieve 50% recycling of the plastics we use and we will finish 20% this year. In 2021, using recycled plastic instead of pristine, we re-use the weight equivalent of 30 obelisks. Specified the barnator. He added that the goal is to be 100% recycled and compostable packaging and assured that today this percentage reaches 57%. “We also aim to recover more plastic than we bring to market. “We are working hard on that,” he said.

“Thinking about short-term profitability in a company is a death sentence. By the same token, in the long run, if you are not sustainable, you will not survive and I think no one is doing this account. ” Kaufman emphasized. According to him, Accenture has made significant changes to the building in Buenos Aires, where it has become possible to avoid 100% fossil fuel consumption. In this regard, he put forward the need for legislation to go in the same direction and to be implemented in practice with a planet-friendly vision.

For his part, Bengoche pointed Cookunity seeks to eliminate disposable plastics by introducing packaging made from re-used materials. “After five weeks of piloting in New York, we were able to recover 10,000 bags and reuse about 8,000. “It is as if 36 petrol cars are taken out of circulation every year,” he said. “Our mission is to democratize the intake of nutritious food so that it can reach more and more people,” he added.

Generation driving change

The meeting was attended by Patagonia brand creator Yvonne Chuenard, who in an exclusive interview with LA NACION stressed the importance of young people in the fight against climate change. “In my company we formulate these values: Make the best product, do as little damage as possible, and give employees the right to be their own boss. ” Counted. “I am not inspired by other entrepreneurs. There is a tendency to be more sustainable in business, but most of it is “green laundry”. Very few big companies do something, they say they do, but they really do not. “I’m not inspired by big companies, but by what young people do,” he said.

What is the axis of transformation? The key for an entrepreneur is to look for an economy based on quality rather than quantity. “This is the most profitable way to run a business. “I’m very pessimistic about the future, about climate change. We obviously are not doing enough today, nor will we do in the future. I’m mostly a semi-Buddhist. I believe that everything has a beginning and an end, that we live and die. Among them, we try to do the best we can, not only to save the planet, but also to be a good person. And so it is, there are some things you just have to get, ”he said.

Is the future green?

Sustainability involves many dimensions. This was announced by Jacqueline Pels, Director of Inclusive Business Space at the University of Torquato di Tela, who virtually participated in the meeting: “In order to achieve the goals of sustainability, it is very important to create a new actor, a mediator, who acts as a bridge and democratizes the materials on the market.”

With the idea that sustainability encompasses hundreds of dimensions, Lucia Cheney, a clothing designer and creator of the plant-based clothing company Chain, shared her story during the meeting to inspire other entrepreneurs and said it’s her mission. Is to convey values ​​through its brand that add to the fashion world and empower people in everyday life.

The event was also attended by other generations of management 2030 reviewers: Victoria Cole, CEO of Wunderman Thompson in Argentina and Chile, left a question for attendees: “What is the next step on the agenda? In this regard, Kaufman assured him that he is “Expanding the concepts of environment on social”. “We have 50% of poor children in Argentina. How will we be a sustainable society if this inequality is maintained? Huge differences between wealth concentration and education must be avoided. “It’s also a debate about sustainability,” he explained.

Another key question was Alicia Caballero, CEO of Ucatec, at the end of the meeting. He called for reflection on whether sustainability should be systemic or isolated at the individual level. He took the word Bengochea, who argued: “The whole system helps, provides the framework, commands, arranges, But the system is made up of individual people, so I think we have to start with the parts. ” One by one or by the thousands, what seems undeniable is that the path to sustainable schemes is an urgent necessity.