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Many economic interests take precedence over ecological projects * Innovating new methods of a sustainable nature within industries that have worked in the same way since their inception is quite a challenge, says Daniel Olvera, manager of Ecowrap- Mex

BY MARÍA JOSÉ VALENCIA

Globally, the pandemic has caused companies to close, workplace violations, and layoffs due to the economic crisis. Mexico was no exception and millions of workers and industrial sectors were affected. This resulted in a dilemma: stay at home and carry out a 'home office' or face the crisis and accept that their labor guarantees would be violated, such as low wages or dismissals since the end of March. This brought as a consequence that the unemployment rate stood at 4.5% in the eleventh month, compared to the 4.7 percent registered in October, according to data from the National Institute of Statistics (INEGI). But the recovery has not been easy with the new implementations; However, there are methods that help to excel and continue with the productions and industries, and even measures so that they do not decrease their production and thus preserve templates in the labor sector. The foregoing provides guidelines for entrepreneurs or businessmen who have industrial assets to save on inputs and obtain benefits for their sector, and at the same time take care of the planet without affecting workers, although, like everything in life and more when it comes to money, there are well-known directors of large companies who don't give a damn about ecological change. But no one better than Daniel Olvera, manager of Ecowrap-Mex, to address the issue of the great challenge facing the business world: Innovation or economic stagnation. —What does the sustainable project to reduce plastic in industry consist of? “Currently there is a very good and strong trend to reduce the consumption of plastic and disposable products in a personal/individual way, disposable products such as straws, cups or supermarket bags. “If we have made progress individually in terms of reducing disposables, why not with that same initiative we encourage industries to do the same in favor of the environment? "If we think about it at a scale level, a person to a company, we do not behave industrially speaking in such a different way, both in coordination, can take the same initiatives at the corresponding scale If in the same way that it was forced by national law to cancel the the use of straws in restaurants and bags in supermarkets, the industry is forced to reduce or limit the use of single-use plastic, without a doubt the whole world would benefit from taking these environmental measures in a mandatory manner”. —From what situations was born to carry out this project of change in the industry? “Like any undertaking, the way in which it gradually adapted until it became -after my family- the complete focus of my professional life is very curious and I am also increasingly convinced that it is my goal in life, since that I am very passionate about. The fact of thinking that you help large corporations to control their disposable waste makes me very happy to know that I am doing that little bit.

"I dedicated myself for more than 10 years to the electricity generation industry, you will remember the megaprojects in the six-year term of President Felipe Calderón of electricity generation, where we had a boom in investment in clean energy, solar and wind, thanks to the fact that I had the opportunity to participate in the specification area for those projects, that's where I began to realize that we can generate the same energy/industrial result, but with a lower impact on the carbon footprint. "Without a doubt, the European companies I worked for were a great example for me, since they are unfortunately more advanced than national companies in terms of sustainability." —What has been the obstacle or situations you have faced for the industries to implement this change? “Without a doubt, innovating new methods of a sustainable nature within industries that have worked in the same way since their inception is quite a challenge. We were born with plastic, we grew up with plastic, and I know many of us will die with plastic. The biggest obstacle is being able to help operations managers to visualize a process without disposable products; Once we are able to visualize their process without polluting materials, their reverse logistics is made more robust, allowing them to implement returnable packaging. “In a second point, I would like to add as an obstacle the people who try to contribute to the project by sailing with a false sustainable flag and trying to profit. As they say, you cannot serve two gods, there are people who are in love with the economic, putting it before the ecological benefit, it will be difficult for them to achieve a sustainable impact correctly and unfortunately they are falling by the wayside”. —In these moments of confinement, what has been achieved to change and what would be missing? “Not only in the industrial sector, practically in all sectors we are going through extremely difficult times. Instability became the new stability. "Fortunately, we have improved the ROI (return on investment) of sustainable implementations, which results in companies taking more care of their budget and being able to allocate it (which is what we recommend) to maintain the staff." —How far do you want to go with this sustainable project? “Global plastic production has skyrocketed in the last 50 years, especially in the last few decades. In fact, in the last ten years we have produced more plastic than in the entire history of humanity.

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“It is also estimated that by the year 2050 there will be more plastic in the oceans than fish in it. The strongest war we face is against ourselves and how far do I want to go? Well, wars have to be won." —What message do you give industry leaders about improving with this sustainable project? “Times have changed, the consumerist era of the 80s, 90s no longer exists, the company that produces more and at a lower price no longer grows, the consumer mentality has changed, importance is already beginning to be given to sustainability , sometimes even putting it before economics. Starting with small sustainable practices within your production processes can make a big change. “Set goals to reduce the consumption of plastics and polluting disposable materials, carry out initiatives for workers and awareness campaigns for staff. Not because polluting is legally allowed, it will be done excessively to achieve economic benefits. “Hundreds of years ago it was legal to sell people as slaves and it was a normal practice until it was prohibited by law. The same is happening now with the destruction of ecosystems and the environment, it is legally allowed, but that does not make it less harmful or bad.

“We have to avoid that in a few years in the future we do not look back and regret irreparably for our way of approving the industry and our current consumption”, points out and warns Daniel Olvera.