logo

X

Innovation & strategy
CREATION OF VALUE

Access to water and sanitation context

Latin America and the Caribbean have one-third of the planet’s water resources. In the region, water availability exceeds 22 million liters per capita a year, a figure that nearly quadruples the world average (ECLAC, 2016). However, there is a heterogeneous distribution of the resource and large populated areas in regions with low availability or high water stress. 70% of water is used for agriculture, while domestic use occupies the second place of greater intensity, which demands 19% of it (ECLAC, 2016). This scenario suggests the need to prioritize efficiency in agriculture and ensure water supply to households.

cre
cre
cre
cre

In this regard, the concept of water security stands out, which means to ensure the availability of safe water to be supplied to the population for subsistence uses, among other aspects. Grupo Rotoplas is aware of these priorities and addresses them by providing solutions for storage, flow, purification, filtration and treatment.

The most vulnerable population regarding access to water and sanitation usually lives in less-favored areas of large cities and in rural regions, where coverages for this and other basic services are less efficient.

Mexico has 9 million people without access to piped water, and 50% of wastewater does not have an appropriate treatment (CONAGUA, 2015). The magnitude of these figures in the country and in the region, forces governments to the development of programs to reverse such situation. In this regard, social initiatives of various government agencies in Mexico and Brazil have included Grupo Rotoplas’ solutions, such as rainwater harvesting systems, outdoor sustainable bathrooms) and water purifying systems, which help to reduce gastrointestinal, respiratory, and infectious diseases as well as school and work absenteeism (GESOC A.C., 2015).

During the year, an important event was the implementation of the Programa Nacional de Bebederos in public preschool, primary and secondary schools, promoted by the National Education Infrastructure Institute (INIFED from its Spanish) and its representatives at State level. The program aims to increase pure water consumption, promoting a change towards healthy nutrition habits that foster a multidimensional approach against childhood obesity, in which Mexico ranks first globally. After public tenders were carried out, we were awarded the installation of 3,193 drinking water fountains and our solutions are now part of the PNB in 4 of the 5 regions in which the country has been divided for the initiative.

In Grupo Rotoplas we also develop pilot programs with some integrated solutions in Guatemala, Mexico and Peru, which will be expanded to other countries in the region; we contribute as well with in-kind support to different NGOs’ initiatives, that benefit rural communities through joint working models.

We are contributing to improve the conditions of water supply and sanitation in different rural communities through our solutions. With the acquisition of Sytesa puts us a step forward participating in the wastewater treatment process, with which we completed our presence in the whole water cycle.

Source: Panorama del agua en el mundo, Consejo Consultivo del Agua.
References:
Peña, H. (2016). Challenges of water security in Latin America and the Caribbean, ECLAC.
National Water Commission. (2015) Situation of Drinking Water, Drainage and Sanitation Sub-sector.

IN MEXICO, 10% OF THE POPULATION LACKS ACCESS TO DRINKING WATER AND 43% DO NOT HAVE MINIMUM SANITATION FACILITIES.

cre
cre
cre

Business model and corporate strategy

In Grupo Rotoplas we seek to offer high quality innovative products in order that people will have more and better water, and we have a large portfolio that includes individual and integrated solutions.

Our design and innovation team leads the development of products that offer differentiated value considering users´ needs; these needs are frequently evaluated by our team on-site. This is how ideas become solutions, for which we consider materials from a sustainability approach, such as polyethylene and polypropylene, both of less environmental impact than other alternative plastics. These materials are prepared in company´s plants, and then distributed to the injection and rotomolding plants.

In the case of solutions with greater diversity of components, we have specialized assembly plants. In order to ensure our high-quality standards, we maintain strict quality standards on parts produced by third parties.

Our products reach the market and consumers through a large network of distributors, including home improvement and construction material stores, and other specialized stores. With NGOs, we establish direct relations, either through donations, 1:1 contributions or other collaboration models. On the other hand, we have a team of experts who are responsible for advising Governments to identify needs and possible solutions.

In Grupo Rotoplas we are convinced of the potential of collaboration and we want to trigger the development of technologies that improve the population’s access to water and sanitation, contributing to the construction of a community focused on it. This is the purpose of Rotoplas Labs, our innovation platform for the future, in which disruptive ideas are conceived to develop new solutions that, based on the users’ experience and needs, will build innovative business models.

Also, we are focusing our efforts to provide value-added services, as those provided by the newly acquired Sytesa, which in addition to the construction of wastewater treatment plants, is a specialist on their operation and maintenance.

cre

THE ROTOPLAS WAY IDENTIFIES US AS CREATORS OF A COLLABORATIVE CULTURE, WITH PEOPLE COMMITTED, INNOVATIVE AND ALIGNED TO PROCESSES. IT CONSTITUTES OUR COLLECTIVE UNDERSTANDING OF HOW TO DO THINGS AND FACILITATES INTERACTION AMONG MULTIDISCIPLINARY TEAMS.

cre

Relation with stakeholders

Grupo Rotoplas trajectory, performance and perspectives, are the result of a strong network of relationships and collaborative efforts with our different stakeholders. We understand the actively and multidirectional interaction, with an approach to maximize the created value.

Along with our web site and the publication of our integrated report, we also have channels, platforms and other tools to interact with each group of stakeholders.

We also collaborate with sectoral associations, contributing to the analysis of the common challenges and proposing solutions.

cre
cre
cre
cre
cre
cre
cre
cre
cre

Sustainability model

In Grupo Rotoplas we consider sustainability as a crossed drive to our corporate strategy and our relation with stakeholders. Under the phrase “For people to have more and better water”, we want to generate a positive impact that will transcend our operations and will contribute to promote a more sustainable society, from the social, environmental and economic perspectives.

In order to focus our efforts on the most significant issues from our stakeholders´ perspective and from the Company’s strategy, this year, we carried out a materiality analysis, through a 4-stage process: identification, prioritization, validation and review, whose main activities are below.

Review and identification

Grupo Rotoplas’ Approach
  • Analysis of corporate documents, including our Code of Ethics and Conduct and some major policies.
  • Interviews were made to prominent executives of the Company, who raised many topics.
Our stakeholders´ overview
  • Analysis of the results obtained from the different interaction channels with our stakeholders, including ”Great Place to Work” survey and supplier satisfaction survey, along with the main information requirements by investors and the press appearances.
  • Also, we carried out an analysis of the main issues reflected by the industry, according to publications as Sustainability Topics for Sectors of Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), the annual analysis of RobecoSAM (Sustainability Yearbook) as well as the materiality provided by the Sustainability Accounting Standard Board (SASB).

Prioritization and validation

After having created the list of potentially relevant topics, we proceeded with their prioritization and afterwards we determined the material issues. Though the process we considered both the company´s strategic overview and the stakeholders´ approach, drawn up by:

Grupo Rotoplas’ Approach
  • Executive in-depth interviews.
Stakeholders´ overview
  • Direct consulting through interviews with strategic clients (including NGOs and Government entities) and a survey to employees. In addition, consultations were conducted to raise the overview of government customers and distributors through interviews with the teams in charge of the relations with them.

As a result, we obtained the following material issues:

cre

Sustainability Model

These topics served as the basis for our Sustainability Model, that we defined during 2016, which is also based on the Corporate Strategy 2014-2019 and our understanding of the way in which Grupo Rotoplas creates value.

Four large focal points in which we prioritize our actions arise from our understanding of value generation: Corporate Sustainability Governance, Collaborative innovation with purpose, Driving economic and social development, and Safeguarding water as a resource for the future. Each focal point comprises a series of lines of action, which set the guidelines of our performance and the creation of the Model Implementation Plan, for the next 3 years which we are currently developing.

Sustainability Model

CLICK TO VIEW EACH FOCUS

Focal point 1:
Corporate Sustainability
Governance

Focal point 2:
Collaborative innovation
with purpose

Focal point 3:
Driving economic and
social development

Focal point 4:
Safeguarding water as a resource for the future

cre cre cre cre cre

Sustainability Model

CLICK TO VIEW EACH FOCUS

Focal point 1:
Corporate Sustainability
Governance

Focal point 2:
Collaborative innovation
with purpose

Focal point 3:
Driving economic and
social development

Focal point 4:
Safeguarding water as a resource for the future

Innovation

In Grupo Rotoplas we are characterized for being a company in constant growth, whose passion is to innovate and develop new technologies allowing to expand our portfolio and find new solutions to address the global challenges of water, while retaining a high-quality approach and best guarantee to end users.

Last year, after having created the Innovation Office, in charge of the internal development of products and process as well as new relations with universities and research centers, in 2016, we focused on the wastewater treatment and water purification lines. We invested $77.7 million pesos, a 5.1% increase over the previous year for all our innovation projects.

We identify innovative technologies, integrating them to our platform in order that they can reach their full potential and contribute to supply more and better water to all. In 2016, we invested in the Advanced Innovation Center of Chile (AIC), a leading research center with whom we shared the innovation with propose approach. The resources provided are intended to promote the development of Plasma Water Sanitation System (PWSS) technology, created and patented by AIC, which allows to purify water contaminated by organic matter in a 100%. Already recognized internationally, PWSS is being applied in 13 pilot projects in communities in Chile and has a huge potential impact on global public health.

In addition to our participation at AIC, we executed agreements with different universities and research centers, to contribute to the development of technologies and water and sanitation solutions.

An outstanding part of our progresses during the year, is the launch of Rotoplas Labs, a platform with which we are looking to create an innovation community, providing capacities and technologies to communities that need water solutions. The nature of Rotoplas Labs offers a unique opportunity for exponential growth, which could allow to decrease the gap between people with access to water and sanitation and people without them.

cre
cre
cre