Innovation

According to the ANFEC Association in the year 2020 there was a production of 2.8 million tons of corrugated cardboard boxes in Mexico, however in Mexico there are not many companies that manufacture cardboard pulp packaging and recycled paper, from this problem the company Multipap was born.

Juan Carlos Villareal, Director of VISA Group, created Multipap when he realized that there was not much competition in this area, since after his family sold a small corrugated cardboard factory, Juan Carlos' partner suggested the idea of opening his own manufacturing company, however Juan Carlos opted for the creation of a company that would create measurable pulp packaging and at the same time contribute to the environment.

Since this company receives bales of recycled newspaper, paper and cardboard, this material is then subjected to a sorting and cleaning process to eliminate any contaminants.

Once prepared, the recycled paper and cardboard is transformed into a variety of eco-friendly packaging, such as boxes, wrappings, etc. These products are designed to be fully biodegradable and compostable, thus reducing the environmental impact associated with traditional plastic packaging and other non-renewable materials.

This contributes significantly to environmental conservation by reducing the amount of waste that ends up in landfills and the demand for virgin raw materials.

Inspiration

For Luis Carlos Villareal, there are many aspects of Miltipap and Grupo Visa that inspire him to continue to be part of the leaders who want to make a change in the world. Values such as respect, honorability and honesty are central to his work team, which he says is the most valuable thing he has in his company; they inspire him every day to be better. He was motivated to do this project thanks to his partner, who was interested in starting in the craft paper industry. Luis, knowing the history of his family, who were paper producers before, did not like the idea very much, since he knew that in Mexico, the competition in this sector is very big. But the idea remained in his mind, and he was inspired by other similar recycling methods involving natural waste, such as molded pulp. Researching, Luis realized that products made from recycled cellulose could not be found in Mexico, and if there were any, they were very few. Also, through the inspiration of seeing foreign processes, he realized that the compression of cellulose could give rise to the creation of many packages used in different market sectors. That is how he started the project, and what continues to inspire and motivate him to move forward with his company is the fact of putting Mexico's name on high by manufacturing such specialized and highly engineered products.

Overall impact

Multipap started making trays for 30 eggs, and from there they began to innovate more, making products that have no competition in Mexico, as they are the only ones that develop them, for example, they make protectors for the automotive and aerospace industry, in fact, one of their main customers is SpaceX. Every month they innovate for different industries looking for new customers. One example that highlights the impact they make is that the trays that Starbucks gives customers for their coffees are made by Multipap. They are just entering the medical industry, and are developing products for hospitals. As a company, they like to give back to society for the support they have received, which is why, with what they have received from their products, they have tried to carry out cleaning programs, where they clean areas where their collaborators are located, as well as rivers and other neighborhoods.

Business benefit

The benefits that this innovation had in the Business are that they could get certificated for sustainability, which helps with the prestige of the organization. This improvement in their prestige provoke more trust in the clients which causes more incomes in the business because nowadays people prefer to consume products from businesses that have care about the environment.

Also the CEO said that the athmosphere in the Business is actually really good, this could be related with the honest and desinterested activities that the company performs.

About new markets, this innovation lead to open new opportunities in a variety of different markets such as the medical or the aerospacial industry, making new products like the mentioned protectors.

There is also a lot of opportunities about investment, because these products are new for some countries like Mexico, and looking for investors could be a good idea because it could help with the value of the Business, such as the knowledge about it, because for example, Multipap is not as well know in the world, but with the increase of the business and popularity, their products could reach more and more countries which have problems about being care with the environment.

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Social and environmental benefit

The creation of Multipap and its different products made from molded pulp has undoubtedly been a benefit to both society and environment. As Luis says in the interview, they clean and transform the waste to make the finished product; he comments that the focus of the whole process is to help the environment by reprocessing the waste, so that there is a positive impact on it.

The company is certified in the international norms ISO9001 and ISO14000, which is proof not only of its quality, but also of its environmentally responsible practices. The company is also recognized as a Socially Responsible Company (ESR for its acronym in spanish), a distinction awarded to economic entities that conduct ethical negotiations and show a real commitment to their role in society and towards the environment.

Luis and Grupo Visa have always been clear that it is essential to give back to society everything it gives them, which is why Multipap donates part of its profits to schools in Querétaro and Nuevo León (the places where its production plants are located), where scholarships and technological equipment are given to continue promoting education in the country. Likewise, in the same places, they carry out an annual program to clean up the communities where their workers live, thus providing them with an environment where they feel happy and safe.

Interview

Luis Carlos Villarreal Sáenz, Director

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