Nury Montenegro
Diana Celi
Universidad Externado de Colombia
Gustavo A Yepes López
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The innovation of Green Andina consists in converting the fruit wastes from the juice industries and the fruit pulping companies (residual biomass in the circular economy) which would have to have resources for their destruction or burning and Green Andina turns them into premium matter for the cosmetic industry and crreates another series of cosmetic products as extracts.
"Additionally, the machines that carry out the transformations of the residual biomass have been designed and created by the founder of the Company," says the company's manager. He is also his father and always thought about the preservation and sustainability of the environment.
In order to guarantee the supply, the company manager says ‘’a foundation called the Green Andina Foundation has been created that helps farmers' associations strengthen and have commercial allies for the complete purchase of production.’’
All of the above contributes to contributing to the fulfillment of the following sustainable development objectives such as: Clean Water and Sanitation, Decent Work and Economic Growth, Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, and Responsible Production and Consumption
The Innovation carried out by Green Andina is very important first because, although they are using plant materials that can behave, if the proper processes are not done, the large tons of plant materials not properly disposed of cause environmental pollution.
''In the same way they have a social impact by supporting farmers' associations, guaranteeing them the purchase of their production and teaching them the importance of working the land and in a team, as well as seeking to make the land more personal every day and not one person as yet,'' says Angelica, the Company's manager.
They also work as a company so that '' cosmetic companies in Colombia do not import materials such as essential oils, exfoliating extracts and other materials'', says Angelica, and in this way they can contribute to the generation of more national jobs and in the future they can to be suppliers of products or raw materials for the cosmetic industries of other countries through the supply of circular economies.
Oil packing process and oil making process
"The inspiration was born from the Founding partner, who is the father of the Company Manager. He built each of the pieces and machinery that the company has and his mother made each of the formulas with which they work to make the products,'' Angelica comments. The idea was born when he was a student of Pharmaceutical Chemistry at the National University and his thesis work was to make eucalyptus essential oil and at that time all the oil was imported and there was a problem in the sheet of Bogotá, because the leaves that were cut from the trees then damaged the ground and he thought how he could recover and transform so as not to cause that damage from 40 years ago.
Angelica our manager says that his father ’transformed that learning and began to multiply’, that is, they realized that what could be done with eucalyptus leaves, could be done in different materials.
They analyzed and realized that there were materials such as scrubs and fixed oils for cosmetics that were imported, and there were several things that could be used to make them. They reviewed that the food industries, in particular those of juices had many problems with the waste of the fruits and the cost was very high, so they began to negotiate with them to receive that waste to transform it.
''From the need to see the use of waste materials'', says Angelica, it has contributed to reducing an environmental impact in the sheet juice industries, they have been part of the construction of a sustainable circular economy over these 7 years, Since in the same way as they use the waste of other industry, the waste that they take out of their industry, is used by other companies to carry out other processes.
There are already products for export to the United States and Canada. As they become referents they will grow, they can contribute to all levels at which they are currently being developed.
'' Growing up has not been easy, '' says Angelica, because there are many fronts to attend and to guarantee the sustainability of the operation, the work since the creation of the company has generated two more institutions, which are the Green Andina Foundationn and Green Andina Foods, which is the company that helps to market the products of farmers' associations. At the beginning of the operations there were 3 people and today there are 8 people.The main goals of the company are in:
• Growth in markets, businesses and brand positioning.
• Strengthening relationships with interest groups.
• Customer service generating solutions according to the type of customer and the commercial channel.
• Assembly and implementation of SGC processes.
• Optimization of the productive operation
• Develop organizational capacity to implement the strategy.
• Consolidate and optimize information and registration systems for monitoring and decision making.
• Strengthening of human talent for competitiveness.
According to de UN, a third of de the waste ends in landifills that do not guarantee the protection of the environment and health. Garbage management is one of the biggest challenges for the sustainability of the region.
A transition to a circular economy that is directly related to the sustainable development goals is needed
This innovation benefits society and the environment because:
1. It uses organic waste that pollutes the planet and transforms them into sources of raw material and products for the cosmetic industry.
2. Its philosophy of sustainable circular economy is one of its pillars.
3. The transformation of organic waste is carried out in machines designed to have the least impact on the environment.
4. Help strengthen farmers' associations, ensuring that the planting and harvesting of their products are a source of permanent income, and generating new jobs.
5. Plastic scrubs are banned and Green Andina is one of the few companies in the world that makes them using vegetable waste as raw material. The magic is that it implements the economy in its form of business.
All its innovation contributes to contribute to sustainable development goals such as:
• Clean Water and sanitation: More than 80% of the wastewater resulting from human activities is discharged into rivers or the sea without any treatment, which causes its contamination. Green Andina produces its operations in a sustainable way and avoiding the misuse of water both in spending and in contamination with its waste
• Decent work and economic growth: The continuing lack of decent work opportunities, insufficient investment and low consumption produce an erosion of the underlying basic social contract in democratic societies: the right of all to share progress. The creation of jobs and decent work by the Foundation that was created contributes to achieving this goal.
• Industry, innovation and infrastructure: Technological progress must be at the base of efforts to achieve environmental objectives, such as increased resources and energy efficiency. Without technology and innovation, industrialization will not occur, and without industrialization, there will be no development. Green Andina has created innovation not only with the transformation of organic waste but also that the design of its machines is innovative and environmentally friendly
• Responsible production and consumption: Sustainable consumption and production consist of promoting the efficient use of resources and energy, the construction of infrastructure that does not harm the environment, the improvement of access to basic services and the creation of ecological jobs , fairly paid and with good working conditions. Green Andina in its entire process from purchase to product generation seeks to benefit all parties in a sustainable way not only with the environment but also with the economy
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ANGELICA SANCHEZ RIVEROS, GERENTE GENERAL
Green Andina works under the principles of the circular economy in the development of productive chains with eco-responsible processes and in alliance with the communities.
The main effort of this company is the production of ingredients from plant materials such as aromatic plants, fruits and others, with the aim of achieving the sustainable development of all participants in the chain, communities and the environment.
''Innovation is a major tool for growth'' comments the Company Manager. It play a fundamental role not only in its products, but also in other important aspects of its activities, such as the different distribution channels, the development of active ingredients and inputs, supporting the work of communities, suppliers, and promoting the adoption of sustainable practices.