After several years of planning, improvements and adaptations to the environmental processes involved in its production line, the André Maggi Group was accredited by the ABS certifier that it meets all the necessary requirements to become part of the select group of major companies to obtain ISO 14001 environmental certification. This certificate attests to that the environmental management already developed by the Group complies with the international standard required by ISO.
The certificate was awarded this Tuesday (November 13) at the André Maggi Group Company head offices located in Rondonopolis (State of Mato Grosso - MT). The entire Group export route, known as the Northwest Export Corridor, composed of silos, ports and factory units, along with the Tucunaré Farm (Sapezal/MT) was audited and not hold ISO 14001 certification. It is worth pointing out that Tucunaré is the only soy producing farm unit in Brazil that has this certification.
André Maggi Group chairman, Pedro Jacyr Bongiolo, says that this recognition in the environmental area is a victor for everyone at the company. “We have further incremented our environmental management system, the necessary resources have been made available but if it wasn’t for our employees who have witnessed this management process at first-hand and been aware of their role in relation to respect for the environment, we would not have achieved this milestone”, Jacyr points out.
The most important part of the entire certification process is the diagnostic and monitoring tests on the impact level in relation to the natural environment of company activities. After identifying environmental impacts, plans are made to avoid and prevent these, with the aim of avoiding the accumulation of environmental liabilities. Pro-active measurement actions are structured such as for example, action and continual process improvement plans.
In addition to environmental accountability, certification also attests that the company is also robust. “Before a company can achieve excellence in terms of environmental management, it must also already have the same level of quality in its financial and administrative management. This counts as a confidence and credibility factor in the market for investors” explains Ocimar Villela, André Maggi Group environmental manager.
The environmental certificate guarantees the sustainability of company business and fortifies the balance of Man versus Nature, as well as an added plus in terms of trade. In demanding markets such as in Europe, products from companies with environmental credibility are more attractive.
Assurance
As the philosophy of ISSO 14001 and any other certification process is continual improvement, by being awarded this certificate the André Maggi Group will have its environmental management system continually improved on. According to Joao Shimada the Group’s Environment Coordinator, every six months audits will be carried out in order to maintain certificate assurance.
“We are not the best, we are simply good. Because of this we will need to improve our management system a little more each year. The spirit now is that we now know where we are. We’ve identified and have our situation mapped out. There are things we are working on, there is an action plan, while others are still being monitored and it is from now onwards that we shall move towards continual improvement. From time to time we will reevaluate and set up new goals”, Shimada argues.
The philosophy of continual improvement and through which certification becomes practical is to be increasingly more efficient in your market without compromising natural resources or the environment as a whole. In this system, processes become more efficient and all those involved become agents policing environmental goals.
