 Over the last two years, Aguas de Mondariz has implemented a total of 18 sustainability measures for its production process, which have significantly reduced and optimised the consumption of raw materials and energy

 Reducing the consumption of oil derivatives by the equivalent amount consumed worldwide in over one minute; avoiding the amount of CO2 emissions that 766 Spanish families would generate during 5 years; or saving an equivalent amount of water to the flow in the River Tea estuary during 32 hours,... are some of the best achievements.

 The company has managed to reduce its consumption of plastic by 9,500 tons, glass by 36,000 tons and water by 335,600 litres.

 Aguas de Mondariz was the first Spanish company to obtain the international ISO 9000 Quality Management and ISO 14001 Environmental Management certificates, along with the EMAS III.

Mondariz, 06 May 2011.- Aguas de Mondariz has earmarked 100% of its investments in 2010 and 2011 to Corporate Social Responsibility activities, in order to foster the sustainability of its production process. It has thus managed to reduce and optimise the consumption of raw materials and energy considerably, according to its Sustainability Report unveiled today.

During the event, which was attended by the Autonomous Government of Galicia’s Councillor for the Environment, Territory and Infrastructure, Agustín Hernández; the Chairman of the Mondariz Balneario Foundation, Javier Solano; the Chairman of Augas de Galicia water board, Francisco Menéndez; the general secretary of Aneabe (National Association of Water Bottling Companies), Irene Zafra; and the Deputy Managing Director of Ecoembes (Ecoembalajes España), Carmen Sánchez; the company also announced the recent awarding of ERDF funds to Aguas de Galicia and to the Mondariz Balneario Foundation to the tune of 1,700,000 euros for the project to recover the River Tea bank. This project was presented by Aneabe to the European Federation of Bottled Waters (EFBW) as one that showcases the partnership between public and private entities for regional cooperation. ANEABE has also submitted some of the environmental and sustainability measures carried out by the sector.

Aguas de Mondariz has always prioritised the implementation of environmental improvements. The main achievements include reducing the weight of the packaging per bottle manufactured by 27%, slashing water consumption per bottle manufactured from 1.8 litres of water for the packaging of one litre to just 1.15 litres; the appropriate management of the auxiliary material generated during the production process (falling from the 460 tons of materials managed in 2008 to 376 tons in 2009).

Aguas de Mondariz has implemented a total of 18 improvements aimed at fostering the sustainability of its production process. These measures have managed to reduce and optimise certain parameters, such as:

 The evolution of the plastic packaging has meant that PET consumption has been reduced by 3,500 tons in the weight of the packaging (which is the equivalent to manufacturing 17.4 million XL T-shirts).
 Thanks to the improvements introduced in the production packaging, re-circulating and cleaning systems, water consumption has been reduced by nearly 230 million litres over the last 10 years. This saving would be equivalent to the consumption of 92 people, or to the consumption of all the inhabitants of Galicia during 33 days.
 The reduction in the weight of the cardboard boxes has meant that the consumption of cardboard has been reduced by over 100,000 kilos, which is the equivalent of having saved 549 trees from being felled. On the other hand, the re-use of the pre-shaped holders have managed to reduce the use of cardboard of 128 tons a year (which is the equivalent of avoiding the felling of 5,109 trees over 8 years and the emission to the atmosphere of 919 tons of CO2).
 Thanks to the introduction in the market of the “cap meter” (containers used to collect the caps from the glass bottles for their subsequent recycling), 2 tons of aluminium have been recovered (for their subsequent recycling), which is the equivalent of manufacturing around 136,850 drink cans.
 The reduction in the use of ink on the labels for the PET containers has led to 7,050 fewer kg/year of solvent being used (this amount is equivalent to the emissions of a commercial plane flying 3,100 kilometres, or the emissions of a lorry travelling 33,400 kilometres, or the absorption potential of that CO2 by 83 trees).
 Thanks to fostering the use of large capacity containers, as a means to reduce the amount of containers on the market, the weight of the packaging has been reduced by 1,710 tons, which is equivalent to the amount of waste generated per year by 1,543 households in any rural zone of Galicia.
 The introduction of a new glass bottle and 18 bottle box has meant that the capacity per box of this new 750 cl format has increased by 12.5% (50% more containers per box), which increases the efficiency considerably throughout the chain: Storage, transport, and distribution, which means space saving for the catering industry. Special mention should be made of the reduction of CO2 emission per litre thanks to the way of transporting and distributing this new format.

In short, and thanks to the measures implemented during recent years, Aguas de Mondariz has managed to reduce the consumption of raw materials and energy in sufficient amounts to enable CO2 emissions to be slashed by 18.9 tons.

Aguas de Mondariz, pioneer in the development of environmental improvements

Aguas de Mondariz has always prioritised the implementation of environmental improvements and has been a ground-breaking company in many of those areas. In fact, Aguas de Mondariz was the first mineral water bottling company to obtain the international ISO 9000 quality management and ISO 14001 environmental management certificates, along with the EMAS III.

Four fundamental undertakings to reduce the impact of the operations on the environment

Aguas de Mondariz is a company that bottles and markets natural mineral water in a sustainable way.. Right from the very start, 137 years ago, the company has been noted for the ongoing importance given to respecting the environment, the eco-system and nature.

Therefore, the day-to-day management of the company is based on four fundamental pillars: Optimising the processes, seeking to reduce the consumption of raw materials (from adopting measures to safeguard the spring environment, located within a mining protection perimeter of 43,833,469.2 m2; to the actions to improve the extraction, pumping and piping of the water to the storage tanks;...) integration of the environmental-protection and quality criteria in the decision-taking of the company (by establishing work criteria, such as identifying the significant consumption to establish actions aimed at their gradual reduction; minimising the environmental impact associated to the activity, products and services, and implementing a waste treatment system aimed at enhancing reuse and recycling); social environment involvement (by supporting great cultural events in Galicia - such as sponsoring the Xacobeo 2010 - or promoting sports, cultural, educational and social actions); and meeting the priorities and values of the consumers (by incorporating their suggestions in the day-to-day operations of the company and its products)..

About Aguas de Mondariz

Aguas de Mondariz is the leading company in the natural mineral water bottling and marketing sector in the north-west of the Iberian peninsula. Its operations serve the food and catering segments and it is present in 29 countries on the five continents. It is a single-spring brand endorsed by its 137 years of history. Its origins are linked to the Mondariz spa activity and the mineral-medicinal water operations, which was declared to be of Public Utility in 1873 and which began to be marketed in 1877. The company bottles 98 million litres of water, which is sold in over 140 million containers, each year.

For further information:
Aguas de Mondariz Communications Department
Tel: 91.521.18.00 / comunicacion@aguasdemondariz.com
www.aguasdemondariz.com

fichero: 

Memoria RSC Aguas de Mondariz