The environmental management model at Jesús Navarro, S.A.
JESÚS NAVARRO, S.A. is a company devoted to the Manufacture, Selection and Packaging of Spices, Condiments, powdered Desserts, Pastry decorating items, Additives, Nuts and Sugars, under the brand “CARMENCITA”.
It is the policy of the company’s Management to pay special attention to Environmental Management, always opting for the environment and committing itself to carrying out suitable environmental work that preserves the surroundings.
In the year 2008 it was certified under International Standard ISO 14001, thus enhancing the development of a business culture of respect for and sensitivity to the environment that has been conveyed to the entire staff of the organisation, customers and providers.
Annually Management sets new objectives to be reached, focussing above all on energy efficiency, reduction in the use of materials and waste management in order to respond to new environmental challenges and to achieve the efficiency and sustainability objectives we have all assumed in the European Union.
Jesús Navarro, S.A. is in the process of expanding and moving its facilities, so it currently has several logistics centres.
All these movements, which currently require an effort, are carried out with the goal of being the most efficient.
Optimisation measures
The logistical model of Jesús Navarro, S.A. is based on “transporting more with less”
To achieve that, a series of strategies have been carried out which the Logistics Department reviews and updates periodically according to the needs that arise and keeping in mind the technological advances in the sector for reaching the objectives set.
Reduction in fuel
The routes that are covered between different logistics and production centres are planned to optimise each route, seeing that no vehicle travels empty.
Thus the pick up and delivery of the raw material needed for manufacturing in different plants and, at the same time, the pick up of the finished product and placement in the different production and logistics centres is taken advantage of.
New facilities
The new production plant has a logistics centre annexed to it. This manages to eliminate travel to other logistics centres. This measure will permit a notable reduction in fuel expenses.
Maximising loads in transport
In order to achieve efficiency in transport it is essential to transport the maximum possible number of units on each journey. This is achieved through good ecodesign of the product, whenever it is possible, in which the logistics and storage are taken into account, and also seeing that the lorries carry cargo in all the routes and do so at maximum capacity avoiding the transport of air.
With ecodesign, in addition to savings in transport, storage in the end customer’s house is also improved, packaging and wrapping waste is avoided throughout the process and the emission of pollutants is reduced.
Lower emission vehicles
The majority of transport continues to be carried out over the highways, so it is important both to manage the fleet well and have more efficient, less polluting vehicles.
Jesús Navarro, S.A. promotes the use of lower emission vehicles in order to help improve air quality and fight climate change. The number of low pollutant emitting vehicles, Euro5 and Euro6, is growing. This follows the policy of renewing the fleet as the technologies improve.
Jesús Navarro, S.A. has taken steps to reduce its energy consumption. The efforts allow it to adapt to both the European and national strategies for fighting climate change.
In addition, many of the decisions that have to do with energy savings arise from the conviction that is needed to achieve an increasingly efficient production model, capable of responding to the challenges we have to face as part of society.
Energy efficiency
In 2017 Jesús Navarro, S.A. started its expansion project and construction of all company buildings in the same industrial estate.
Programme of energy audits
The European Union is immersed in an ambitious project to turn toward an economy low in carbon and waste. Directive 2017/27/EU regarding building energy efficiency has been transposed into Spanish law by Royal Decree 56/2016. This law requires that companies undertake energy audits of this facilities in order to calculate the potential for improvement and identify the measures needed to achieve it. After carrying out these audits, Jesús Navarro, S.A. has useful and needed information in order to continue working on improving its processes and energy behaviour.
Refrigerant gasses
All the air conditioning equipment works with refrigerants which have lowered energy consumption, increased performance, and which does not use elements like chlorine which harm the ozone layer, while being more reliable. In addition, it complies with the requirements of the lay on clean air.
New model for Manufacturing and Logistics Buildings
The first phases of the new facilities for manufacturing and logistics have been designed keeping in mind the application of measures to reduce energy consumption with respect to the current facilities. A significant improvement has been achieved by completely redesigning the model, in its look and warmth, as well as in the energy efficiency incorporated in it with respect to the prior model.
Some of the measures incorporated:
During the coming years, in the construction of the following phases, the objective is to continue incorporating multiple improvement in energy efficiency.
Resources like water are of vital importance to all industrial activity.
The fact of using this resource represents a high environmental impact and from that follows the need to recognise the importance of it, learn not to waste it, optimise it and return it to the environment as close to the environmental quality with which we take it.
To achieve that, Jesús Navarro S. A. has installed aeration and double push button systems in tanks in order to maximise water use.
Waste management is growing more and more and increasing in importance with the implementation of new techniques for converting waste into resources. A good waste management strategy must be based, in the first place, on prevention.
For a company like Jesús Navarro, S.A. the reuse of tertiary auxiliary material, the design of light packages with maximum capacity are important.
Jesús Navarro, S.A. sends 100% of its single-use commercial packaging material to be recovered and is bound by an Integrated Management System for packaging placed on the market.
Prevention
The main, most important strategy for realising efficiencies in the use of resources is the reduction of waste produced. One of the measures implemented to reach this goal is the reuse of tertiary auxiliary material that makes up part of our suppliers packaging and can become part of the internal palletisation material.
Redistribution
Carmencita brand products which are not suitable for sale, like items returned due to errors in filling orders, but which are in perfectly usable condition, are donated by the company to destinations like the Food Bank or internally at “Serve yourself” points for the use of staff.
In this process the waste of products is reduced as much as possible by assuring that foods are being used.
Waste management
The waste generated by the company, hazardous and non-hazardous, are picked up by authorised managers for treatment and recovery.
Hazardous waste is stored in closed, covered areas with signage and all the safety measures needed so there is no risk of spills or seepage into the natural environment.
Jesús Navarro, S.A. employs several strategies to assure the minimisation of waste produced both the hazardous ones from departments like the laboratory and maintenance and the non-hazardous from departments like production and management.
New way of avoiding and taking advantage of them is sought constantly.
The preventive maintenance programmes for the facilities and machinery are measures that contribute to optimising operations and to reducing the amount of waste that goes to the dump.
Non-hazardous waste like plastics and cardboard are also separated and stored in an area set aside for them and their posterior removal and handling by an authorised manager.
Reuse
Together with prevention, reuse is a fundamental pillar in the reduction of waste generated.
In designated areas plastic boxes are used to store semi-finished product, which are cleaned and disinfected periodically lengthening their useful life up to 10 years. In other cases cardboard boxes, which can be used several times, are reused. Boxes made of secondary materials are also used to store the articles sent to the sample library.
Best Practices in the use of paper at Jesús Navarro, S.A. is another strategy for reusing materials: reusing envelopes whenever possible and for internal use, file folders, printer paper is also reusable.
Work is currently going on to replace the cardboard mandrels of the laminated paper spools with reusable plastic.
Recycling
The priority is to reduce and reuse; however, waste management for recycling is another basic part of the company.
All the raw and auxiliary packaging materials that are not redistributed or reused, are separated into cardboard and plastic of different types, are compacted and authorised managers come to collect them for treatment and recovery.
Jesús Navarro, S.A., with its ongoing concern for collaborating in the betterment of the surroundings and environmental care, is not content with complying with the laws in effect and the requirements of the ISO 14001 Standard, for which it has obtained very positive results every year, if not always a little beyond and continues to propose and promote objectives, actions and campaigns in which the majority of the company’s staff can participate.
Awareness raising
Elimination of / Reduction in plastics
Before the new regulation was published regarding the putting of plastics on the market, Jesús Navarro, S.A. had already implemented improvements in it packaging, like reducing its weight, increasing the contents and even the elimination of some parts of the package.
Work on ecodesign and awareness raising for all staff will continue internally this year, encouraging the use of metal water bottles or more durable plastic ones, which the company will supply along with drinking glasses for the canteen. In addition, a reusable cloth bag is being developed that will also be given to the entire staff. Externally, our packaging suppliers continue researching replacements for plastics and the incorporation of recycled material.
Collection point
One of the actions proposed for this year is being a collection point for used batteries and oil. This makes it easier for all the company’s staff to manage both waste products properly.
Use of sustainable transport
Another important step in environmental awareness-raising is promoting trips to work in other, more sustainable methods of transport. For that the company requested a parking area for motorcycles on the streets and provided a monitored area inside the facilities for bicycles.
New goals
The involvement of all departments of Jesús Navarro, S.A., has brought about planned improvements on which to work in the near future, such as, for example:
Sustainable environmental management is critical for the good functioning of any company.
We are aware that much remains to be improved, but the results achieved encourage us to continue working.
