La Unión strengthens commitment to sustainability and participates in World Energy Efficiency Day
Since 2018, when La Unión established its aim of “building a better company and society every day based on valuing the agricultural sector and its production and marketing chain as the backbone of social, economic and environmental development”, numerous commitments have been adopted based on the new strategy focused on sustainability with a focus on the bioeconomy, innovation and social commitment.
La Unión
March 5 was World Energy Efficiency Day, when La Unión, a benchmark company in the fruit and vegetable sector, joined the celebrations by strengthening its commitment to energy efficiency as a key element in its decarbonisation strategy and to achieve neutrality by 2030 in all the countries in which it operates.
The initiative, which arose in Austria during the First International Conference on Energy Efficiency, has the objective of making everyone aware of the need to reduce energy consumption through a rational and sustainable use of energy. Energy efficiency means optimising energy production and consumption processes, focusing on renewable energy sources as opposed to fossil fuels, and promoting responsible consumption and recycling.
In this sense, La Unión is working on a decarbonisation and neutrality strategy planned for 2030 that involves a series of actions focused on UN SDG 7 “Affordable and non-polluting energy”, which seeks to guarantee access to affordable, safe, sustainable and modern energy; and SDG 12 “Responsible Production and Consumption”, which seeks to guarantee sustainable consumption and production.
A commitment to energy efficiency
These projects include a shift to a sustainable fleet of vehicles that are ecologically certified. In addition, a project has been launched to replace diesel or gasoline running vehicles with electric vehicles, as well as a project to set up an electric station for the company’s personnel, in addition to the fleet itself.
What’s more, in 2015, La Unión launched La Huerta Solar Fotovoltaica, a system for obtaining solar energy for the processes carried out at its facilities in the La Redonda Industrial Estate (El Ejido). This project, which harnesses the sun’s energy, has seen 500 panels installed on the outer surface of the marketing centres. These panels capture solar energy and transform it into 100 KW to support the company’s activities. “With projects like La Huerta Solar, we have managed to reduce the use of less sustainable sources in our processes, replacing them with more efficient and sustainable sources, such as solar energy. Our goal is to achieve a business model powered by renewable sources that will help us achieve the objectives set within our decarbonisation strategy for 2030,” said Belén González, Head of Communication at La Unión. “To achieve a more sustainable world, we must develop and use technologies such as solar or wind energy, and look for more participatory systems and production methods that do not deplete our natural resources,” she adds.
Other sustainable projects of La Unión
Other sustainability projects that La Unión has been developing for years include numerous plans based on research, development and innovation to be more efficient in management and production. One that stands out is Vegepack, which aims to develop compostable packaging with antimicrobial and/or antifungal properties by including functional additives obtained from peppers, custard apples or avocados.
Another of its most recognised projects is Biovege, an R+D+i project from which WeCarePack was born, a brand of bioplastics that biodegrades as Industrial Compost. A biocompostable packaging solution for maintaining quality in fruit and vegetables.
