Calvo Zero Waste receives Global Compact and Rafael del Pino Foundation go!ODS award

The prize recognizes the initiative’s contribution to SDG 12 in the third edition of the awards promoted by the Spanish Network of the United Nations Global Compact and the Rafael del Pino Foundation.

An ambitious circular economy project that seeks to manage 100% of the company’s non-hazardous waste; the amount recovered currently exceeds 91%.

Grupo Calvo’s “Calvo Zero Waste” circular economy project received the go!ODS recognition for its contribution to meeting Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) of the 2030 Agenda. Promoted by the Spanish Network of the United Nations Global Compact in collaboration with the Rafael del Pino Foundation, the go!ODS awards bestow 17 prizes, one for each Sustainable Development Goal.

The third implementation of the go!ODS awards, a sustainability point of reference in Spain, thereby acknowledges the initiative launched by Grupo Calvo in 2017 with the aim of sustainably recovering all the waste generated in conducting its activities and reducing single-use materials. Thanks to “Calvo Zero Waste”, the company currently valorizes 91.1% of it non-hazardous waste, thus approaching the 100% target set under its global Responsible Commitment 2025 sustainability plan.

“As members of the Spanish Network of the United Nations Global Compact, we reaffirm our commitment to the SDGs day by day, and this is supported by our comprehensive sustainability strategy, Responsible Engagement 2025, which addresses those where we can have the most impact, such as SDG 12. This is connected to Calvo Zero Waste, not only one of our most ambitious projects, but also one of the most complex. The go!ODS award serves to reinforce our moving in the right direction and we will continue along this path, with all the people, companies and organizations that are accelerating and stepping up efforts in order to, together, reach the goals of the 2030 Agenda” stated Rebeca Filgueira, Director of Human Resources at Grupo Calvo.

Responsible Engagement 2025

“Calvo Zero Waste” is a key component of the Responsible Engagement global sustainability strategy, which establishes 17 improvement objectives for the 2020-2025 horizon in three areas of action: oceans, environment and people. In terms of circular economy, noteworthy are its commitments to recovering 100% of non-hazardous waste, reducing single-use materials (mainly plastics) and maximizing the recyclability of the materials used. According to the latest data for the year 2020, Grupo Calvo recovers 91.11% of its non-hazardous waste and 82.67% of hazardous waste; 99.56% of the materials placed on the market are recyclable; and 51.81% of the materials purchased are recycled or certified as sustainable.

Driving these figures are the proprietary centers for the treatment and recovery of organic waste resulting from the production of canned tuna and sardines, both in El Salvador (with an annual production capacity of 5,000 tons since 2003) and in Brazil (with a capacity of 10,000 tons since 2016). Also worth mentioning are the initiatives launched transversally and globally to eliminate single-use plastics.

Last November, “Calvo Zero Waste” received the BASF Award for the best Circular Economy practice in Spain in the “Large Company” category. The project had already been recognized in 2020 as an example of impactful business commitment linked to SDG 12 by the Spanish Network of the Global Compact. In the report published in conjunction with the Secretary of State for the 2030 Agenda of the Spanish Government, the initiative was acknowledged as a contribution to the Spanish Strategy for Sustainable Development 2030.

United Nations Global Compact

The Global Compact is the UN initiative that has been leading business sustainability in the world for more than 20 years. It recognizes the role of companies as essential actors in meeting the 2030 Agenda, the result of a greater commitment to people and the environment, especially in tackling climate change.