This Friday, AENOR presented a recognition to Ence – Energía y Celulosa for these “20 years of caring for the environment of Ence Pontevedra”.
The CEO of AENOR, Rafael García Meiro, has presented this recognition to the President of Ence, Ignacio Colmenares, in an event held in the capital of Pontevedra, which was attended by various public figures, among whom it is worth highlighting the Second Vice President of the Xunta de Galicia and Regional Minister for the Environment, Territory and Housing, Ángeles Vázquez, who closed the event.
Likewise, the event was attended by, among others, the Director of the Galician Forestry Agency, Jacobo Aboal; the General Director of Forest Planning and Management, José Luis Chan; from the Deputy for Pontevedra, Ana Pastor; of the Second Vice President of the Provincial Council of Pontevedra, Rafael Domínguez Artime; and the territorial Delegate of the Xunta in Pontevedra, Agustín Reguera.
In her speech, Councilor Ángeles Vázquez highlighted the Xunta’s support for companies that, as is the case of Ence, are committed to a sustainable business model compatible with the generation of employment and economic wealth. In this sense, she has indicated that climate change mitigation “is a challenge for everyone” and that is why the Galician Government is committed to and encourages public-private collaboration, to advance in this line with the help of companies and the social fabric.
For Ignacio Colmenares, this distinction has enormous relevance since it represents “a recognition of Ence’s commitment to environmental excellence and our commitment to the environment. A commitment to environmental and social care that, over these 20 years, we have consolidated, and that is strategic for the Group.”
The CEO of AENOR, for his part, highlighted that “audit after audit, we have appreciated in ENCE professionals a genuine orientation towards continuous improvement; always posing new challenges that make them go further. It is the spirit of an organization aware that society expects from companies a commitment to environmental care, demonstrated by facts such as certification by the most valued entity.”
Over the years, AENOR has endorsed the quality of management and environmental excellence
from Ence Pontevedra through different certificates, such as the EMAS certificate, which guarantees its good Environmental Management; the Zero Waste certificate, for the efficient management and recovery of waste carried out by the biofactory; ISO 50001, for Efficient Energy Management; ISO 9001, for Quality Management in Biofactory Processes; and ISO 14001, for Efficiency in the Management of the Environment and Processes of the biofactory.
Executives from both companies also participated in the event, such as Martín Pita, Director of the Atlantic Region of the certifier, the Director of the group’s biofactory in Pontevedra, Esther Couceiro, and the Director of Environmental Quality of the plant, Carlos Casas. , among others.
In his speech, Carlos Casas, expressed his satisfaction with this distinction and explained that “we have been working together with AENOR for years to develop and maintain a business model aligned with the circular bioeconomy and care for the environment.” “With this recognition, Ence’s commitment to guaranteeing the compatibility of its actions with the protection of natural environments and neighboring communities is clear. All of this, with a proven and recognized environmental quality, which greatly improves the most demanding European and Spanish environmental standards and authorizations.”
In this sense, Martín Pita has highlighted that ”Ence has been developing a strategy for years to advance in environmental leadership. AENOR is proud to work alongside ENCE in this effort and to continue doing so in the future; because it is the type of company that motivates you to improve yourself to live up to its needs.”
For her part, the Director of the biofactory, Esther Couceiro, stressed that, “in our Pontevedra plant we work and will continue to work with environmental excellence as a priority.”
In recent years, Ence has become the benchmark in its sector in environmental care, at the international forefront. This has been recognized by Ecovadis, which has awarded Ence the Platinum Medal, the highest rating granted by this platform, specialized in evaluating the sustainability of companies around the world. Likewise, the Sustainalytics agency, a leader in ESG rating, has also classified Ence as the most sustainable company in its sector on an international scale.
The Ence biofactory in Pontevedra also has other international recognitions, such as the “Nordic Swan” ecological label; the Gold Medal from the European Commission, for its environmental improvement; and the EU Ecolabel label. Its biomass has also been accredited under the “SURE” scheme, which ensures its sustainability.
The company’s commitment to caring for the environment is also reflected in the air quality of Pontevedra (which surpasses that of other cities in its surroundings and is among the best, according to official data from Miteco) and the water of its estuary. , which has 28 European Union blue flag beaches, as well as important shellfish beds.
All of this also demonstrates Ence’s firm commitment to Pontevedra and Galicia.
