Eurofarma announces the harvest of over 30,000 vegetables in its Organic Garden project
Published in: September 11, 2020
and updated in: November 4, 2021
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São Paulo, September 2020 – A little over a year after launching its Organic Garden, Eurofarma, a Brazilian pharmaceutical multinational present in 20 countries in Latin America, discloses the project’s results. And numbers are amazing! First implemented at the Itapevi Industrial Complex in February 2019 and expanded to the Ribeirão Preto unit in July that same year, the project has already harvested more than 30,000 vegetables.
The main goal is to raise awareness among employees on healthier eating habits, in addition to fostering circular economy through the promotion of recyclables. Employees are able to exchange recyclable items (pet and Tetra pack bottles and aluminum cans) for batavia lettuce, arugula, chicory, butter lettuce, bibb lettuce, spinach and chives. Leftover vegetables which are not exchanged with employees are donated to the company’s restaurants and daycare facilities. Crops are taken care of by gardeners and agronomists who strive to produce clean and safe food, free of pesticides, chemical fertilizers or transgenic seeds. The beds were built with ecological bricks and a drip irrigation system which uses less water.
“Our specialists use agroecology principles so that the vegetables grow without competing with weeds and biodiversity contributes to insects not becoming pests and pollinators doing their work”, Isamara Freitas, environmental engineer and manager at Eurofarma, explains.
All recyclable packages exchanged are sold and the proceeds are donated to other social and environmental and educational projects sponsored by the company, such as the Mãos Dadas com a Escola Program, under which school supplies are purchased for the children of direct employees and outsourced personnel. So far, approximately one ton of recyclable items has been collected.
“The project was designed considering sustainability criteria to generate the least environmental impact and foster circular economy. Our sources of inspiration for the project as it has been devised were to optimize the planting area, as well as to engage employees in the separation of recyclable materials, promote the exchange of recyclable goods and a healthier diet, ultimately stimulating employees’ effective participation. Promoting new habits and attitudes is also our way of making people aware of the change we want to further boost”, Maria Del Pilar Muñoz, vice-president of Sustainability and New Business at Eurofarma, states.
Eurofarma’s Organic Garden in numbers:
Itapevi Industrial Complex
Area: 1.000m2
Start: February 2019
Harvest yield: 26,970 vegetables, of which:
19,969 were distributed to employees
7,100 were donated to the company’s restaurant
749 were donated to the company’s daycare facility
Ribeirão Preto
Area: 250m2
Start: July 2019
Harvest yield: 5,250 vegetables, of which:
2,413 were distributed to employees
2,924 were donated to the company’s restaurant
About Eurofarma Group
As the first multinational pharmaceutical company with 100% Brazilian capital, the Eurofarma Group has been operating in the health industry since its establishment in 1972, producing and marketing innovative products and services to improve people’s quality of life. Focused on generating shared value, it operates in the areas of Prescription, Non-Prescription, and Generic Drugs, Hospital, Oncology and Veterinary. In Brazil alone, it offers 313 products, 649 dosage forms, serves 25 medical specialties and covers 89 therapeutic classes, which represent 81% of prescriptions in the brand market.
The Eurofarma Group has own operations in 20 countries, with an industrial park in Brazil and plants in 6 more Latin American countries. Reported sales totaled BRL 5.6 billion in 2019 and the Group employs over 7,000 employees. www.eurofarma.com.br.
EUROFARMA ON SOCIAL MEDIA
www.eurofarma.com.br
Facebook: @eurofarma | LinkedIn: @eurofarma
Instagram: @eurofarmalab | Twitter: @eurofarmaLab
The main goal is to raise awareness among employees on healthier eating habits, in addition to fostering circular economy through the promotion of recyclables. Employees are able to exchange recyclable items (pet and Tetra pack bottles and aluminum cans) for batavia lettuce, arugula, chicory, butter lettuce, bibb lettuce, spinach and chives. Leftover vegetables which are not exchanged with employees are donated to the company’s restaurants and daycare facilities. Crops are taken care of by gardeners and agronomists who strive to produce clean and safe food, free of pesticides, chemical fertilizers or transgenic seeds. The beds were built with ecological bricks and a drip irrigation system which uses less water.
“Our specialists use agroecology principles so that the vegetables grow without competing with weeds and biodiversity contributes to insects not becoming pests and pollinators doing their work”, Isamara Freitas, environmental engineer and manager at Eurofarma, explains.
All recyclable packages exchanged are sold and the proceeds are donated to other social and environmental and educational projects sponsored by the company, such as the Mãos Dadas com a Escola Program, under which school supplies are purchased for the children of direct employees and outsourced personnel. So far, approximately one ton of recyclable items has been collected.
“The project was designed considering sustainability criteria to generate the least environmental impact and foster circular economy. Our sources of inspiration for the project as it has been devised were to optimize the planting area, as well as to engage employees in the separation of recyclable materials, promote the exchange of recyclable goods and a healthier diet, ultimately stimulating employees’ effective participation. Promoting new habits and attitudes is also our way of making people aware of the change we want to further boost”, Maria Del Pilar Muñoz, vice-president of Sustainability and New Business at Eurofarma, states.
Eurofarma’s Organic Garden in numbers:
Itapevi Industrial Complex
Area: 1.000m2
Start: February 2019
Harvest yield: 26,970 vegetables, of which:
19,969 were distributed to employees
7,100 were donated to the company’s restaurant
749 were donated to the company’s daycare facility
Ribeirão Preto
Area: 250m2
Start: July 2019
Harvest yield: 5,250 vegetables, of which:
2,413 were distributed to employees
2,924 were donated to the company’s restaurant
About Eurofarma Group
As the first multinational pharmaceutical company with 100% Brazilian capital, the Eurofarma Group has been operating in the health industry since its establishment in 1972, producing and marketing innovative products and services to improve people’s quality of life. Focused on generating shared value, it operates in the areas of Prescription, Non-Prescription, and Generic Drugs, Hospital, Oncology and Veterinary. In Brazil alone, it offers 313 products, 649 dosage forms, serves 25 medical specialties and covers 89 therapeutic classes, which represent 81% of prescriptions in the brand market.
The Eurofarma Group has own operations in 20 countries, with an industrial park in Brazil and plants in 6 more Latin American countries. Reported sales totaled BRL 5.6 billion in 2019 and the Group employs over 7,000 employees. www.eurofarma.com.br.
EUROFARMA ON SOCIAL MEDIA
www.eurofarma.com.br
Facebook: @eurofarma | LinkedIn: @eurofarma
Instagram: @eurofarmalab | Twitter: @eurofarmaLab