Quality, Environment, Health, Safety and Energy Management
From the perspective of sustainability, we speak of a triple balance: economic, social and environmental. All three generate a synergy that cares for people, the communities in which we operate and the planet. At Profertil we translate these actions into our daily work and into concrete decisions related to safety and the environment.
Our work is guided by international standards. We work according to the conditions set out in the ISO certifications, adhered to by the world’s leading companies, and which are revalidated every three years. They provide us with the framework to work within an integrated management system.
The Argentine Carbon Neutral Program (PACN) is a private voluntary adhesion program whose objective is to promote the consolidation of a sustainable brand for Argentine food, beverage and bioenergy export products. This mark is achieved through joint sectoral work on quantification methodologies, measurement practices, improvement and neutrality of the carbon footprint until the capture of the economic value of the reductions achieved beyond existing commitments. From Profertil we participate in the Wheat Table and in the Corn and Sorghum Table.
In 2019 we obtained the Protect & Sustain certification from IFA (International Fertilizer Association). This is the highest certification to which a plant of our type can aspire, since it recognizes safety and sustainability in the integrated management of fertilizer throughout its life cycle, in collaboration with suppliers, carriers and business partners who share the same values.
In addition, since 2005 we have adhered to the Responsible Care of the Environment Program, administered by the Chamber of Chemical and Petrochemical Industries, whose compliance is audited on a biannual basis.
All our management is audited by internal processes, by the shareholder members (YPF and Nutrien) and by independent auditors.
In Profertil we systematically monitor the following indicators:
In terms of people’s safety, we work to provide a comfortable, safe and secure working environment. We carry out annual studies to detect and correct deviations. In this way, our entire team works to take care of your health and that of your colleagues. In this sense, for specific tasks that require it, fitness studies and specific training are carried out.
In agreement with the Universidad Tecnológica Nacional, we train contractor personnel to prove the knowledge required for the work in our facilities.
In addition, each of the activities under the control of the company has its own process for identifying hazards and risks. We focus on routine, non-routine (plant turnaround tasks, for example), urgent and special tasks (that supervisors or EHS management may require).
The tasks we carry out are analyzed and authorized through a Work Permit System, which leads to a critical and responsible approach by all the people involved in the task, from the executor to the supervisory lines.
We generate safety procedures to work preventively, we permanently audit the work teams and we distribute internally audiovisual material that helps in the revision of detected situations
Air quality
Noise level
Gas emissions
Underground water resource
Surface water resource (Bahía Blanca estuary)
Liquid effluent quality
Programa PACN
There is widespread concern about environmental protection, greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and global warming, and society is constantly looking for public policies to counteract the effects of climate change. It is known that agriculture contributes 37% of GHG emissions, and that is why, year after year, there is greater awareness and concern among members of this sector to reduce emissions from agricultural and livestock production.
Scientifically speaking it is necessary to reduce global emissions rapidly to reach carbon neutrality by 2050 and thus prevent global temperatures from rising above 1.5 to 2 degrees Celsius. A higher temperature rise than this would bring serious problems such as floods, droughts, sea level rise, etc. All these things are already happening, but would be taken to a non-return point. This has been publicly known since the 1992 Rio Summit and except for limited efforts by a few individual countries, no one has done much… until now.
The carbon footprint is an environmental indicator that aims to reflect “the total greenhouse gases (GHG) emitted by direct or indirect effect of an individual, organization, event or product”.
There are several greenhouse gases that cause global warming, and consequently climate change, such as carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O) and each has a different global warming potential. To simplify the measurement, the carbon footprint is measured in mass of carbon dioxide equivalent (TNCO2eq), which translates the sum of the gases and their warming potential into a single measure.
The Kyoto Protocol is an international agreement that aims to reduce emissions of six greenhouse gases (GHG). The protocol was adopted on December 11, 1997 in Kyoto, Japan, but did not enter into force until February 16, 2005. The official meeting of all States Parties to the Kyoto Protocol is the Conference of the Parties (COP).
At the COP held in Paris in 2015 (COP 21), a global framework was established to avoid dangerous climate change, called the “Paris Agreement”. The main goals it seeks to achieve are: a) Keep the global average temperature increase below 2°C and strive to limit it to 1.5°C, with respect to pre-industrial values; b) Increase adaptive capacity, promote resilience and low-emission development; and c) Bring financial flows to a compatible level. The Paris Agreement requires all Parties to submit their targets through “nationally determined contributions” (NDCs) to be reported each year. Most developed countries and supranational institutions encourage and value voluntary carbon footprint reporting as a first step.
Argentina signed these agreements and the effects of their provisions are fully applicable to it. In addition, it was the first country in the world to review its NDC and present a revised, consensual and transparent contribution at COP22 in 2016. In the framework of the Climate Ambition Summit and 5 years after the Paris Agreement, on December 12, 2020, the Argentine government announced an almost 26% higher ambition in the NDC for 2030, and reaffirmed the commitment to be carbon neutral 20 years later, in 2050.
Profertil has been working for years to protect the environment and continues to do so. Since 2020, no less than 60% of the energy consumption of the company’s factory in Bahía Blanca comes from a wind farm located near the city. The company also has multiple certifications in these matters, such as the ISO 50001 standard for energy efficiency and others related to the United Nations that measure the carbon footprint in the production of urea.
Profertil has been working for years to protect the environment and continues to do so. Since 2020, no less than 60% of the energy consumption of the company’s factory in Bahía Blanca comes from a wind farm located near the city. The company also has multiple certifications in these matters, such as the ISO 50001 standard for energy efficiency and others related to the United Nations that measure the carbon footprint in the production of urea.
What is the PACN?
The Argentine Carbon Neutral Program (PACN) is a private voluntary program aiming at promoting the consolidation of a sustainable brand for products of the Argentine food, beverage and bioenergy export sectors. This brand is achieved through joint sector work on quantification methodologies, measurement practices, improvement and neutrality of the carbon footprint up to the capture of the economic value of the reductions achieved beyond existing commitments.
The PACN is promoted by the
- Buenos Aires Grain Exchange
- Bahía Blanca Grain Exchange
- Santa Fe Grain Exchange
- Rosario Grain Exchange
- Entre Ríos Grain Exchange
- Córdoba Grain Exchange
- Chaco Stock Exchange
that are articulated to make the Program operational.
The Grain Exchange is the Institutional Administrator of the PACN, coordinating the participation of the various exchanges involved. The General Secretariat carries out the technical and operational coordination of the PACN, providing support to the Institutional Administrator.
In the environmental standards universe, the carbon footprint of a product is considered as the systematic methodology that quantifies greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, quantified in CO2eq emissions emitted throughout the life cycle of the product or service. It covers all activities from the acquisition of raw materials to their management as waste, allowing consumers to decide which foods to buy based on their environmental impact. Acting on its balance allows an organization to achieve neutrality, either through mitigation actions (within the company itself) or offsetting (in other companies or organizations).
Each Sectoral Roundtable is coordinated and assisted by a group of specialized consultants, selected through a public call by PACN because of their technical and budgetary proposals. Based on the product categories defined by the Sectoral Roundtable, the selected consulting group develops the calculation methodology on a control case, a sectoral calculation manual and good environmental management practices manuals.