In recent years, there has been a plausible increase in environmental initiatives around the world, especially to address climate change. The Latin American region is not the exception to this trend. Many eco-friendly companies in Colombia and the rest of Latin America are innovating in the way they make business.

In Latin America, the companies that emerge as environmental friendly initiatives are worthy of praise, given all the challenges they face in these countries.

You may be interested in: 5 Challenges Colombia faces to mitigate environmental impact

Which of all the eco-friendly companies there are in Latin America can we mention? Well, every year a select group of companies of the region, that stand out for their sustainable approach, are recognized.

We are referring to the Premios Verdes (Green Awards) Festival, which makes a selection among the 500 best environmental and social projects in the region.

In this article we will get to know some of the winning environmental initiatives of the 2022 edition.

Eco-friendly companies in Colombia

1. Green roofs with Biomímesis Arquitectura Sostenible (Biomimicry Sustainable Architecture)

This initiative from Risaralda, developed a moss membrane that can be used as a green roof covering for buildings. As simple as it may seem, it took at least 4 years of research to get this membrane to meet the weight and price requirements.

The moss covering has the ability to clean air, water and regulate temperature. In addition, it functions as a means of integrating nature with cities. Undoubtedly, a remarkable example of innovation in Colombia.

2. El Paraíso Cemetery

This cemetery located in Cota, Cundinamarca, received environmental recognition from the CAR a few years ago, for its excellent performance in sustainability. In 2022, it won Premios Verdes for reducing its environmental impact by responsibly managing resource consumption and waste generation.

3. Cafelab, an environmental and social initiative

Cafelab, an environmental project in Pitalito, Huila, aims to reintroduce coffee by-products such as pulp, mucilage, husks and others into the production chain. This has been achieved through the development of innovative products such as bioplastics from coffee pulp or natural herbicides.

4. Bucarretes Construction System, recycling wood project

Bucarretes is a Santander-based initiative with a strong social component that reuses the wooden spool covers on which the cables are wound and uses them in the construction of school classrooms and other social constructions.

This model helps to avoid unnecessary logging and supports vulnerable or rural communities.

5. Bottles of Love, an environmental plastic recycling initiative

Botellas de amor (Bottles of love) focuses on plastic recycling and generating environmental awareness about the use of plastics. A “bottle of love” is a plastic bottle filled with flexible plastic (potato chip bags and similar packagings). The bottle with the compacted plastic waste is received at collections points.

The bottles are then used to produce Recycled Plastic Lumber (RPL), which can be used in the construction of houses, parks and furniture. Thanks to this initiative, 29 houses and 18 playgrounds have been donated to educational institutions. It has a positive impact on the environment since they have recycled more than 3,000 tons of plastic up to this day.

6. Replasander, recycling, reusing and reintegration of plastic

Replasander is one of the eco-friendly companies in Colombia that also recycles plastic. It is located in Girón, Santander, they recover plastic through recycling and manufacture new products used in the poultry industry. They currently transform around 150 tons of plastic per month and export up to 60 tons of PET to the USA and Brazil.

Moreover, the company uses clean electricity to cover part of its energy requirements. They have 82 solar panels that produce a third of the energy they consume. Their water management is also eco-friendly as they have a plant that treats and recirculates water. They also capture rainwater and use it in their productive activities.

Initiatives from other countries

Among the environmental initiatives that won Premios Verdes in other countries, we highlight:

6. Cuitláhuac Ecological Park in Iztapalapa, Mexico

A 145-hectare park that was a garbage dump for 55 years. Today it is restored and open to the public. It has lake areas, water treatment plant, arboretum, and other areas that demonstrate its ecological evolution.

7. Biochar and energy for CO2 sequestration in soils, Venezuela

This Venezuelan initiative produces biochar, a type of charcoal produced from biomass. It is used to replace synthetic fertilizers and restore degraded soils. The project also has a social component, as it helps vulnerable families.

8. Restoration of Bahía de Santa María de la Reforma, Mexico

Thanks to this project, the water in this bay is being cleaned up. They are regenerating the marine ecosystem through filtration and purification with oysters and the reintroduction of species.

9. Protection of the rainforest by Wired Amazon, Peru

This initiative seeks to protect the Amazon rainforest through different projects. The best known is the one carried out with a team of volunteers, which to date has discovered 30 new species of insects in the Peruvian Amazon jungle.

10. A safer air to breathe thanks to Qaira, Peru

This project uses drones and other affordable technologies to monitor air and environmental quality. Its purpose is to make safer breathing spaces.

11. Lights On! Empower Kamarata with the sun, Venezuela

Provides electricity to the indigenous community of Kamarata (near Angel Falls), using solar panels to generate it. The idea of the project is to meet the demand for electricity, which today many people obtain with diesel generators, which not only pollute, but does not meet the demand.

12. Organic Well Platform, Guatemala

The Organic Well Platform connects conscious producers and consumers, that is, a trade of healthier, environmentally friendly products that in the process can generate an important social impact.

What this eco-friendly initiatives teach us

These projects show that corporate environmental responsibility is not a passing fad, but an established and necessary trend. Taking action to have a more sustainable company should not be a burden, there are many ways in which companies can protect the environment, and they do not have to be complicated or costly.

At Santana Galeth you can count on the advice of experts to carry out your environmental projects. Contact us, we will gladly attend your requirements.

Note: If you want to know all the winners of the 2022 edition of Premios Verdes, we invite you to visit the official website premiosverdes.org.