In our view of a sustainable operation, we believe that a company can only prosper and project itself in the long term if -along with providing value to stockholders - it creates value for today’s society and the future generations. We look to achieve the highest standards in the industry in operational efficiency, protection for the safety and health of our workers, the environmental performance of excellence, and our permanent integrating with the community, to contribute to their development and quality of life.
Puerto Ventanas S.A.’s environmental management is standardized through its Environmental Management System, in line with the ISO 14.001/2005 standard requirements. In 2017, Puerto Ventanas’ Environmental Management System was recertified by the latest version of this norm, integrating strategic aspects for our business, such as a risk-based environmental management approach in our operations, an exhaustive analysis of business processes and strengthening leadership at all levels of the company, as the base of success for environmental management. This has helped us in integrating environmental management in our business process, strategy and decision making at all levels.
Likewise, Puerto Ventanas S.A.’s Environmental Management System allows us to create a verifiable way to systematically and proactively manage the entire organization to protect the environment.
Puerto Ventanas has reviewed the legal and regulatory requirements as part of its management system, including its environmental requirements. We currently have 5 Environmental Qualification Resolutions (RCA): RCA N° 263/2000 for the Puerto Ventanas copper concentrate warehouse; RCA N° 229/2004 for the Site N° 6 project; RCA N° 09/2010, to expand the storage capacity of copper concentrate in Puerto Ventanas; RCA N° 249/2014, to expand improve and modernize the system to shop copper concentrate at Puerto Ventanas; RCA N° 66/2015 to improve the conditions of storage or copper concentrate at 46,000 ton.
From 2014, the port maintains an energy management system created under the ISO 50.001 standard.
In 2015, we began measuring our carbon footprint, with calculations certified by the Spanish Association for Standardization and Certification (AENOR).
In 2016 and 2017 the Chilean Ministry of Energy gave Puerto Ventanas the Gold Seal for Energy Efficiency, for its outstanding implementation of energy efficiency policies .
Between 2013 and 2017 we have an accumulated reduction of 511 tons of equivalent C02, reducing our ports carbon footprint.
We implemented an integrated residue management system with an emphasis to sustainably manage them and reduce them from its origin, as well as providing workers with environmental education to workers. In 2017, during World Environment Day, we launched the program “Puerto Recicla” (“The port recycles”) to correctly separate, recycle, reuse and dispose correctly all residues.
As a result of the environmental actions and initiatives undertaken by Puerto Ventanas, the company received in 2017 the EcoPorts certification, becoming the first green port in Chile. EcoPorts is a port-exclusive environmental performance verification exclusive for ports, developed by a group of members of the European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO), created in the Netherlands in 1994 to promote the exchange of different views and practices to improve the environmental performance of the port industry, under the principles of voluntary self-regulation.