Category Our Planet

“Ozone for Life” is this year’s motto to remind all citizens and sectors of their responsibility to take care of this fragile gas band that protects the Earth from the harmful effects of the sun’s rays, thereby contributing to the preservation of life on the planet.

AgroAmérica, through its responsible practices in its banana and tropical oil plantations and voluntary actions with local alliances, contributes to the Ozone Layer and the environment.

Carbon neutral (carbon negative)

According to the international organization WWF, in its article “Planting on degraded lands”, the oil palm has the capacity to absorb 15 metric tons of carbon dioxide CO2 per hectare. This means that it is carbon neutral, since the amount of tons of carbon dioxide that the palm fixes is greater than the total emissions generated by agricultural and industrial activities. In Guatemala, greenhouse gas emissions from the production of palm oil represents only 0.45% of the nation’s total emissions.

“At AgroAmérica we preserve more than 972 hectares of forest in our plantations, which contributes to environmental balance and reduces greenhouse gases, thereby mitigating global warming,” said Fernando Bolaños, CEO of AgroAmérica. According to a WWF report, forests absorb a billion tons of carbon dioxide.

Reforestation in AgroAmérica

AgroAmérica has implemented reforestation programs for several years. In 2019, it reforested 11.27 hectares along the riverbanks of several Guatemalan rivers, in partnership with the National Council of Protected Areas of Retalhuleu, surrounding communities and volunteer workers from AgroAmérica. These reforestation actions have helped to preserve the water, flora and fauna that make up the ecosystem, as well as reduce flooding and emissions of greenhouse gases.

“Agroaceite, a subsidiary of AgroAmérica, is the fourth company worldwide, third in Latin America and first in Central America to obtain the RSPO Next certification,” Bolaños added. This certification emphasizes No Deforestation, No Peat Soil Plantations, Reduction of Greenhouse Gases, Respect for Human Rights, Traceability and Transparency at all organizational levels. This standard provides a series of advanced criteria that exceed the RSPO standard.

Cutting edge technologies in tropical oil plants in AgroAmérica

The technologies used in the tropical oil processing plants of AgroAmérica help preserve the environment and the ozone layer.

Biomass boiler

The energy that is generated with biomass is one of the most renewable and the most beneficial for the environment. With the biomass boiler, clean energy is generated and covers the demand for electric energy in the tropical oil processing plant of Agroaceite. The biomass boiler is electrically connected to the National Interconnected System-SNI to which all the generation plants in Guatemala are interconnected, thus allowing the production, distribution and consumption of electric energy generated by the boiler.

Biodigesters

The water used inside the oil processing plants of AgroAmérica does not come from the river, but is extracted from a well and remains in a closed circuit. After the water is used, it is integrated into biodigesters. Biodigesters are containers that process and reduce organic matter through an anaerobic and aerobic process.

Learn more about our environmental conservation programs and our Tropical Oil Sustainability Report 2019