“Collaboration is the key word in sustainability.”

The conversation began by commenting on the success stories of these companies, such as the case of L’Oréal with its factory in Burgos. “Little by little, the factory itself has become a sustainable industry standard,” he explained, stressing that “in 2015 it was the first L’Oréal factory to operate 100% through renewable energy.”

“Apart from the energy issue, another example of the plant’s sustainability is the correct water management thanks to the closed circuit. Today we only use tap water for drinking as a primary ingredient in our formulas or for consumption by our employees.”

Speaking of water, Francisco José Juan, Director of Sustainability and Innovation at Emasesa, explained one of the company’s latest initiatives, the digital tank. He explained, “It distributes sensors on the network to obtain knowledge and meter reading data,” adding, “This means that we know what is happening in each home, which helps reduce consumption.” Another case where this technology can be applied is to know the imbalances in water use in each home.

For her part, Macarena Gonzalez, Director in Andalusia at Exxon Partners, evaluated the talents in Andalusia in the technology and digitalization sector. “I started investing in the region in 2014. I think the foundation was talent,” he said, giving the example of some of the companies he helped develop in recent years.

In the case of José María Gomez, CEO of Scopic, he explained that the company is an “illusion.” “I feel very proud of what I have done because they come from the United States to buy my cars and I go to New York and see it full of my vehicles,” he revealed. “What we are doing is creating small, electric, capital vehicles,” which means that “the vehicle is cheaper, the salaries are the same, and the delivery is faster.”

Regarding logistics, Cristina Vaquero emphasized that “the big challenge facing us in decarbonization is Scope 3, which does not depend on us, but from the first stage of the chain.” “Starting with Burgos as an example, we are working on how to ship these products in a more sustainable way, such as reducing air transport and making use of railways,” he stressed.

“Collaboration is the key word in sustainability, and we have to rely on different partners to build new paths,” the L’Oréal CEO added. In this sense, Vaquero emphasized that last year the company reduced 16 million carbon dioxide emissions thanks to these initiatives, “which is a good starting point for achieving our goals.”

Success stories

Francisco José Juan continued his talk by explaining some of the initiatives implemented by Imacisa in the field of waste energy production: “We are large and unknown producers of energy.” “What we have to ensure is that the people of Seville do not lack water,” he stressed.

For her part, Macarena González also explained the profile of companies in which the Axon Partners Group has begun investing, focusing mainly on decarbonization or technology companies, in addition to the biotechnology field. He stressed: “We have a very beautiful challenge ahead of us.”

In the case of Skubic, José María Gómez explained that they are still producing 50% of their production in their Utrera plant. The group also has a factory in China to supply the Asian market and plans to launch a production plant in the United States for the American market.

The director also explained that the company has grown at a rate of 100% since its birth, both in terms of billings and EBITDA. He added: “Our perspective is to reach a thousand job opportunities and produce 60,000 vehicles.” “Growth is essential and we are on this path,” he stressed.

In this sense, Francisco José Juan warned that “technology is very important to make processes simpler and gain efficiency.” The executive explained that Imacisa has many projects in the pipeline, where people are key.

José María Gomez agreed with this, stressing that Andalusian talent must get rid of the “zip code” complex, and that this must be done “with conviction, honor and respect.”