SOCIAL
PERFORMANCE
6.1.1
A TEAM THAT IS NURTURED BY VALUABLE PEOPLE
In Profertil we work committed to our mission and vision within a framework of good organizational climate.
Therefore, we strive to promote a safe, inclusive and agreeable environment, where respect, acceptance and non-discrimination are the priority.
GRI 102-8, 102-41, 103-2, 103-3, 401-1, 401-2, 403-1, 403-2, 403-3, 403-4, 403-5, 403-6, 403-7, 403-8, 403-9, 404-1, 404-2, 404-3, 405-1
Material Issues: Plant Health, Safety and Labor Practices
With the emergence of COVID-19, society in general changed its habits and adopted new measures; and Profertil in particular, being considered an essential activity, worked intensely on the health care of its employees to ensure the Company’s sustainability. The management of the impact of the pandemic was carried out with the formation of a COVID-19 Crisis Committee reporting to the Management Team, worked on the adjustments required in each area to ensure the operational continuity of the different processes. In the Human Resources Management this required a great deal of action: from the definition of new work schemes (face-to-face with reduced shifts for Plant and Terminal personnel, or virtual for corporate areas); the adaptation of workspaces; the creation of protocols and procedures for Medical Service attention and follow-up for people who are close contacts or with COVID-19; the design of activities to sustain the organizational culture and climate, to the incorporation of people in a virtual selection process.
6.1.2
PEOPLE MANAGEMENT
Human resources management at Profertil is framed within the Integrated People Management System, which seeks the best fit between the Organization and its employees in order to achieve the objectives by associating different processes.
The basic premise of the Integrated People Management System is that the management and development of people is a primary and non-delegable responsibility of the leaders. The Human Resources Management provides, in due time and form, all the direct services for which it is responsible, as well as the support and methodological support necessary for a successful management by those directly responsible. This system is based on a Management Model.
By Competences. We define competencies as the knowledge / skill (technical competencies) and behaviors / attitudes (generic competencies) that people in an organization must credit for, use and develop to ensure the company´s competitive advantage. The main objectives of the implementation of the Competency Management Model are as follows:
• Align the HR strategy with Profertil’s overall strategy.
• Establish a frame of reference for Profertil’s employees that allows them to direct their performance towards the Company’s objectives.
• Improve the person-position fit. Obtaining the competency profile of the positions and people is a source of information for the organization to improve the match between the two. By making this comparison possible, the model allows us to manage the differences in terms of training needs, possible movements and/or promotions within the Company or the establishment of performance objectives in the evaluation process.
• Integrate the different Human Resources processes.
The practices promoted by Human Resources are aimed at adding value to our human capital. They ensure that each member of the team is committed to the achievement of professional objectives, and thus make work a key factor in wellbeing and the realization of each person. Profertil’s culture promotes open and frank dialogue, in order to form a transparent and sustainable link between all workers making up the Company.
These People Management practices are composed of 3 strategic axes (Diversity and Inclusion; Integral Wellbeing; Transformation), which give us direction in our daily actions, and 3 key processes and sub-processes.
DIVERSITY AND
INCLUSION
PLANNING AND
DEVELOPMENT
HR Planning
and
Development
Performance
management
IT
Succession
Plan
COMPREHENSIVE
WELLBEING
SERVICES FOR
PERSONNEL
Personnel
management
Staff services
Training
TRANSFORMATION
CULTURE, CLIMATE
AND ENGAGEMENT
Labor
relations
Internal
Communications
Compensations
and benefits
Climate
Management
6.1.2.1
STRATEGIC AXES
DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION
At Profertil we work in an inclusive culture, which is why we promote diversity in job searches. All applicants are welcome to apply if they meet the education and experience requirements, regardless of gender, religion, sexual choice, disability or nationality
We define Diversity and Inclusion as one of our management axes and we have a specific Diversity and Inclusion policy that establishes the following concepts:
DIVERSITY
People are different in various aspects: ethnic, religious, family, social origin, geographic or nationality, physiognomic, bodily, with regard to gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, education, age, ability, personality, work style, culture, belief system, among many others. work style, culture, belief system, among many other characteristics. Diversity is generated from the combination of several of these factors that give identity to people and make them unique. Looking from this approach implies valuing the differences and abilities of each individual.
INCLUSION
Inclusion is the result of all the actions, attitudes, policies and initiatives – in this case – of a Company, to encourage incorporation and maintain a structure of diverse people.
We have policies and actions that promote inclusion and belonging in teams that value and listen to ideas within a framework of respect for singularities, so that those who are part of the Company feel included. We are convinced that working in this way represents a capital to build a better company.
Profertil wants to be a key player in the creation of an equitable society; therefore, it integrates diversity and inclusion interest groups such as the IFREI Club and the Diversity and Inclusion Network of the Chamber of the Chemical and Petrochemical Industry (Red de Diversidad e Inclusión de la Cámara de la Industria Química y Petroquímica).
OUR DIVERSITY AND
INCLUSION MANIFESTO
COMPREHENSIVE WELLBEING
Integral wellbeing implies conceiving people as multidimensional beings and that work is one more sphere of life in which fulfillment can be achieved, beyond economic retribution. Defining wellness as the axis drives us to seek practices and actions in which people are the center. During 2020, we carried out these initiatives:
• Wellbeing, actions to be well: A proposal of open talks of general interest for employees and their families. Live events were held on late Fridays to facilitate work disconnection. The following topics were covered: Reflections on Pandemic with Gabriel Rolón, Familias Conmovidas (an online conversation to accompany parents in raising their sons and daughters); Rompiendo Estereotipos; Huerta en Casa.
• Children’s Day box delivery: We delivered games to each family to encourage fun time and less screens.
• Sanitizer Kit Delivery: We sent sanitizing kits with alcohol, sanitizers, masks, and COVID-19 protection items to households.
• Cycle of Talks for well-being in the current scenario: Consisted of 3 workshops given in April, by health professionals, to address topics of general concern: Coronavirus Care, Anxiety and Mindfulness.
• After the end of the virtual year: With the aim of celebrating the end of the year, a virtual meeting was held in December, in which more than 260 families participated.
TRANSFORMATION
Two years ago, we began to focus our people management on the transformation and innovation of both the organization and our practices, and we realized that what we have done well in the past will not necessarily lead to success in the future.
The transformation in 2020 was driven by the external factor of the COVID- 19 pandemic.
In HR we are constantly adapting to the new regulations and norms defined by the national, provincial and/or municipal Executive Branch in order to guarantee operational performance.
The process of plant entry and the sworn statement was carried out digitally with mobile and QR applications. Likewise, to incorporate collaborators to the different teams, Recruitment and Personnel Selection were carried out 100% online.
In turn, internal communication and work climate management sought to maintain a sense of belonging in a context of change, foster diversity and promote healthy relationships and well-being. With the onset of the pandemic, it became necessary to maintain a communication channel with validated content that would provide people with security. Medical Service and the Management Team issued more than 30 communiqués (in videos and notes) with recommendations, care and new procedures.
A channel was created through Instagram to express closeness with collaborators in a scenario of distancing; to have a space for fluid dialog both for corporate communications and for those aimed at strengthening ties and contributing to the sense of community that fosters cooperation, teamwork, exchange of knowledge, and experiences.
An internal communication and chat tool was implemented in each team, which allowed us to maintain daily communication in a virtual format.
6.1.2.2
KEY PROCESSES PLANNING
AND DEVELOPMENT
HR AND DEVELOPMENT PLANNING
Our development process is designed to ensure that each person acquires the necessary generic and technical skills, at the required levels, to be able to perform adequately in their position and be prepared to access future employment opportunities within the Company.
Within this framework, we promote the implementation of the following practices:
• Performance management system
• Individual development interviews.
• Training
• Periodic meetings with supervision levels
• Competence Evaluation
• Management of the working environment
During 2020, 67% of the permanent positions were filled with internal candidates and, if we consider the personnel of contracting companies that entered into effective positions, the internal mobility indicator rises to 61%.
TRAINING
From the Leadership Model, based on our Competencies and Values Model, we continue with the Corporate Training Programs, whose objective is to provide, through various workshops, tools for fivedimensional management:
• Challenge processes
• Inspire a shared vision
• Enable others to act
• Be a model
• Acknowledge and reward
We are confident in the key role of leaders in transmitting and sustaining organizational culture, which is why in 2020 we held Leaders’ Meetings to address the challenges of leading teams in a changing and uncertain context, through a 100% virtual scheme. The topics were:
Emotion Management, Digital Leader and the Value of Conversations.
Likewise, those employees who assumed team leadership positions participated virtually in leadership programs developed in renowned educational institutions.
On the other hand, we promote training activities that accompany the incorporation of technical competencies to improve performance in current positions, following technological updates, or to occupy other positions in the Company, which is supplemented with the policy of prioritizing the filling of vacancies with internal candidates and providing specific development opportunities.
In 2020 we continued with the corporate training program called ProSoft. Three workshops were given, open and of voluntary participation to develop professional skills: In search of our own productivity, More effective virtual meetings, and Working with Microsoft Teams.
Regarding training in Environment, Health and Safety, Health and Safety (MASS), we have a MASS Competency Training and Accreditation System and during 2020, as in previous periods, we trained 100% of the payroll.
PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT
The Performance Management System considers a person’s performance as a whole , including the results achieved, and the generic competencies required to achieve them. What a person achieves gives immediate added value and contributes to the performance of the organization. The competencies that a person uses to achieve these results are the foundation on which the fulfillment of objectives is based, contributing part of the organization’s success in the medium and long term.
100% of Profertil’s personnel participate in the annual process in which leader-collaborator communication is key to professional development and the achievement of established objectives.
100% of our team has its corresponding annual performance evaluation
SUCCESSION PLAN
The objective of this sub-process is to plan the development of people in order to ensure the continuity of business management, which allows us to identify possible replacements of holders of critical positions for Profertil in the short, medium and long term. As in previous years, in 2020 the Management Team held two meetings to review the Succession Plan, in which development actions for successors were also defined.
CULTURE CLIMATE AND ENGAGEMENT
LABOR RELATIONS
We promote freedom of trade union association. 27% of our people are members of the Bahia Blanca Chemical, Petrochemical and Related Industries Personnel Union, with which we have signed a collective bargaining agreement by company, valid until December 2023.
In this agreement, the parties undertake to ensure that the workers carry out their tasks in a safe and thriving environment that respects their dignity, aspiring to ensure that their professional qualifications contribute to the processes of continuous improvement, as well as to production cost-effectiveness.
COMPENSATIONS AND BENEFITS
Our Compensation Policy is based on internal equity and external competitiveness, thus ensuring a salary structure in accordance with the content of the positions, levels and responsibilities.
We have an annual variable compensation program for the entire staff, which recognizes individual performance as measured through performance evaluations that apply to 100% of our people.
In order to reward the success of our staff, their contributions and exceptional achievements (individual or group), and to recognize performance that exceeds expectations, monetary and non-monetary incentives are provided. We promote work and personal life balance through benefits designed to improve the quality of life and the climate at work.
INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS
We have a culture that encourages direct communication between people, and we have different tools that promote internal dialog:
• Internal Communications e-mail box.
• Pronet: the Company’s Intranet.
• Microsoft Teams: for virtual meetings and corporate events
• Open dialogs
• Internal Instagram to share news
• Internal magazine “Todos Nosotros” (All of Us), with annual edition
• Billboards located in the main buildings of each location.
• Video conference rooms for remote meetings between the different offices.
• Corporate communication meetings: meetings to present the advances regarding the Company’s objectives.
• Climate, Satisfaction and Engagement Survey
CLIMATE MANAGEMENT
We have an organizational climate management process, which allows us to obtain measurements of the factors that determine our staff’s satisfaction.
In order to sustain employee commitment and build an action plan to that end, a questionnaire was conducted to find out how employees were dealing with the pandemic and social isolation and their perception of what it is like to work in this context.
We inquired about aspects related to work organization, leadership, family and work time, and wellbeing and health. Questionnaires were online, voluntary and confidential 2 surveys were conducted during the year. The Commitment question obtained a percentage of favorability of 87% and 91% respectively.
With the data collected, an action plan was drawn up with 4 axes: deepening results, strengthening adaptation to the task, wellbeing experiences and increasing spaces for dialog.
SERVICES FOR STAFF
PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT
We work to maintain employee documentation complete and updated and manage Profertil’s payroll settlement process in order to comply with current legal regulations and the Company’s internal procedures
STAFF SERVICES
In addition to the benefits offered by the Company, at the facilities we manage services for the personnel with the objective of facilitating the day to day life. Transfer Service, In-Plant Canteen, Refreshments, Work Clothes are the most used.
SYSTEMS
In 2020, the IT area continued to work on different projects to keep the IT platform robust, secure, reliable and updated, accompanying the business in all the challenges that arose. Internally, there was a reorganization of the team in order to meet the needs that arose
When the Special Work Scheme began, on the one hand, work was done to adapt the infrastructure so that a large part of the Organization could carry out its work activities remotely and, on the other hand, the operational areas with on-site work were assisted in adapting the workspaces to achieve safe social distancing. Different tools were evaluated and implemented to enable the Organization to continue its activities, such as collaborative work applications, live communication tools, courses and online meetings. In addition, equipment was added so that the meeting rooms would be operative in this new work tools.
Together with Human Resources, the APPTO application was implemented so that employees attending the Plant could make their health affidavit electronically and systematically. In conjunction with the Commercial area, we initiated a review of tools to support different logistics sub-processes and achieve a unification of processes in the different sites that carry out product dispatches. On the other hand, a project was initiated to replace the customer portal with a modern platform, which will allow us to achieve greater functionality.
With the Institutional Relations and Marketing areas, we worked on the reunification of web pages and achieved a new corporate image. With other areas, tools were evaluated to systematize and make business processes more efficient, such as the systematization of bidding processes in purchasing, ticket reservations and expense.
reports in the treasury, tools for managing sub-processes in MASS, reorganization and modernization of access to information in Human Resources, platform for knowledge management in Industrial Operations, systematization of work permits in the Plant, stock management of laboratory supplies, among others.
Together with YPF and the SAP platform hosting and administration provider, we worked on the migration of Profertil’s platform to the Amazon Web Services cloud.
In the area of information security, we continued to raise awareness among users and incorporated new policies in computer equipment to reinforce the security of the Company’s information network. Work continued on updating the regulatory framework for information security.
In terms of infrastructure, we continued with the notebook replacement plan and throughout the year, we updated the basic platform in terms of servers and communications and network equipment. Likewise, the critical systems services platform was upgraded, which made it possible to update the latest versions of the collaborative work solutions that have been widely used since the beginning of the pandemic.
The EBI system was also updated, which allows the registration of personnel in the plant and confinement system, and the DVM, a system for camera monitoring. The architecture to support the technology in the remodeling works of the San Nicolás terminal and the dispatch terminal in Necochea was also defined
6.1.3
OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY
We work to create and maintain an adequate work environment in relation to health and safety, by identifying and neutralizing risk factors. The result of our commitment is reflected in the low accident rates obtained, compared with other companies of the Petrochemical Pole of Bahía Blanca and the benchmarking with IFA (International Fertilizer Industry Association), and through our Integrated Management System, which is certified by the following standards: ISO 9001, ISO 14001 e ISO 45001.
We strive to achieve the commitment of our entire payroll, for which we hold formal meetings with the safety and environmental representatives of the Chemical, Petrochemical and Allied Industries Personnel Union (SPIQPyA) to improve continuously the Company’s working conditions and the health of our people.
Every year, we carry out a study of the working environment, in order to detect and correct deviations, and to examine the comfort and safety of workplaces, through different measurements (lighting, noise, vibrations and chemical components in the air). In this way, we continued with the Integrated Ergonomics Plan, which made it possible to include all levels and the Plant´s areas in these matters.
Also, on an annual basis, we perform medical exams to all staff, in addition to those required by law, and female staff are offered specific exams such as breast ultrasound and mammography. From this, we obtain indicators that allow us to develop preventive plans, training activities, dissemination of material related to good health care habits and permanent follow-up by the Company’s physician. Due to the pandemic, medical examinations were not carried out in 2020.
In relation to the promotion of a safe and healthy work environment, we generate information that is periodically sent electronically and we develop classroom practices in CPR and first aid with the help of simulators, as well as we provide other classroom and virtual training instances.
The topics covered were
• Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and First Aid.
• Cardiovascular prevention and healthy life.
• HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases
(STD).
• Health effects of tobacco.
• Drugs of abuse
Taking as a reference the statistics of the WHO and SEDRONAR, we consider that the detection of situations of alcohol and drug consumption, as well as the possibility of access to treatment and rehabilitation programs, can be promoted from the work environment. Therefore, in Profertil we implement a policy of prevention and control of addictions that is inspired by the care of people, in a dignified and respectful approach and in the confidentiality of data. In 2019, we achieved the certification as Preventive Labor Scope of Problematic Alcohol and Drug Consumption granted by the Secretariat of Integral Policies on Drugs of the Argentine Nation (SEDRONAR). Thus, we are the first company in Bahia Blanca and the second private company in the country to have this certification. At the national level, only 11 organizations have this distinction.
As it is customary within the area’s activities, and in conjunction with the person responsible for training in Industrial Operations, the Basic Training Program for Plant Brigades was carried out. In 2020, in spite of the pandemic and with strict prevention protocols against COVID-19, the Plant Emergency Brigades carried out 692 hours of basic training, and the capacity to respond to emergencies within the plant was maintained. We were also able to renew the National Contingency Plan (PLANACON) and the Mooring authorization and the provisions of the PNA Ordinances 08/98 and 05/01 were complied with.
INDICATORS
Our facilities are equipped with automatic systems to detect possible safety problems, such as gas leaks, fires and high temperatures in equipment. We also have an internal emergency response brigade and professional firefighters, and we participate, together with other neighboring companies and public agencies, in the Bahía Blanca Technological Emergency Program (APELL Process).
Regarding the health and safety of people, we implemented more than 50 protection measures against COVID-19, and designed care and evaluation programs for symptomatic cases aligned with those of the Ministry of Health.
HEALTH MANAGEMENT COVID-19
In order to prevent contagion, maintain operational continuity and respond to legal requirements regarding personal care and conditioning of facilities and equipment, we prepared prevention protocols, whose exceptional work rules can be classified into 4 barriers:
1 | Hand hygiene and personal care
2 | Preventive distancing
3 | Adaptation of facilities
4 | Training and awareness
1st Hygiene and Personal Care: The strength of this barrier was based on personal conduct and group discipline on sanitation issues.
• We reinforced the cleaning and disinfection of all facilities. We prepared and delivered the means for everyone to sanitize keyboards, mice, desks, and other frequently used utensils.
• We placed sanitizers in all workstations and placed wastebaskets by COVID and disinfectant mats at the main entrances.
• As hands are vehicles of contagion, we raised awareness about their frequent washing.
• Wellness workshops and employee assistance line
• Sanitizing kits for families
• Biosecurity protocols when entering the Medical Service in suspicious cases
• Awareness and training campaign through institutional videos.
• Provision of equipment for Medical Service personnel.
• Accompaniment and daily telephone assistance for suspicious cases.
2nd Isolation and distancing between people: Effective barrier that prevents contacts to avoid contagions:
• We reduced personnel to the minimum essential in the facilities, implementing tele working for all personnel who can perform tasks remotely.
• We included the use of masks as an extra barrier to social distance and indicate how to add new barriers in cases where the limiting distance is broken.
• We provided the tools and platforms for virtual meetings and adapted the electronic systems.
• We restricted access to external visitors and third parties.
• Places of personal contact and crowding (entrances, accesses, canteens, etc.) were signposted and limitation barriers (control room) were placed to comply with the social distance.
• We prioritized and facilitated the use of personal vehicles over other means of transportation. The use of public transportation is avoided. The service of vans and taxis was limited to favor the social distance of eventual passengers, and they are ventilated and sanitized before and after each trip.
• Adaptation of workspaces.
• Monitoring of state regulations: municipal, provincial and national
• Interpersonal distance in daily activities
• Temperature control, smell test and signing of health affidavit on entry.
• Digital work permits.
• Masks/face shields: delivery and use on site
• Dining room: restricted access, cutlery and food in bags
3rd Adaptation of the facilities for sanitary control and prevention of contagion:
• To keep Production Operators isolated, we rearranged the Control Room rooms and offices, to minimize contacts and make the accesses to the workstation independent.
• We separated the Panel Operators’ workstations by acrylic partitions.
• We placed new containers to separate the Ammonia Operators.
• We isolated the changing rooms of the Utilities Plant personnel from Ammonia and Urea, providing them with a new Utilities Plant changing room.
• In order to force the distancing and avoid the entrance of people, we added a counter at the Control Room access.
• We placed a new Sanitary Container in Post 5, conditioned for COVID symptom monitoring.
• We conditioned Post 2 and 5 for symptom control, and incorporated the use of contact limitation furniture, windows, screens and barriers in several places in the Plant, such as the Warehouse, Surveillance, Scale, etc., in order to facilitate the distancing and protection of personnel attending to the public.
• We conditioned the smoking areas so that only one user can use them.
• We incorporated distance and position signage in different parts of the plant.
• We limited and dedicated the use of restrooms and locker rooms.
4th Training and response to COVID-19 Cases:
• We participated in the training for “Working on days of Social Isolation due to COVID-19”, based on the good hygiene practices we already provided.
• We prepared the MASS Induction for new employees and contractors (by UTN) with the inclusion of COVID-19 prevention measures.
• Awareness raising through internal communications and e-mails to all personnel on COVID-19 prevention measures.
• Communication and announcements about COVID-19 in common places: billboards, restrooms, locker rooms, and others, with the inclusion of leaflets and brochures toraise awareness about the protocols.
• We included contractors in the training of their personnel on COVID-19 issues, verification of their risks and prevention measures in the event of performing any activity.
• We prepared a COVID Protocol for Contractors that included all the topics that must be developed and covered in our Company.
• We created the figure of the COVID Referent for Contractors, a person responsible for communicating, dealing with and following up on all COVID issues in your Company.
• Preparation of a model protocol for contact analysis of COVID cases, which allows isolating suspects, close contacts, potential COVID positives and disinfecting sites that deserve to be contaminated.
6.2
OUR COMMUNITY
6.2.1
PROFERTIL AND YOU
Our actions and programs with the community respond to our spirit of being good neighbors; therefore, we work to improve the links with the communities where we operate and to contribute to their sustainable development. Our management model aims at stimulating the relationship between the Company and the various stakeholders (collaborators, customers, suppliers, community residents, agricultural sector, various NGOs, among others). Through different communication channels, we seek to improve mutual knowledge to achieve the development of relationships based on trust and respect.
We conduct diagnostics and analysis of community needs and concerns. Based on this data, we developed continuous improvement actions in our productive processes: we implemented awareness-raising programs on environmental issues, as well as other programs aimed at strengthening community leadership with a triple impact approach. Pillars of management with the community:
GRI 103-2, 103-3, 203-1, 413-1
Material Issues: Relationship with the community and Social Investment, Indirect Economic Impacts
EDUCATION
SPORTS
CULTURE
HEALTH
QUALITY OF LIFE
EDUCATION
SPORTS
CULTURE
HEALTH
QUALITY OF LIFE
6.2.1.1
EDUCATION
PLANT VISITS
BEGINNING:
2001. It is the oldest program in the company.
OBJECTIVE:
Welcoming the neighboring community to provide access to knowledge of the facilities, processes and general activities, in line with our policy of open doors to the community and closeness to neighbors.
WORK AXIS:
Education, health and quality of life.
BACKGROUND:
The Plant Visits were born in 2001 with the objective of allowing the neighboring community to get to know our facilities, processes and activities. This program allows us to tell what we do and how we do it, to listen to participants’ concerns and to answer the questions that usually arise in the community. With more than 44,500 visitors a year, it is the oldest program in Profertil and is a clear example of a policy of open doors to the community and closeness to the neighbors.
2020 NEWS:
The global health situation posed a challenge for the continuity of the program. For this reason, during 2020 we reinvented the visits to a virtual modality in which students from different institutions toured the Plant and its processes through audiovisual material and a synchronous platform, to continue strengthening the commitment with education and the link with students and teachers in times of pandemic. This is an interactive, playful and formative meeting in which the Profertil’s Plant guide leads students through a presentation that includes Plant sounds, drone shots, comparisons to size up the size of the facility, trivia, and Instagram filters. The result is an innovative experience, with a great potential for growth towards new audiences located anywhere in the country.
In 2020, the visit was adapted to be carried out virtually, recreating the experience so that each participant could do it from home. Demand was high: 80% of the quotas covered. 1473 individuals made the virtual visit of the Plant.
CRECIENDO EN COMUNIDAD (GROWING IN
COMMUNITY) PROGRAM
BEGINNING:
2012
OBJECTIVE:
Strengthen intermediate organizations, through the training of their community leaders, so that they can be key actors in the development of social projects. It consists of seminars that provide skills and knowledge, both to social organizations and to the Company, generating a horizontal relationship between the company and society, aimed at overcoming the philanthropic model. The three seminars making up the training plan are Volunteer Work and Shared Project, Annual Strategic Action Plan, and Financial Planning. Upon completion of this first stage, the program continues accompanying the institutions that participated with continuous training courses. These sessions consist of permanent training focused on specific topics of interest for each institution
WORK AXIS:
Education, culture and quality of life
BACKGROUND:
In 2019, we held five continuing education meetings and another five specific training seminars for new volunteers from organizations already in the program. We also opened a new space called Ateneo or Scientific Meetings, where those institutions that have challenges in common were invited to study a case together and exchange experiences and knowledge.
2020 NEWS:
Due to the context derived from the pandemic, the program was developed virtually. In the first instance, a dialog was held with each of the institutions that are part of Creciendo en Comunidad. Based on the information gathered, the framework of the meetings was defined; the form of implementation and the program was tailored to the needs of the participants. Regular meetings began with a training session on the use of virtual tools that facilitated participation. General meetings were held with the participation of all the organizations, as well as specific meetings on specific topics in which the organizations were grouped according to their expectations and interest
MESA DE PROYECTOS
BEGINNING:
2015
OBJECTIVE:
It is part of the Creciendo en Comunidad Program (community growth) At the end of the basic training stage, the institutions that are located in Ingeniero White are invited to participate in the Project Board to develop social investment initiatives in the port town, which directly contribute to improve the quality of life of the inhabitants of Ingeniero White and to embellish the town. It is a democratic space for dialog: each of the 16
institutions that make up the Board has the right to one vote, as does Profertil.
This makes the process horizontal, empowers the institutions, and brings the Company closer to the community. It is an innovative program with an equally innovative and disruptive process. In this project, Profertil is incorporated as one more actor, as it grants annually part of its sustainability budget and leaves the decision on how to manage this economic contribution to the social institutions themselves.
Likewise, recreational and training days are held, in which the organizations and the company work on the annual objectives, the reason for being and the possibilities of this collaborative space. The institutions that integrate it are: Sociedad de Fomento de Boulevard Juan B. Justo, Asociación Cooperadora Escuela N° 13, Asociación Cooperadora del Hospital Menor de Ingeniero White, Asociación Helénica, Asociación Amigos del Museo del Puerto de Ingeniero White, Centro de Jubilados de Ingeniero White, Asociación Cooperadora Escuela de Educación Técnica N° 1, Asociación Cooperadora Jardín N° 905, Asociación Cooperadora del Centro de Formación Profesional N° 401, Asociación Cooperadora de la E.S. N° 1 Gral. Enrique Mosconi, Asociación Amigos de la Orquesta Escuela de Ingeniero White, Comisión de Madres del Grupo Scout
WORK AXIS:
Education, culture and quality of life.
BACKGROUND:
We carried out works of enhancement of four squares of Ingeniero White: the squares of El Tren de la Vida (Saladero neighborhood), Islas Malvinas (Obrero neighborhood) and Pereyra (Vialidad neighborhood) now have new facilities for the enjoyment of neighbors and visitors. Children’s games, integrative games and outdoor gymnastic equipment were acquired and installed, completing a total of 20 devices. Tables with integrated anti-vandalism benches were installed, made and placed by students from the Universidad Tecnológica Nacional, Bahia Blanca regional, LED lighting and security cameras; also, trees and plants were provided to forest the spaces, existing games and sports spaces were conditioned and signs were placed. In addition, repair and painting of playground equipment and painting of playground equipment in three other local squares: Plaza de las Colonias, Plaza esquina Mascarello y Sisco, Plaza Rincón del Sol and its continuation by the path in front, next to the Chapel of the Boulevard.
2020 NEWS:
A workshop was held at the beginning of the year with the objective of working on the link with the institutions from the virtual modality and then the periodic meetings with the institutions was also carried out virtually. In response to the critical social situation caused by the pandemic, the neighbors decided to deliver bags of merchandise to families with economic needs derived from the ASPO(*).7300 kilos of merchandise and 6240 liters of long life milk were delivered. Even though this type of actions is not part of the mission of the Project Board, the situation was so exceptional generated by the COVID-19 pandemics led to this special action. Three squares in Ingeniero White were also improved, including the painting and repair of existing playground equipment, the installation of new integrated games and an outdoor gym in the Atilio Miglianelli Square (Lautaro and Piccioli).
In addition, the “Patios Productivos” initiative was launched, a program that seeks to promote vegetable gardens in the backyards of the neighbors of Ingeniero White and thus encourage the cultivation of their own food, contributing to sustainability and family economy.
In this first stage, inputs were distributed so that 70 families of White could generate their own vegetable gardens. The Project Board provided these families with materials, training and personalized accompaniment during the first three months, until the gardens began to produce food
(*) Preventive and compulsory social isolation
EDUCAR PARA TRANSFORMAR
(EDUCATE TO TRANSFORM)
BEGINNING:
2020
OBJECTIVE:
Stimulate the completion of secondary education, academic excellence and the contact of young people with the world of work.
WORK AXES:
Education
Understanding that the growth of societies is closely linked to the possibility of studying and training, in February 2020 we launched the first edition of Educar para Transformar. In February 2020, we launched the first edition of Educate to Transform, a scholarship program aimed at students in the last year of the Technical High School No. 1 of Ingeniero White and the Industrial Operations Technician of the Universidad Nacional del Sur. During 2020, 12 high school students received scholarships, while 10 students from the university started the scholarship this year and will continue until the end of their studies.
“Thanks to this program I have decided to continue my university studies.”
Juliana, 2020 Scholarship recipient
“It feels like a reward for what you study and that is very comforting.”
Facundo, 2020 Scholarship recipient
“The scholarship was a huge help from the economic side, in my particular case it helped me to start my own entrepreneurship.”
Katherine, 2020 Scholarship recipient
“The Profertil team has been guiding and supporting us during this year through the contents they provided us with and their constant contact with us”.
Juan, 2020 Scholarship recipient
6.2.1.2
CULTURE
PROFERTIL CULTURAL CYCLE
BEGGINING:
2005
OBJECTIVE:
Sponsor different cultural activities that are developed in Bahía Blanca and Ingeniero White in order to collaborate with the access to one of the Human Rights, culture. Likewise, the program contributes to the brand positioning as it helps to constitute us as good neighbors of our community.
WORK AXIS:
Education, culture and quality of life.
BACKGROUND:
Every year we collaborate with organizations in the city that develop cultural activities in theaters or artistic spaces in Bahía Blanca and Ingeniero White
2020 NEWS:
In 2020, due to the health situation, no contributions or sponsorships have been made. For 2021, we have already scheduled to resume with some cultural initiatives to be developed in our city.
ART WORKSHOP
BEGGINING:
2007
OBJECTIVE:
Facilitate access to the artistic experience for both children and adults from the community surrounding the plant. It consists of a free art workshop at the headquarters of Cáritas de Ingeniero White and at the Sociedad de Fomento of the Boulevard Juan B. Justo neighborhood. The activity includes the teaching of several artistic techniques and all the materials are provided to the students.
WORK AXIS:
Education, culture and quality of life.
BACKGROUND:
As of 2018, the workshop includes the mosaicism technique for adults. In 2019 new participants and work in the diffusion of the program to attract new interested people from Ingeniero White.
Thus, the first quarter of 2019 was aimed at new participants, who did the first level of mosaicism and the second term worked on the advanced level, with students from previous years. In addition, figures in mosaicism were made to decorate the Medical Room of Barrio Juan B. Justo and a cross, with the same technique, was placed at the entrance to the headquarters of Cáritas de Ingeniero White
2020 NEWS:
During 2020, the on-site classes did not continue, and work began on the virtual program project for 2021. So as to continue with the aim of bringing art close to the Ingeniero White community.
6.2.1.3
QUALITY OF LIFE
HUERTA (VEGETABLE GARDEN) PROGRAM
BEGGINING:
2012
OBJECTIVE:
Transmit and leave installed capacity in our communities of influence. We understood that good practices, associated with sustainable agriculture, could be drivers of change and collective learning, which will allow educational communities and new generations to be more aware of the need to care for our environment and access to good nutrition.
WORK AXIS:
Education, health and quality of life.
BACKGROUND:
In 2016, we launched a new format consisting of school vegetable garden workshops for early childhood, primary and special education teachers. Then, teachers replicate the workshop in their classrooms, with the materials and content provided. Currently, the program reaches teachers in Bahia Blanca, Ingeniero White, Monte Hermoso, Punta Alta, Cabildo and Cerri.
2020 NEWS:
In 2020, as a result of COVID-19, the Vegetable Garden Program was reinvented as an online training instance which allows Profertil to continue accompanying the community, teachers, children and their families, disseminating topics related to soil care and sustainability.
This Level 2 of the Vegetable Garden Program can be understood as a natural science and food workshop. It is intended primarily for teachers who have
completed Level 1, although this is not a prerequisite for participation. It is a quick and innovative response to maintain the dialog with the community and continue learning about the care of the soil, each one from home, but closer than ever. For this purpose, a program of four meetings was designed, where different scientific thinking skills were worked on. During the Zoom meetings, teachers were invited to think as scientists do,
so that, based on their own experience, they could take these practices to the children.
In 2020, 76 teachers participated in the two editions held in a 100% virtual format. For this new version of the workshop, it was defined as a general criterion to propose activities that teachers and their students could carry out from their homes, considering the particular needs of this year.
MORE SEEDS FOR EDUCATION
WORK AXIS:
Education, culture and quality of life.
2020 NEWS:
During 2020, we collaborate with the following institutions and activities:
• Sponsorship of the Elementary School N° 13 of Ingeniero White, commitment assumed since 2000.
• Collaboration with 7 educational establishments of public management of initial, primary, middle, polymodal and university level.
“The Vegetable Garden Workshop provides training for teachers in the city of Bahía Blanca. The objective is for children to learn the way to produce food in a sustainable way, to learn about the soil, to take care of the environment and all the implications of food production.”
Marcelo Bertolino, Institutional Relationships Manager
NEW GREEN SPACE FOR THE CITY
Together with APLA, we have donated 500 native species of trees for a new park in Bahía Blanca.
The initiative was born in 2019, when Profertil participated in the 39th Annual Meeting of APLA (Latin American Petrochemical and Chemical Association) and committed to take action to offset the carbon footprint generated by the event. Thus, it coordinated with the municipality of Bahia the tasks to plant 150 specimens in 2020 and, in 2021, the remaining 350. The new Campaña del Desierto Park will be a green space of great relevance for the city, located in an area that has undergone great urban development in recent years. In the stage inaugurated in 2020, trails were enabled, and benches and informative signs detailing the characteristics of the seven native species selected for afforestation were installed.
Profertil has been planting trees for several years. In fact, in its 20 years of history, it has carried out a census of urban trees, planted trees in different parts of Ingeniero White and Bahía Blanca, and delivered native species to neighbors of the port city.
In the new park, 150 of the committed specimens have already been planted and the plan is to plant all of them during the first quarter of 2021. The species, chosen by a team of professionals, are native and are planted with tutors, ant protection and hydrogel are used to maintain the humidity under the soil. The trees to be seen are cinacina, espinillo, barba de chivo, caldén, algarrobo blanco,
aguaribay, and acacia visco
“This action is in line with the activities we are permanently doing for the sustainable care of the soil, one of the most important natural resources of the country.”
Federico Veller, General Manager
6.2.1.4
SPORTS
SEEDS FOR SPORT
WORK AXIS:
Education and sports
Every year, we support clubs that promote sports, through different actions with children and young people in our city.
In addition, we donated Urea for the maintenance of the courts of clubs, recognized locally and regionally; they are: Club Villa Mitre, Club Olimpo, Agrupación de Veteranos de Rugby Senior Choroi, Club Atlético Sporting – Punta Alta, Club de Golf, Club de Rugby and Field hockey Club Puerto Belgrano, Club Tiro Federal and LIDA (Liga Interprofesional de Deporte Amateur)
63RD EDITION OF THE CIRCUITO DE REYES 2021
SPECIAL EDITION IN VIRTUAL FORMAT
In 2021, the traditional CIRCUITO DE REYES Run was adapted to a virtual format and carried out under the slogan “Together we can”.
In this particular context of the COVID-19 pandemic, it seemed essential to us to continue encouraging physical activity, self-care and, above all, activities that help us to renew the air and keep us in a positive mood. That is why we chose to give continuity to this annual event, which is not only a sporting competition, but also a meeting point for all the families of Bahía Blanca and the region.
In order to make this possible, without breaking sanitation rules and to continue taking care of each other, we opted for a virtual format. This meant that, between January 1 and 4, all those registered had to run 8.5 kilometers (5.5 miles) in a virtual race.
The participants had to register at courses close to their home, and then upload their data online. All registered participants received by mail the virtual kit to participate in the competition: a dorsal with the number to print, the participation medal and the diploma.
To close the event, and to continue celebrating the moment of encounter, on January 5 a special program of the race was broadcast on CANAL E and live on Facebook. The program included raffles, interviews, notes, photos and videos of the protagonists and outstanding athletes who participated in previous editions throughout the 63 years of the event.
In this way, the most traditional race in the country closed a new year with more than 1500 participants from different parts of Argentina and the world. The virtual format made it possible for us to reach beyond our region.
14,500 kilos of granulated urea were donated in 2020 to fertilize the fields of sports clubs.
6.2.1.5
HEALTH
SEEDS FOR HEALTH
WORK AXIS:
Health and quality of life
With regard to health, we collaborate with different local institutions:
• Asociación de Ayuda al Prematuro (NACER), of the Hospital Interzonal José Penna in Bahía Blanca (www.Asociacionnacer.com.ar): we have been supporting the Neonatology Service for 18 years, mainly with the acquisition of equipment to improve the survival of premature or sick babies. To date, we have donated equipment such as Neumovent Graph Neo ventilators, Edan multiparametric monitors (model M8-B), and several neonatal incubators. In 2020, we donated a pediatric neonatal ventilator.
• Ingeniero White Children’s Hospital: donation of 60 sanitizing kits.
• Hospital Municipal de Bahía Blanca: economic collaboration with Fundación del Hospital Municipal Dr. Leónidas Lucero for the purchase of medical supplies within the framework of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Hospital Interzonal Dr. José Penna: donation of intensive care equipment and two videolaryngoscope sets (one pediatric and one adult).
Within the framework of the COVID-19 pandemic, as part of our actions and given our constant dialog with the nearby communities, we developed activities to provide support and collaboration with key institutions:
• Donation to the Municipality of Bahia Blanca for food delivery
• Donation of Medical Supplies for the Public Hospital for the public hospital
• Collaboration in food donation campaign of UOCRA and SPIQPyA
• Food distribution in Ingeniero White, Barrio Boulevard Juan B. Justo and Barrio El Saladero
Joint work to face pandemic 40,000kg of food for the most vulnerable sectors
Together with Dow, Unipar and the Sindicato del Personal de Industrias Químicas, Petroquímicas y Afines (SPIQPyA) we contributed 40,000kg of non-perishable food that were distributed together with the Municipality among neighbors economically affected during the sanitary emergency. The donation reached Ingeniero White and other neighborhoods of the city, as well as institutions and social organizations.
Josefina Ciccioli (Dow), Guillermo Petracci (Unipar), Gustavo Lucero (Profertil), Julio Leguizamón (SIQYP) and Mayor Hector Gay, accompanied by Vanina González, head of the Social Policies area, during the assembly of the bags.