Month: October 2016

As part of our Corporate Social Responsibility initiative, Ajover-Darnel created a program to contribute to the wellbeing of more than 1,300 full-time and part-time employees. The program seeks to match any voluntary donations our employees make to the Pasacaballos Fund. Pasacaballos is a community located near Cartagena, Colombia, where 80% of our employees of our Cartagena plant come from.

For each peso contributed voluntarily by one of our employees, Ajover-Darnel contributes another peso. These resources are then used for social and infrastructure projects for the Pasacaballos community.

 

The program has focused so far in furthering Pasacaballos and employee education. The Pasacaballos Fund has granted high school and university scholarships through the Mamonal Foundation and based on academic performance granted financial aid and time off work to pursue their studies.

 

Many in Pasacaballos have grown up with the notion that there is no further education beyond high school. This is why Ajover-Darnel strives to provide them with tools to empower them and allow them to take control of their future and reach their objectives. At Ajover-Darnel we work to expand the market for our high quality products around the world, investing each day in what we consider to be our company’s most valuable asset: our people.

In tune with its objective of expanding to offer better services and products to its customers, Ajover-Darnel has made a substantial investment to build a new 200,000 square meters factory in the city of Ponta Grossa, Paraná, Brazil.

This new plant will complement our packaging products factory in Curitiba, which was acquired in 2012, and the already existing distribution centers located in Porto Alegre, Londrina, Belo Horizonte, and Goiânia.

Our investment in Brazil provides a platform to meet the growing demand for plastic products in the region, particularly heat-resistant plastic film solutions, and plastic packaging and containers for the food industry, including trays, boxes, and tableware.

So far, our Brazil operations have created 300 direct and indirect jobs, and our new investment will create 500 additional jobs in the next five years.

For the past years, Ajover-Darnel, through its DARNEL brand, has led a campaign called “Somos Útiles” [a play on words in Spanish meaning “we are useful” and “we are school supplies”] that aims to make consumers aware of the importance of recycling disposable products, including EPS (Expanded Polystyrene).

The purpose of our campaign is to collect the greatest amount of disposable material in places that produce large amounts of waste and transform it, through an industrial process, into school supplies. To achieve our objective, Ajover-Darnel joined forces with different Colombian foundations and companies, such as Fundación Corazón Verde, Olímpica, and Piscilago – Colsubsidio. Recycling centers were placed in different locations in the city and in malls. At these centers, Darnel educated foodservice employees and customer on the importance of recycling and the possibility to give our disposable products a second life.

EPS and hard plastic foodservice packaging was collected and then used to produce rulers and other school supplies. These supplies were then handed out to thousands of children in less privileged neighborhoods. By making recycling about helping children and the less privileged Darnel was able to change consumer habits and teach consumers about the environment. This program was so successful it has now become an ongoing effort.

The campaign showed all our products are recyclable and that if recovered correctly and then given a second life when, transformed into useful products.

Ajover-Darnel is committed to working with our customers and any groups that may have similar initiatives that seek to protect our environment.

In its efforts to constantly innovate, Darnel, an Ajover-Darnel brand, has developed the Darnel Naturals Pulp Containers and Plates line. The Darnel Naturals line is manufactured using biodegradable and compostable pulp, making it 100% recyclable.

Darnel Naturals offers products that are grease and fridge-resistant and microwavable. This innovative product adds on to Darnel’s product portfolio, which is known for being environmentally compliant, recyclable and product life cycle efficient.

 

This line has been welcome by restaurants and franchises looking for environmental and social options and tools to transmit an overall message of corporate social responsibility to their customers.