Sustainability Drives Innovation in Argentina's Agribusiness, Biopharma, and Forestry Sectors

Sustainability has shifted from an optional consideration to a central pillar of long-term business strategy, according to leaders from Argentina's agroindustry, biopharmaceutical, and forestry sectors. At the tenth edition of the Sustentabilidad event organized by LA NACION, experts from Bunge, AstraZeneca, and Patagonia Flooring shared insights on how their distinct industries are driving this change.

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today the strategy of sustainability is transversal to all company decisions, especially investment decisions.

Jorge Bassi, Director of Marketing and New Business at Bunge, stated that sustainability is now transversal to all company decisions, especially investments. "A company that sees itself in the long term necessarily has to focus on sustainability," he noted. Bunge is pursuing clear goals, including increasing renewable energy consumption to 30% and improving energy efficiency. As a major player in food and energy supply chains, Bassi highlighted the agricultural sector's role in providing green energy and producing food and biofuels with a focus on carbon footprint reduction.

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A company that sees itself in the long term necessarily has to focus on sustainability.

From the biopharmaceutical sector, Luciana Krsul, Policy & Advocacy Lead for AstraZeneca Argentina and Head of the Sustainability Committee for AstraZeneca Southern Cone, explained that the company's sustainability agenda is closely linked to health. Believing that human and planetary health are interconnected, AstraZeneca focuses on three pillars: climate and nature, health equity, and health system resilience. The company aims to strengthen healthcare systems, making them more sustainable, healthier, and equitable.

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The agro today is one of the main suppliers of green energy and in those chains our commitment is not only to reduce our environmental footprint, but to achieve products, raw materials for food, for biofuels that focus on the carbon footprint to provide solutions to those industries.

Kevin Saramaga, Operations Director at Patagonia Flooring, challenged preconceptions about the timber industry, asserting that wood is a highly sustainable material for construction and decoration. He described trees as "batteries that absorb carbon dioxide throughout their lives," with the absorbed carbon remaining stored. All three leaders agreed that achieving real, measurable environmental impact necessitates constant innovation, strict certifications, fostering an internal culture of sustainability, and robust collaboration across the entire value chain.

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Wood is one of the most sustainable elements one can rely on for construction and decoration of a house.