Under the motto “Building solutions from the market,” to promote new economies, Día B 2024 took place on Friday, November 8th at the UTHGRA Sasso Hotel in Mar del Plata, with the participation of outstanding speakers. The event, declared of Touristic and Cultural Interest by the Municipality of General Pueyrredon, brought together more than 1,100 people among the attendees present and those who participated via streaming.
Organized by Sistema B Argentina with the support of the Municipality of General Pueyrredon, the National University of Mar del Plata, and the consulting firm Kausana, Día B is the National Meeting of the Global B Movement that gathers the main actors who are driving the new economies in our country. It aims to collectively accelerate to promote new economies the transition towards a new economic system that puts the well-being of people and the planet at the center of its decisions.
During Día B, the more than 600 attendees present and over 500 who joined via streaming listened to business leaders, public officials, company representatives, CONICET, the National University of Mar del Plata, and Sistema B Argentina, who spoke about new economies, business transformation, public-private collaboration, and impact business models, among other topics.
Marina Arias, Executive Director of Sistema B Argentina, welcomed the attendees, stating that “a people and planet-centered economy is possible.” “Having the market force exist to solve the socio-environmental problems we face today is necessary,” said the local NGO leader.
Next, Fernanda Mierez and Pedro Friedrich took the stage, who share the Co-Presidency of Sistema B Argentina. “The time to act is now, and each of us has a crucial role to play,” expressed Mierez. Friedrich, on the other hand, praised the city of Mar del Plata for its Triple Impact ecosystem.
From the public sector, council members Guido García, Angélica González, Guido Núñez, and Marianela Romero presented Marina Arias with the Touristic and Cultural Interest declaration of Día B. The mayor of General Pueyrredon, Guillermo Montenegro, stated: “Until a few years ago, it seemed contradictory to think about the market, the environment, and caring for people. Today we know that it is possible to combine, transform, and generate sustainable growth by putting people at the center. The responsibility is ours: as individuals, families, companies. We must seek the tools for effective care and for business to be profitable.”
Alfredo Lazzeretti, Rector of the National University of Mar del Plata, spoke about the urgency of social and environmental challenges. “The existence of Sistema B, this wonderful organization that tries to promote awareness in the market, is extremely valuable. There is no need to deceive ourselves, the dichotomy between the State and the market is false: they are two devices that complementarily face our challenges. We, from the university, humbly try to educate professionals with this future outlook,” he said.
Sandra Barrionuevo, Social Assistance Secretary of UTHGRA, the Union of Hotel and Gastronomic Workers of the Argentine Republic, also spoke, highlighting the Triple Impact-oriented vision of the B Movement and the care of people in particular.
Next, business leaders took the stage. Carolina Urrutia, Co-Founder of the Chilean B Corporation FreeMet, gave a talk on “Scaling impact from the market,” where she shared some milestones of her company, which manufactures non-toxic and biodegradable cleaning and personal hygiene products. Additionally, she amplifies impact with initiatives such as the use of recycled plastic in their packaging, bulk sales, concentrated products, eco-designed boxes, among others. “As a biologist, I learned from the scientific method something that I now bring to my company: objectivity. We fall in love with our products and services, but we have to look at them objectively: is this what the world needs today?” posed the B entrepreneur.
In the panel “Local businesses challenging the paradigm,” moderated by Constanza Carrillo, Director of Communities of Sistema B Argentina, four local entrepreneurs presented their cases. Participants included Patricio Negro, Chef and Co-owner of Sarasanegro (Pending B Corporation) and Furia Puro Fuego, Déborah Sabsay, member of Kausana Impact Agency and founder of B Corporations Lucenza and Kalmar Destilería, Julien Laurençon, Co-Founder and CEO of Procens, and Dr. Ing. Vera Alvarez, Co-Founder of UNIBAIO, President of FAN, and Director of INTEMA and CONICET Mar del Plata.
“For me, it’s a dream that this is happening in Mar del Plata, a city that is ecosystemically transforming. The public sector has become more interested, as well as the private sector. In the industrial park, there are major companies on this path and entrepreneurs who are born with this logic. These issues are addressed in the five universities and also in schools. All this led us to Mar del Plata being a region of impact,” said Déborah Sabsay.
Next, Dr. Gisela Giardino, marine mammal specialist, CONICET Researcher, and Professor at UNMDP, and Camila Nahir Petrán Sayago, Yoga Teacher at B Corporation Luleå Mindful, led the “We are ocean” session, inviting participants to connect with marine life and become aware of the importance of conserving and caring for local ecosystems.
Then, simultaneous rooms were conducted, where participants could choose between four spaces. The panel “Desplastificación y reciclaje: el desafío de dejar atrás viejos modelos” featured Ana Guerello, Sustainability Manager of Danone Argentina and Uruguay (B Corporation), Agustina Besada, Co-Founder and CEO of Unplastify (B Corporation) and National Geographic Explorer, Lucila Palacios Hardy, Sustainability and Triple Impact Manager of Farmacity, and was moderated by Martín Jersonsky, Founder and General Manager of Ecofactory (B Corporation).
“Possible Futures: signs of the New Economies” was a conversation led by Victor Mochkofsky, Co-Director of the Introduction to New Economies Platform (PINE) and the Diploma in New Economies of UNC, and Giuliana Santoli, Voice Guardian, PINE.
In the “Vistage Space: authentic collaboration to strengthen leadership,” Guadalupe San Martín and Candelaria Becco, CEO and Triple Impact Leader respectively of Vistage Argentina (B Corporation), with the support of Chairs Fernando Echagüe, Felipe Zaidman, and Gustavo Gómez, offered business leaders a space to reflect on new leadership and work on collaboration among peer businesses.
The fourth conversation was “Collaborative Workshop: understanding regenerative businesses,” facilitated by Prem Zalzman, Director of Strategic Innovation at Kolibri (B Corporation), Agustina Vilariño, Senior Circular Design Consultant at Kolibri (B Corporation), and Santiago Romar, Continuous Improvement Manager at Kolibri (B Corporation). They shared the cases of Rosario Lanfredi, Coordinator of Regenerative Nodes at Ovis 21 (B Corporation), Facundo Bernatene, Co-Founder and President of Eywa Mar and Cultura Regenerativa, Fernando Blanco, Co-Founder of Chacra B, and Micaela Uberti, Corporate Sustainability Manager at McCain Foods.
At the event, Sistema B signed an agreement with FEHGRA, the Hotel and Gastronomic Business Federation of the Argentine Republic, to accelerate the sector’s transition towards triple impact. Participating were Fernando Desbots and Claudio N. Aguilar, president and vice president of the organization, as well as gastronomic entrepreneurs Matías Bismach and Mario Wisner.
Near the closing, a discussion took place between Nicolás Lusardi, Executive Director of Cook Master (B Corporation), and Juan Pablo Husni, Communication Specialist and Coach. Lusardi presented the case of his company, which develops food solutions focused on vulnerable communities, such as prisons and youth institutions.
“CREER is a sociolaboral inclusion program for people who are or have been incarcerated, and that requires systemic work, a lot of passion, and commitment,” explained the entrepreneur. “We created a network that combines the efforts of different organizations working in this direction, with NGOs, foundations,
