In a strong call to action against disposable plastic within the framework of the global campaign #PlasticFreeJuly.
More than fifty prominent leaders from the Argentine business sector gathered to address one of the most pressing environmental challenges of our time: the excessive consumption of disposable plastic.
The event, organized by B System Argentina in collaboration with B Companies MERAKI, Unplastify, La Anónima, and GEA Sustentable, served as a vital platform to share and discuss local solutions from the private sector in the face of this global problem.
Rocío Gonzalez de Unplastify
The meeting, named “#PlasticFreeJuly x B Companies”, brought together influential representatives from various industries, including mass consumption, food and beverages, packaging, and fashion.
Marcos Aliaga MERAKI
Throughout two highly enriching discussion panels, four local B Companies shared their valuable experiences and the lessons learned on their ongoing journey towards a more conscious and responsible use and management of plastic.
Driven with the primary objective of fostering reflection and inspiring through the exchange of tangible solutions, this business meeting actively sought to promote effective strategies to reduce, reuse, and recycle plastic waste, demonstrating that business action can be a significant driver of change.
Local Cases with Positive Impact: Innovation in Practice
The first panel, named “Real Experiences: promoting efficient, conscious, and responsible use of plastic”, featured the stellar participation of Natalia Bernasconi, Sustainability Manager of La Anónima, and Marcos Aliaga, Director and Co-founder of MERAKI.
The conversation was skillfully moderated by Marina Arias, Executive Director of B System Argentina.
Marina Arias de Sistema B
Natalia Bernasconi opened the panel by sharing the perspective of a company with a long history: “We have 117 years of history in supermarkets, and during this time, there has been an evolution.”
Bernasconi highlighted that La Anónima was a pioneer in eliminating the use of traditional plastic bags for their customers.
Although the measure initially raised some questions, the company “made the decision to change with alternatives that do not impact their shopping experience”.
Today, La Anónima offers its customers cardboard boxes, efficiently reusing the packaging of goods in all its stores, and actively promotes the use of reusable bags as a sustainable alternative.
The Sustainability Manager of the supermarket chain detailed other recent actions implemented: the use of reusable vegetable crates, the reduction of plastic weight in their own brand product packaging, and trials with compostable materials.
Bernasconi emphasized a key principle for business sustainability: “For a triple impact initiative to be sustainable, profitability is the basis of any discussion.
Some measures, such as eliminating bags or reducing weight in packaging, are also beneficial economically.
Others require an initial investment, but then are amortized over time”, she explained, highlighting the economic viability of sustainable practices.
In addition, La Anónima shared a valuable experience of inter-company collaboration: together with the B Company Buplasa and their supplier Unilever, they installed a Buply recycling station at the Patagonia Shopping Center (Neuquén).
This innovative collection point receives all types of disposable plastic, ensuring that they are reintegrated into circular economies.
Beyond collection, this space also functions as an educational center, offering consumers detailed information about their environmental impact and a reliable and traceable alternative to correctly dispose of their post-consumer plastic materials.
On the other hand, Marcos Aliaga presented the vision of MERAKI, a B Company dedicated to the production of innovative personal care products, such as the famous bamboo toothbrushes.
“Our role is to challenge the industry with products that perform the same functions but also offer a positive impact on the planet and also on people,” Aliaga began, outlining the disruptive mission of his company.
According to Aliaga, MERAKI’s fundamental challenge lies in offering products with a positive environmental impact without sacrificing functionality or neglecting entrenched consumer habits.
In this complex path, he shared a crucial learning that was decisive for the company’s evolution: “We developed a toothpaste in tablets, in a rechargeable jar, and we were the first to do it in Latin America.
From an environmental point of view, it was an excellent solution, but we realized that we had lost sight of the consumer experience.” This realization led them to a strategic reevaluation.
Building on that valuable experience, the company continued to innovate and now offers, in addition to the original MERAKI Bits, a toothpaste in an aluminum container, a product that managed to find the perfect balance between a positive impact on the environment, optimal usability, and consumer preferences.
“We understood that it is not about going from one extreme to the other, but about finding the middle ground, real, accessible, and effective solutions that people can choose,” Aliaga reflected, highlighting the importance of practicality in adopting sustainable habits.
Redesigning Systems: From Waste to Circular Opportunity
The second panel, strategically titled “The plastic challenge in companies: from management to systemic redesign”, featured the valuable interventions of Rocío González, Co-founder and COO of Unplastify, and Florencia Benedicto, Founding Partner of GEA Sustentable.
The conversation was masterfully moderated by the renowned journalist Celeste Giardinelli
