For almost 10 years, the company has been operating in line with its Sustainability Strategy 2015-2025, focusing on creating value, both for the company and for its different stakeholders, and maintaining a balance in the economic, social and environmental spheres to provide a greater contribution to the societies of the countries where it operates.

"In these 124 years of history we have learned to be resilient and stand firm to our values, no matter how difficult the circumstances we face. We have a strong commitment to sustainable development and all that this implies, to continue our legacy and to bequeath to the next generations a promising future that will allow them to continue "Building together the country where we all want to live", emphasizes José Miguel Torrebiarte, chairman of the Board of Directors.

The current sustainability report, "Everything Changed," covers the period from january to december 2022 and includes the cement and building solutions division's operations in Guatemala, Belize, Panama, and Colombia.  El Salvador and Costa Rica, markets that were recently integrated into its operations, will be reported starting next year.

Four strategic pillars to achieve results

Sustainability is not only linked to the environment, but also to the social and economic environments, which aim to improve people's quality of life and ensure the integrity of the planet.

The 2022 Sustainability Report uses high standards of measurement in meeting sustainability goals, such as the reporting guidelines of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), the Spanish Law 11-2018 and its own sustainability strategy, in addition to the contribution of its actions to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and compliance with the principles of the United Nations Global Compact.  In addition, the report underwent external and independent verification and auditing conducted by the Centro para la Acción de la Responsabilidad Social Empresarial (CentraRSE) of Guatemala, in alliance with the Fundación Hondureña de Responsabilidad Social Empresarial (Fundahrse).

According to the Sustainability Strategy 2015-2025, the company's action policies are based on four vital pillars, under which they evaluate the fulfillment of goals. These pillars and some of their high performance and relevance indicators are: 

Preferred Employer: in 2022, 94% of employees reiterated their commitment and adherence to the Code of Values, Ethics and Conduct, COVEC; 264 new jobs were generated to reach 3,822 employees in the countries covered by the report. In addition, women represented 17% of the workforce and currently occupy 26% of the decision-making and authority positions. Fifty-seven percent of the plants' employees come from the communities in which they operate.

Favorite Supplier: In 2022, increased investment in research, development and innovation of new building solutions, in addition to focusing on promoting housing solutions benefiting 1,488 families through 18 housing projects of the Construyamos and Módulos Urbanos de Vivienda Sostenible, MUVIS programs.

Environmental Leader: Through prevention, shared responsibility, continuous improvement, training, research, science and innovation in environmental matters, it seeks to strengthen its regional leadership. In this regard, 61.8% of ordinary waste is recycled or reused, and another 25.5% is reused for energy recovery in the cement kilns. In addition, 100% of its operations comply with the efficient design of wastewater treatment systems and 95% have water management plans.

Ciudadano Responsable: in 2022, through AgroProgreso and Finca El Pilar, we promoted production chains that boosted the self-sustainability of flower growers in Guatemala, achieving the export of 17,000 dozen roses to the United States. In addition, 418 households transformed their lives with the "Pisos S3" initiative, promoting healthy, safe and sustainable spaces by replacing dirt floors with cement floors.

Each of these pillars is guided by the values, behaviors, strategic vision and leadership that characterize the "Progreso DNA" and are aligned with the company's long-term approach to generate social, economic and environmental value in the different countries and thus strengthen its leadership in sustainability.

"We are a company in which profits are not the end, but the result. This is the way our founder, Carlos F. Novella, instructed us to practice our corporate values through a vision of collaborative work, which takes into account the well-being of customers, communities, employees and the organization. That is why we conceive sustainability as the creation of long-term value in each of the countries where we operate", says José Raúl González, CEO of Progreso.

Translated by: A.M