More and Better Water
for our Communities

 

Since water is at the center of Rotoplas’ being, we already were a socially responsible company even before the concept took root in the business community. As such, we contribute to social, environmental, and economic growth in society and in the communities in which we operate.

At Rotoplas we believe there is the potential to at the same time contribute to improving the quality of life of the people who inhabit the poverty stricken communities close to our operations and to increase our business, because of the growing need of the population and the economy to have a better water infrastructure and access to clean drinking water and sanitation and sewage services.

 

Since we know it is very important for our production to impact the environment as little as possible, all our production facilities are ISO 9001 quality-certified. In addition, facilities located in León, Guanajuato and Lerma, Estado de México, operate under the ISO 14001 environmental certification and under security certification ISO 18001. Because we are aware of our commitment to society, we also decided to implement an ISO 18001 certification process in all our plants.

Rotoplas designed the rainwater harvesting system that collects and stores rainwater and offers considerable savings in time and resources to families in need.

Within this context, our outdoor composting bathrooms integrated solutions promote investments in health and the quality of life of poor people and in improving sanitation, without having to incur in elevated costs that compromise both home and public finances. Between 2008 and 2014, we installed more than 150 thousand outdoor composting bathrooms, including those set up through the Cruzada Nacional Contra el Hambre.

 

In response to the water scarcity problems resulting from draught, waste, and contamination that Mexico is facing, Rotoplas designed its rainwater harvesting system that collects and stores rainwater and offers the most needy families considerable savings in time and resources because it provides them with water for personal use, for irrigating their crops and family orchards, and for house cleaning, without having to carry water for long distances. It also contributes to reducing water scarcity problems in rural and urban communities, and has a positive impact on the reduction of poverty.

 

On the other hand, Rotoplas developed a line of water filters and purifiers that seeks to strengthen the habit of using a purifier to decrease the consumption of bottled water, which is highly contaminant. Besides contributing to the preservation of the environment and encouraging the consumption of natural water, these filters and purifiers improve the quality of life and free water of bacteria.

 

As has been mentioned before, Rotoplas participates in the school drinking water fountain program sponsored by the Mexican federal government that seeks to offer free clean drinking water to students, in order to encourage children and adolescents to drink water instead of carbonated drinks, as a measure to try to combat childhood obesity and diabetes. The school water fountains made by Rotoplas specifically for this project and that have benefited more than 63 thousand students, have an innovative design and use cutting-edge technology, adhere to the norms established by the Mexican sanitary risks authority, Cofepris, and are included in the catalog of ultra-filtering technologies of the National Institute of the Physical Education Infrastructure, (Instituto Nacional de la Infraestrluctura Física Educativa, INIFED).

 

Another Rotoplas product that contributes to preserving the environment and non-renewable resources is our wastewater treatment plant (Planta de Tratamiento de Aguas Residuales, PTAR) that treats physical, chemical, and biological contaminants that are present in sewage and waste water. Designed so that sewage water can be reused for watering gardens, cleaning floors, irrigating crops, and so that it can be discharged without causing damage to rivers, oceans, and lakes in the country, the PTARs comply with the Mexican official norms for reused water and managing sewage sludge.

We developed a line of filters and purifiers to decrease the consumption of bottled water
School drinking water fountains use cutting-edge technology and have benefited more than 63 thousand students.
Besides offering our clients and the communities in which we operate innovative high-quality products, we implement a training and certification program to generate a water care culture through which we offer courses and certifications to different sectors of the population among which plumbers—who constitute our most important link to society—are necessarily included, as are students, social rehabilitation centers, and other vulnerable groups.

 

This initiative includes programs to promote self-employment and to improve productive life in the communities dedicated to construction and among vulnerable groups. We have a permanent plumber-certification program to share new abilities for installing hydraulic solutions. As part of this program, the trained plumbers receive a package including basic tools and participate in social events that encourage communal living. In 2014, we trained and certified more than 5 thousand plumbers, which contributes to guaranteeing the quality of our water solutions and to develop more simple installing methods based on the feedback we receive from them.

 

In activities other than the training of plumbers, in early 2014 we offered an intensive training course in water carrying solutions in a prison in the city of Monclova, Coahuila, in which more than 120 interns participated as part of a rehabilitation program.

Our wastewater treatment plant (PTAR) helps treat physical, chemical, and biological contaminants present in sewage and waste water.

We supported UNAM architecture, engineering, and social work students that participated in the Solar Decathlon, competing with other 19 international universities.

Also relevant in our training efforts is the innovative program aimed at women who have been victims of violence. At Grupo Rotoplas we have broken the gender barrier in the plumbing business through training programs that offer these women an important incentive that contributes to their personal growth. Participants receive a certificate that endorses the knowledge, abilities, and attitudes they have obtained for handling the Rotoplas storing and carrying solutions.

 

Rotoplas also sponsors World Water Day events that take place in Mexico, which include several activities and workshops aimed at creating and raising awareness about the importance of water care.

 

Another project in which Rotoplas participates is called SustentARTE, consisting of a series of artistic installations aimed at rescuing urban spaces through art and environmental awareness. As part of this project, the Alam-Petrov group of artists created Árbol de la vida, Acapulco en la azotea, and Venado en la chinampa, three works and installations made by using pipes, water tanks, and other Rotoplas brand products.

 

Additionally, and with the sole benefit for the company of doing a social good, a team of Rotoplas employees participated in an animal vigilance brigade in collaboration with the foundation Koncientizando por un mundo mejor, AC, that helps animals living on the streets.

 

In terms of education, Rotoplas supported UNAM architecture, engineering, and social work students that participated in the Solar Decathlon, competing with other 19 international universities in the city of Versailles. Rotoplas offered technical advice and sustainable solutions such as a self-cleaning biodigester and the Tuboplus pipes.

 

As part of the water protection culture that is so ingrained at Rotoplas, the company created the digital community known as Fan del Agua to establish an emotional and social connection with Mexican people, whose main protagonist is the issue of caring and saving water. This project includes an app that has 200 thousand followers.

 

In 2014, Rotoplas also donated water tanks and water filters to support poverty stricken families affected by the Odile hurricane that hit the city of Los Cabos and the state of Baja California Sur.

 

Finally, Rotoplas participated in different forums related to caring for water and the environment, among which the most relevant were The Green Expo, that brought together Mexican and foreign companies that offer state-of-the-art environmental solutions and technology; the Conexión Verde MX entrepreneurial forum that took place in the city of Guadalajara in order to establish contacts and strengthen relationships and partnerships with different people that are involved in the new era of the green economy; and the Enverdeser and ANEAS expos, which took place in late 2014, where Rotoplas presented its workshop “Sustainable Systems: Cero Wastewater”.