President, One Unilever Markets (formerly Chief Business Operations & Supply Chain Officer), Unilever
Reginaldo Ecclissato, Presidente de Unilever México | Milenio Negocios
Una mesa que reúne cada martes a dos de las principales columnistas de negocios y finanzas de Grupo Milenio. Bárbara ...
Transcript (8 segments)
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Interviewer0:10
He has over 25 years of experience at Unilever, working globally. He has an electronics engineering degree and a Master's in Business Administration from the University of São Paulo. The president of Unilever Mexico and the Caribbean, Reginaldo Ecclissato, is here. The national presented this initiative for a Mexico free of waste. What is the volume of waste generated and in what time?
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Reginaldo Ecclissato1:06
First of all, thank you. Indeed, I am seeing a global commitment from Unilever. We announced a commitment three weeks ago, and a civic commitment for Mexico that we signed in the Senate last week with Senator Ricardo Monreal. It is a commitment for a Mexico free of waste. We have two very important commitments: reduce the use of virgin plastics by 50% in our products, and by 2025 collect and process more plastic than we sell, ensuring it returns as recycled plastic.
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Interviewer2:17
What size of investment does something like this imply?
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Reginaldo Ecclissato2:23
It's not just tactical, but the team has a very big commitment. We are still defining the investments, but the seal is much more important. The non-seal has a huge cost for the planet, society, and all companies. The seal means we can accelerate. We will have to accelerate through alliances with the government, media, and other companies. We have a strong alliance with Costco and other projects. Competitors will have to work together. The more companies that work together, the faster and better for the country and consumers.
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Interviewer3:46
Many companies are also growing in Brazil? What about investments for the south? Are there safe processing investments? Is there availability of private capital for those investments?
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Reginaldo Ecclissato4:02
I have no doubt. The company has a lot of infrastructure for growth. We have no concerns about investments because we will get there. The most important thing is that we as companies will create demand, and with demand, investment will come, and we will be able to close the circular economy. In practice, we are talking about multiple uses of plastic. Creating demand is super important. Mexico is one of the countries that recycles PET the most, a world example. We have programs in other countries, and Mexico is a key operation. Sustainability is defined as: we cannot continue taking resources from the planet. Our linear economy must become circular. The Unilever Sustainable Living Plan aims to dramatically reduce our impact. For example, in Mexico we send zero waste to landfill and use 100% renewable electricity. Sustainability is the only way to do business. We are launching a refill project for Sedal shampoo in stores. We are working with Walmart and other stores. It will be a success.
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Interviewer9:42
It's clear that we need to win over the stores. How is it going? What is the context? Mexico is important because it is one of Unilever's most important operations. Explain.
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Reginaldo Ecclissato9:50
Mexico is important because we have a large internal market that is growing. We export from Mexico to 50 countries. We have free trade agreements with over 50 countries. Geographically it is well located. We have an important export vocation and a large internal market with potential. For example, per capita consumption of Hellmann's in Mexico is only 2 liters, while in other Latin American countries it is 4-5 liters. There is enormous potential. Exports are also growing. In many aspects, consumption is different. Some categories grow more, others less. Overall it was a positive year of growth.