Together for a sustainable future on World Environment Day

World Environment Day was declared by the United Nations General Assembly in 1972, during the first Conference on the Human Environment held in Stockholm, Sweden. On that occasion, environmental degradation was recognized as an urgent problem to be solved through collaboration among countries and sustainable development. In addition, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) was created to evaluate, develop and strengthen environmental policies at global, regional and national scale.

Since then, World Environment Day has become a global platform to share information, raise awareness and mobilize society in the face of the triple planetary crisis: climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution. Each year, a different country is the host, and is in charge of organizing the activities and events related to this day. In 2023, the country chosen is Ivory Coast.

At Nanomate we are committed to the protection and conservation of the environment, and we participate in different initiatives that promote a culture of care and respect for our surroundings. Our commitment to the environment manifested in different ways:

• Environmental management: We have an Environmental Management System certified in accordance with the international standard ISO 14001, which demonstrates our responsible environmental behavior under the premise of continuous improvement.
• R&D: One of the objectives of our research lines is to develop sustainable products in which the production process is sustainable from start to finish, meaning from the use of raw materials with low environmental impact to zero waste production.
• United Nations Global Compact: we participate in the promotion and implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), for development in favor of people, the planet, prosperity and universal peace.

Within the company, we participate in and launch initiatives that have a positive social and environmental impact, such as:

• "Tapones para una nueva vida" (Caps for a New Life): A project in which we participate in collaboration with the SEUR Foundation, which consists of delivering plastic caps to a recycling plant to help children with serious health problems. Thanks to the recycling of these caps, children can access medical and orthopedic treatments not covered by the public health system. In this sense, at Nanomate we are alligned with the objective of this year's central theme of World Environment Day: "plastic pollution", encouraging the collection of plastic caps in our offices and in our homes.
• Environmental volunteering: our employees can volunteer to participate in reforestation or waste collection projects.

World Environment Day is an opportunity to reflect on our environmental impact and our commitment to caring for the planet. Each and every one of us can contribute to reducing plastic pollution by following some simple tips:

• Use reusable bags when shopping.
• Avoid unnecessary packaging and containers.
• Choose local and organic products.
• Carry your own bottles or cups for drinking water or coffee.
• Say "no" to single-use plastics.
• Separate and recycle waste in the appropriate containers.
• Participate in cleaning and/or reforestation campaigns.

We must not forget that we are all part of nature and that we depend on it for our survival and well-being. Therefore, we must be aware of our collective and individual responsibility to protect our planet. Every action counts, no matter how small.