ESG Program

Farmashop — the largest pharmacy chain in Uruguay — initiated an ambitious ESG program following Linzor’s entry into the company. In 2019, Linzor received the 2019 LAVCA award for Social Responsibility, in recognition of Farmashop’s above-standard human resources policies encompassing recruiting, gender diversity, continuing education and inclusion. 

Recruiting

Farmashop is committed to creating work opportunities for people in demographic segments that may not necessarily meet the traditional selection criteria, but nonetheless carry exceptional potential. As part of this commitment, the company has launched recruiting programs targeting: (i) women aged 35-50 seeking to enter or reenter the workforce after a period of absence (Program “Mamás, Tías y Abuelas”), (ii) young people seeking their first job, and (iii) people with disabilities.

Benefits and Continuing Education 

  • Benefits include employee discounts at Farmashop and affiliated businesses, as well as tuition reimbursement for pharmacy courses. All employees receive training, both in-person and online, on topics relevant to the performance of their job, as well as on the company’s values, customer service and human development. 
  • In 2017, Farmashop received the CREAR Award and the Deloitte Special Mention for Best Practices in HR Management in recognition of the company’s innovative employee training program.  

Awards

  • In 2022, Farmashop was awarded the National Prize for Energy Efficiency, granted by the Uruguayan Ministry of Industry, Energy and Mining. The company has saved more than 150 tons of oil equivalent per year by (i) replacing vehicles with electric and hybrid options, (ii) using LED lighting, thermic conditioning and movement sensors in stores, and (iii) installing solar panels in its distribution centers.  

Quality of Work Environment

  • Farmashop has policies in place designed to provide employees with a friendly, respectful work environment, including mechanisms for affected employees to report abuse anonymously. The company is committed to investigating all incidents and taking appropriate action based on the results. 

Social Commitment

  • Farmashop regularly contributes to non-profit organizations selected by the employees through a company-wide voting process. Recent beneficiaries include: UNICEF Uruguay, Peluffo Guigens Foundation, Teleton, and a diverse group of smaller community, sport, and charity associations.

Environmental Protection

  • Farmashop donates all its paper and cardboard waste to Repapel, a foundation dedicated to educating children on sustainable development. Recycled paper goods are produced from the donated material, which help Repapel finance its activities. 
  • The company’s home delivery service is powered by electric bicycles, which help reduce fuel consumption and carbon emissions. 

 

Mundo ESG Program

Mundo — the #2 largest fiber-to-the-home (“FTTH”) provider in Chile — has social responsibility ingrained in its DNA. In 2021, Linzor received the 2021 LAVCA award for Social Responsibility for its investment in Mundo, in recognition of the company’s commitment to bridging the digital divide in Chile, providing lifetime free internet service to over 1,600 social organizations and making concerted efforts to extend educational and professional opportunities to wider segments of the population through improved internet access.  

Company Mission

  • Mundo’s mission is to become a leader in the Chilean telecom space by bringing top technology in connectivity (FTTH) to areas that have been historically ignored by the industry incumbents. The company offers a high quality product (300-1,000 Mbps high-speed internet) with a focus on affordability, leading to pricing well below the competition.  
  • Mundo has been able to compete successfully with the larger players, thanks to the strength of its product and attractive price point. Today, Chile benefits from a larger fiber infrastructure and higher broadband penetration than its regional peers, to a large extent thanks to the dynamism of the local telecom industry, in which Mundo has played an important role.  

Social Commitment 

  • Mundo’s corporate social responsibility efforts are focused on providing free connectivity to institutions and families in need. As of March 2021, Mundo offered free internet connection to over 1,600 social organizations, institutions and public spaces, including schools, health centers, fire departments, neighborhood associations, elderly residences, indigenous communities, sports institutes and foundations.  
  • During the COVID-19 pandemic, Mundo granted free connectivity to 250 sites, including hospitals, contact tracing centers, emergency shelters, elderly residences, and penitentiary centers, among others. Mundo also participated in the “Siempre por Chile” campaign, delivering food to the most vulnerable families in the communities where it operates. 
  • Additional social initiatives include digital literacy campaigns and outreach in schools and municipalities, sponsorship of amateur sports teams and tournaments, and sponsorship of local TV stations (48 as of March 2021, 12 of which were created during 2020).  

Environment 

  • Mundo recycles all of its electronic waste using certified third-party providers. In addition to avoiding disposal of these materials in landfills, this initiative gives work to formerly imprisoned individuals participating in social reinsertion programs at some of the recycling providers. 
  • Mundo is assessing its electricity consumption in hubs and headquarters in order to reduce energy usage and the associated carbon emissions. The company is also optimizing the routes for its on-the-ground technicians in order to achieve efficiencies in fuel consumption.