Salvadoran manufacturer Toto creates packaging with renewable energy

One of the ways that industry can protect the environment is by utilizing renewable forms of energy. Experts on the subject believe that photovoltaic panels that feed on light from the sun to generate power are the future.

That is the approach that has been adopted by a Salvadoran manufacturer of flexible packaging. Toto is a company that uses photovoltaic energy to operate some of its industrial machinery. It produces one hundred percent biodegradable bags and various packaging types seen in the market today.

Due to its efforts to be a good steward of the environment, the Salvadoran manufacturer will receive the Entrepreneur 2022 award this year. This recognition is given annually by the Salvadoran Association of Industrialists (ASI).

The Salvadoran manufacturer has several Central American locations

Through the innovation taking place at its plant, Toto seeks to promote another vision by which plastic is perceived in the country. “In 2018, something very significant happened. We have become the first company with facilities located in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras to utilize one hundred percent biodegradable packaging. But we don’t only stop there. Also,  during that year, the leadership of the company introduced the use of renewable energies in our company. To continue on this sustainable path is the great challenge that we have going forward,” explained Toto’s director, Luis Antonio Tona.

The roof of the Toto’s operations plant is partially covered with solar panels. But to address the entire production capacity of the company, 70% coverage is needed. Toto’s renewable energy only covers 30% of what the operations plant requires to power production at present.

One of the Salvadoran manufacturing company’s future projects is to cover 100% of the production plant with solar panels between 2025 and 2026. “If we weren’t a company with so much machinery, then the energy generated by solar panels that we have at the moment would be enough to cover everything we need,” added a company official.

Toto is a Salvadoran manufacturer that was founded in 1985 by Antonio Tona, who passed away last year. However, like his son Luis and Marco Andrés Tona, the chief of operations of Tona intends to maintain the company’s prestige not only in the Salvadoran market but also in other countries such as Guatemala, Honduras, and Costa Rica to which they export the company’s products.

“We became an industry innovator from that moment that we launched our machinery to produce biodegradable products. What existed before this was nothing more than degradable material,” added Luis Tona.

The Salvadoran manufacturer has created more than four hundred jobs in the country and has a presence in Central America, especially in Guatemala, Honduras, and Costa Rica.

The Toto receives an ASI Award

Within the framework of the National Industry Day, the ASI will soon award the prize for entrepreneurship to the management of Toto.

Since 1959, the Salvadoran Association of Industrialists has recognized Salvadoran manufacturers through its awards program. The industrial companies that the ASI honors in the country are identified as those that generate hundreds of jobs and run environmentally friendly production facilities.

The recognition of the ASI is granted to entrepreneurs who stand out for their work and career and because they meet a series of requirements analyzed by a “Selection Commission.” More than fifty manufacturers have received this award over the last twenty years.

“The ASI awards the Entrepreneur Award to the businessman and companies that grow their operations in a thriving and emblematic industry, despite adversities and challenges,” reads a statement from the ASI.

Toto’s director of operations, Marco Andrés Tona, has known first-hand how plastic is manufactured for several years. In addition to being enthusiastic about showing how the biodegradable bag is produced, Marco is proud to explain how Toto’s business model coincides in harmony with the economy, society, and the environment.

“Our work allows us to continue with the long-term vision we have outlined as a company,” he said.

Renewable energies are sources that are considered clean and inexhaustible. These differ from fossil fuels, mainly in their potential for use in any part of the planet. Above all, they do not produce greenhouse gases which may exacerbate the effects of climate change.