Comfenalco Quindío: social and environmental leadership from the heart of the coffee region. The first family compensation fund certified in Zero Waste

For almost five decades, Comfenalco Quindío has worked for the well-being of workers and their families in the coffee region, establishing itself as an institution allied to social development. Today it also becomes a sustainability benchmark as the first family compensation fund in the country certified with the Gold seal of the International Standard for Zero Waste Management Systems, awarded by Icontec with the backing of Global Zero Waste.

Transforming from the root

In 2019, Comfenalco Quindío took a decisive step towards sustainability by building the Zero Waste Management System into its institutional strategy. Through a rigorous process of training, implementation and continuous improvement, the organisation reached Gold category Certification in February 2023. That commitment has not only significantly reduced its environmental impact, it has driven a deep transformation in its organisational culture and in the way it operates.

Thanks to that commitment, by 2024 the organisation had achieved a recovery rate of 84.2% and had avoided sending 239.3 tonnes of waste to landfill. That translates not only into environmental benefits but also into concrete economic impacts:

• Savings of more than 43,000 dollars, thanks to reductions in purchases of paper, single-use packaging and waste-collection charges.
• An 87.1% drop in the use of disposable towels.
• A 22.6% reduction in the consumption of reams of paper.

Education, biodiversity and sustainable innovation

Beyond waste management, Comfenalco has strengthened its environmental education work and its protection of biodiversity, widening its impact across the region. Its leadership has been recognised with a number of awards, including:

• Icontec Gold Zero Waste Seal (2023), awarded for the exemplary implementation of its waste management model.
• Regional and National Best Environmental Practice Award – CAMACOL (2024).
• BIBO El Espectador Award (Second place, 2023) for its project “Por el planeta, por nuestra gente”, recognised nationally.
• Recognition under SDG 12 from Pacto Global Colombia and the Bogotá Chamber of Commerce.
• Quality Choice Prize 2025, awarded by the European Society for Quality Research (ESQR): This prestigious recognition was presented in Stockholm, Sweden, and positions Comfenalco Quindío as the first Colombian company to receive this international distinction. The award highlights its operational excellence, institutional ethics and social impact, with particular recognition of its humanist approach, the soundness of its integral management system and its commitment to the sustainable transformation of the territory.

Among the aspects valued by the ESQR were the implementation of the Zero Waste model, which made it possible to reach a waste recovery rate of 84.2%, and the use of solar energy, which currently covers 40% of the energy demand of the Soledén Park.

A team driving the change

None of this would be possible without the leadership, commitment and vision of those directing this transformation. At Global Zero Waste we extend special recognition to its Directors, headed by José Fernando Montes Salazar, Administrative Director; Iván Darío Alzate Marín, Social Services Manager; and Luis Darío Téllez, Corporate Social Responsibility Coordinator, for their dedication and conviction throughout this process.

We also want to highlight and thank all the staff of Comfenalco Quindío, whose daily effort, openness to change and sense of belonging have been fundamental to reaching these results. This achievement is, without doubt, the reflection of an organisation working together with purpose.

A call to lead with purpose

Comfenalco Quindío's journey shows that sustainability is not only an institutional target but an everyday commitment to collective well-being. Every action counts, every decision transforms, and every organisation — whatever its sector — has the power to make a difference.

Because the future is not waited for, it is built with responsibility, innovation and purpose.

And you? Are you ready to lead a sustainable transformation in your organisation?