Coopercitrus: Distributing Environmental Responsibility
11 December 2008 
Coopercitrus dos Cafeicultores e Citricultores de São Paulo, a Brazilian agriculture product distributor, takes quality — and the environment — very seriously.
Conscientious From Start To Finish
Crop protection companies from Brazil, Ecuador, Chile, Mexico, and Venezuela competed for this award, but Coopercitrus was recognized for excellence from the beginning to the end. In order to guarantee the correct and safe use of its products, the company only acquires products directly from cooperative suppliers whose product quality is analyzed by the Secretariat of Agriculture and Supply of São Paulo and the Ministry of Agriculture. Coopercitrus’ products are only distributed in their original, sealed packages; all information on safe and proper use and handling of chemicals, personal protective equipment, and correct disposal of empty packages is also supplied by the cooperative. Likewise, Coopercitrus only supplies to customers who conform to Brazil’s agronomic law.
Certified Safety
Coopercitrus’s companies and employees are constantly up-to-date on safety and security procedures via alerts regarding illegal agricultural products in the company magazine, Agropecuario Coopercitrus. The cooperative’s Department of Security and Environment trains staff on preventive security, from the operation and verification of fire extinguishers to correct product disposal. A collaboration with the fire department to simulate accidents and emergencies allows the company to maintain an “always ready” rapid response team. Since this program’s inception in 2004, Coopercitrus has had no accidents.
A closed-circuit camera and video system monitors employees and visitors, as well as provides facility security.
High Standards
Head of Coopercitrus Jair Guessi says that the co-op “has a very high standard of consciousness about the environment; all that we practice day-to-day is aligned with this consciousness.” He believes that “It’s a professional obligation to care about the environment and to give people a long and better life.” Coopercitrus aims to do this, Guessi says, by: “taking care of all aspects of production, improving standards of production, and raising the consciousness of the end users.”
On its end, Coopercitrus fosters the development of its associates and contributes to the quality of life in its area of influence by encouraging the use of quality ag products, correct application, and adequate discarding of packaging to reduce the impact that the activity generates on the environment. “A tripod exists,” says Guessi, “that supports the necessities of humanity: food, health, and education.”
Environmental safety through agriculture is a core belief of the company. “It is a responsibility of Coopercitrus to show the community as a whole, from child to adult, through training, lessons, lectures, field days, and other forms, that the activity must be practiced.” And practice, it has: for the prior two years, Coopercitrus has ranked No. 2 in the World Of Respect awards for the Latin America region. This, says Guessi, “shows we are doing a consistent job towards a better environment.”
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