148 www.gogreen-project.eu The company operates 5000 acres (2.240.000 sqm) of cultivated land located in the southern region of the country, owning half of the land and renting the other half of the land. Its main crop product is the tomato, which grows in different varieties like Elpida, Belladonna, Dafni, Cherry and Pomodoro. All tomato varieties and sizes can be packed in different packs, i.e., one-row carton, double-row carton, triple-row carton, and plastic packaging (small net, box or cup). The company owns agricultural machinery and equipment (for growing and harvesting), along with a facility of 1800 sqm used as warehouse and for production tasks: sorting, grading, packing, storage, distribution and sale. Its permanent staff consists of 6 persons in administrative taskforce (direction, sales and marketing, procurement, administration), 4 persons in production (warehouse, packaging, distribution and maintenance) and 5 persons in growing and harvesting (including land/crop operation and tractor drivers). While occupying 15 persons permanently, the company hires 4-6 additional persons seasonally for the harvesting and packing needs. The staff, both permanent and seasonal, comes from different background settings in terms of culture, education, environmental consciousness, etc. The company ownership (management) has recently been taken over by the second generation of the founder family and the current management has a more innovative thinking and strategic vision for the business than the founding management. Being aware of the climate change and analyzing the actual framework and environmental impact of the business (energy consumption, production of waste, fertilizers and pesticides, etc.) the management is considering the possibility of implementing a project to reduce the environmental footprint of the business. But being also aware that all actors in the business have a great impact, they want to invest in corporate training with focus on staff’s behavior to increase energy-saving and waste reduction practices that will eventually benefit the company itself by providing opportunities for reduction of cost. As this is a project that involves several actors, the management has planned a meeting with the staff representative, while they have also invited an environmental expert as an external professional to provide advice and a local community representative to discuss their GREEN Project. This is a project of investment in GHG management and energy savings and the staff training in order to reduce operational costs, mitigate climate change impacts and improve the environmental footprint of the company. Keep in mind that the business budget is not without limitation, thus, the management (business owners) will always opt for the most cost-effective path in every short- or long-term decision they have to make. The key contextual details to discuss and negotiate about during the role-playing are summed up at the following points: ● Acquisition of new low energy green tractors/trucks/equipment, and selling any old high fuel consumption equipment. ● Installation of solar panels on the warehouse roof. ● Adopting a company-wide switch off policy. ● Adopting a policy that prioritizes the eco-management of business waste disposal, materials reuse and recycling. ● Investment in more eco-oriented product packaging trying to avoid plastic. ● Investment in a basic general training for their staff about GHG emission and energy saving and reduce waste production
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