SQM receives Protect & Sustain certification from the IFA

In early 2014, SQM decided to become certified under the global standards for the fertilizer industry developed by IFA (International Fertilizer Industry Association). In May 2015, it successfully completed the audit that granted it this recognition, which was received last November by our Commercial Vice President, Eugenio Ponce, in Paris. Companies under this certification are committed to the responsible and safe management of their products, covering aspects of quality, occupational health and safety, industrial safety and the environment, during the different stages of the product life cycle.

The IFA SHE principles are compared with SQM’s Sustainable Development Policy, a correlation that was key to complying with the standards defined by the Protect & Sustain program.

The certified SQM areas include production, product development, storage and delivery of fertilizers in the Salar de Atacama, Coya Sur, Antofagasta, Santiago and Puerto Tocopilla operations.

The responsibility of directing the certification process was assigned to the Quality Assurance and Regulatory Affairs team, a unit in charge of key quality aspects in production processes and production support areas, responsible for the external certification associated with the ISO 9001 standard (Quality Management System) and which worked in close collaboration with those responsible for the management of production, supply, logistics, commercial, environmental and safety of the company.

“We are a global company that understands that its processes do not end with the shipment at the port of Tocopilla; but rather extend to its subsidiaries present in the five continents. Incorporating these into the certification is the next challenge that accredits our coherent, responsible and sustainable management,” concluded Eugenio Ponce.