• The event “FIFCO Expansive Sustainability: A Boundless Future” presented the company’s key advances in sustainability, digitalization, and business innovation.
• Company leaders such as Rolando Carvajal, Maria Pía Robles, and international sustainability expert Antonio Vizcaya participated.
• The company reaffirmed its leadership in sustainability, and its Integrated Report presented significant progress in the disclosure of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) S1 and S2.

At an event that brought together business leaders, international experts, representatives of non-profit organizations, chambers of commerce, academia, collaborators, and other strategic allies, FIFCO presented its 2024 Integrated Report. The theme was “FIFCO Expansive Sustainability: A Boundless Future,” a space in which the company shared an innovative vision of the role of companies in building Society 5.0, a model that integrates technology, sustainability, and human well-being as pillars of future development.

During the event, strong results in environmental sustainability, social impact, and corporate governance were highlighted, while positioning sustainability as a strategic platform for business transformation. This edition of the event addressed key topics such as responsible digitalization, organizational resilience, data-driven innovation, and the role of business leadership in the face of social and climate challenges.

“FIFCO dares to think differently. We know that sustainability is no longer a competitive advantage, but a license to operate. This event reflected our commitment to real transformation: profound, verifiable, and scalable,” expressed Rolando Carvajal Bravo, FIFCO’s CEO.

“Society 5.0 is a society where technology is at the service of human beings and nature. At FIFCO, we believe in development that combines intelligence, collaboration, and purpose. Sustainability is a shared responsibility, and we want more companies to join us on this path: a vision of reconciliation between prosperity and sustainability, between technology and humanity, and most importantly, between the present and the future,” said Maria Pía Robles, FIFCO’s Director of Corporate Relations.

The Society 5.0 concept, which originated in Japan and is understood as a vision of social transformation, served as inspiration for the event. It envisions a future where economic progress is reconciled with the planet’s well-being, using technology to enhance what is most human: creativity, empathy, and care for the environment. FIFCO has adopted this concept as a strategic guide for its Expansive Sustainability model, which seeks to transcend its own operations to generate positive impacts throughout its value chain and business environment.

The event featured a special presentation by Antonio Vizcaya Abdo, professor, international consultant, and LinkedIn Top Sustainability Voice, who shared a presentation focused on the urgency of moving toward “real sustainability.” Vizcaya urged companies to abandon the notion of incremental improvements in favor of structural transformations, highlighting FIFCO as a concrete example of how to connect strategy, evidence, and ambition.

“We must stop thinking about being ‘more sustainable’ and start understanding that if we really want to move toward sustainability, gradual improvements or tactical actions are not enough. Sustainability requires transformation and rethinking. Even the way we talk about it influences how we integrate it into our decisions and strategies,” said Antonio Vizcaya.

In line with the Society 5.0 concept, Rolando Carvajal shared how FIFCO is driving an ambitious digital transformation agenda that seeks to modernize its operations, optimize processes, and strengthen its connection with consumers through emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and advanced analytics. This technological evolution goes hand in hand with a firm investment in human talent development using training programs in IT service management, data science, digital thinking, and innovation. The company thus reaffirms its commitment to a sustainable growth model, where technology empowers people rather than replacing them, in line with the principles of Society 5.0.

Use of technology in favor of biodiversity

A clear example of the use of technology in favor of biodiversity is the Wildlife Refuges. FIFCO implements initiatives for the preservation of biodiversity and the regeneration of natural spaces, and the incorporation of technology is a fundamental component of these agendas.

In 2023, the transformation of green areas at production plants in Heredia began, turning them into climate refuges within the Cubujuquí Interurban Biological Corridor (Cubujuquí CBI). Thanks to a strategic alliance with Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica and the use of specialized technologies—such as Echo Meter Touch 2 for bat detection, eBird Mobile, and Merlin Bird ID for bird recording and identification—we have counted more than 100 species of fauna. These include bats, birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and insects, whose presence demonstrates the ecological value of these areas and the positive impact of integrating science, technology, and intersectoral collaboration in biodiversity protection.

Another example is the De Vuelta a Casa project   

Promoted by the Imperial brand, this project was created in response to the global problem of seashell extraction by local and international tourism, which puts ecosystems at risk. In Costa Rica, around 6 tons of shells are confiscated at airports every year, which until recently were buried due to the impossibility of accurately identifying their region of origin. Aware of this need, Imperial and FIFCO, together with Universidad de Costa Rica, AERIS, and the National System of Conservation Areas (SINAC), implemented an artificial intelligence application capable of determining, from a single photograph, whether a shell comes from the Caribbean or the Pacific. This tool, trained with more than 18,500 images, achieves over 90% accuracy and allows the shells to be returned to their natural ecosystem without compromising the ocean’s health.

Imperial released the artificial intelligence model as open source, available for governments, researchers, and environmental organizations to implement in other regions of the world.

Thanks to its significant impact, it was one of the featured projects at the United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3) held in early June in Nice, France. On June 18, De Vuelta a Casa (Back Home) won a Silver Lion at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, an event that celebrates creative excellence in the advertising and communications industry. It won in the Market Disruption Public Relations category, competing against 1,531 campaigns. In addition, it was shortlisted twice (first selection of relevant and impactful projects for each category): Corporate Purpose and Social Responsibility in the Public Relations category and Data Technology in the Creative Data category.

Progress on ESG goals for 2027

Among the achievements presented by the company in its 2024 Integrated Report, environmental progress stands out, such as the early fulfillment of circular economy goals, where it achieved a circularity index of 61% in its beverage business in Costa Rica and recovered 100% of its post-consumer plastic packaging. In addition, 71% of its packaging corresponds to more environmentally friendly alternatives, in line with its goal of reaching 82% by 2027.

These results are part of FIFCO’s commitment to maintaining its status as a Water Positive, Carbon Positive, and Zero Waste company, while advancing the progressive elimination of secondary packaging in its beer business. The integration of specific environmental goals into its operational strategy reaffirms the company’s position as a regional leader in sustainability, demonstrating that it is possible to grow while generating positive environmental value and strengthening resilience to environmental challenges.

In the social dimension, FIFCO reported that 41.95% of its beverage portfolio consists of low-alcohol products, in line with its Smart Consumption program. It also celebrated a significant reduction in multidimensional poverty among its workforce, from 11.08% to 5.80% in recent years, and presented progress toward greater participation of women in leadership positions, with 38% at the end of 2024.

In terms of governance, FIFCO is one of the first Costa Rican companies to move forward with the adoption of IFRS S1 and S2, international standards that require rigorous measurement of financial risks related to climate change and other ESG factors. The company was recognized with 85 points on PwC’s ESG maturity index, reinforcing its position as a regional benchmark in corporate sustainability.

With FIFCO Expansive Sustainability: “A Boundless Future,” the company reported on its performance and also sent a message of collective leadership, business innovation, and long-term vision. Sustainability is not about doing more, but about doing things differently, and in that difference, FIFCO is leading the way toward the company of the future.

For more specific details on the environmental, social, and governance dimensions, we invite you to visit www.fifcosostenible.com