In Chile’s seventh region mountain range there is an immense natural reserve of pumice stone due to ancient volcanic eruptions. The phenomenon is observed, in general, in volcanological locations.

The existing material can be displaced to the river basins, estuaries, and nearby lagoons by: gravity, rainwater runoff, thaws, and the effect of the wind. While it is true, pumice stone is beneficial for some industrial processes (such as making building panels, due to its insulating characteristics, and for agriculture due to its ability to slowly release water), it also produces negative effects when the volumes of pumice stone are too high, such as plugging channels, causing floods and stagnations, or the transfer of large amounts of stones to agricultural lands.

In order to keep the intakes clean, the entrepreneurs remove the aggregates at no cost to Pehuenche, who then supports them to generate sales networks for said aggregates to constructions. The initiative is a concrete example of the creation of shared value, by generating savings and efficiencies for the Company (value of nearly 40 million per year, while creating employment through the development of local SMEs that help reduce environmental liabilities.