Guaraí, Itabira and Santa Izabel Ceramics Project

The project activity is the grouping project of Guaraí, Itabira and Santa Izabel Ceramics, which are three small and prototypical ceramic industries that produce structural ceramic devices like bricks destined for the regional market. The grouped project activity is located at Itaboraí Municipal District, State of Rio de Janeiro.

The economy of the city is sustained mostly for Ceramic industries, horticulture, subsistence agriculture, and others.

The activity of this grouping consists of utilizing wood from afforestation and woody residues (such as wood chips), which are renewable biomasses, to feed the kilns rather than using a non-renewable fuel like heavy oil, reducing the impact in the local ecosystem and diminishing the greenhouse gas emissions. Such a switch was a pioneering practice in the region.

IMPACTS 

Environmental 

  • Replacement of fossil fuels for biomass in the production of ceramics, contributing to the level reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Encouraging the development of new technologies that substitute the use of usual fuels for renewable biomass, which presents an efficient thermal energy generation potential.
  • Use of clean and efficient technologies through the use of biomass waste as fuel.

Social 

  • Offering basic food needs to the employees as additional benefits to the salary.
  • Hiring women although it is a heavy industry.
  • Improvement of work conditions, such as the automatization of the production process. This leads to diminishing the work accidents.
  • Work condition benefits, such as employee’s remuneration, health insurances, transport refund, food tickets and commission under production volume.
  • Periodic donations and other financial support to local programs and initiatives.
  • Increase of the work of the local community, related to the project.

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