The project activity is the grouping project of Argibem, São Sebastião and Vulcão Ceramics, which are three small and prototypical ceramic industries that produce structural ceramic devices like bricks.
Argibem ceramic produces for the marketing of the states of Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais. São Sebastião ceramic attends the market of Médio Paraíba, Vale do Aço. The last ceramic is Vulcão, which is focused on the market of Baixada Fluminense.
The activity of this grouping consisjts on utilizing wood from afforestation and wood residues, which are renewable biomasses, to feed the kilns rather than using a non-renewable fuel like heavy oil. Such a switch was a pioneering practice in the region.
IMPACTS
Environmental
- Diminishing the consumption of non renewable energy via the plantation of forest carbon reservoirs and minimizing the impact associated to ceramics production.
- Vulcão runs a reforestation program in partnership with the Rio de Janeiro State University of Rural Affairs, planting 10,000 eucalyptus seedlings to replace lost forest in the area.
- São Sebastião uses wood for renewable biomass directly from areas of woodland that has been reforested and farmed sustainably, demonstrating responsible sourcing in the community.
- Waste from production is re-used to further limit environmental impact of the ceramics.
Social
- All the ceramic enterprises within this group make efforts for bringing the same opportunities to all society members, offering administrative and production jobs to women and disabled people.
- São Sebastião works in partnership with “Grupo da Solidariedade”, a local NGO which supports people living with the HIV virus, donating milk to help care for infants at the charity.
- Argibem has purchased a specialized water truck that supplies the local hospital and schools with water that is otherwise difficult to obtain.
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