São Paulo – The chemical industry of Brazil is concerned with making its products environmentally correct. Large global players with branches in Brazil are placing environmental preservation as one of the requirements for the release of new products. At Rhodia, one third of the sales are currently connected to products that take into consideration sustainable development. Basf has a specific method to alleviate the environmental impact of all kinds of products. The information was granted by company representatives yesterday (24) at a press meeting promoted by the Brazilian Chemical Industry Association (Abiquim), in São Paulo.
According to the president at Rhodia and to the vice president of the Managing Council at Abiquim, Marcos De Marchi, the environmental aspect is taken into consideration when releasing new products, as is the competitiveness of the product and its technology. Last year, for example 32% of Rhodia sales worldwide – equal to 1.6 billion euros – were connected to problems that consider sustainable development. In this line are, for example, solvents made from ethanol, water-based paints and car racks made out of polyamide, reducing their weight by ten kilograms.
Basf has a method for evaluation of products that was made available to third parties in 2005, when the company established Eco Space Foundation, in the city of São Bernardo do Campo. The tool serves for managers to evaluate how environmentally correct their product is, according to the CEO of Eco Space Foundation, Sonia Chapman. The foundation operates like a non-governmental organisation separated from Basf.
The tool evaluates the entire life cycle of the product, from production to disposal and takes into consideration consumption of energy, rejects, use of earth, cost, material resources, toxicity potential and risk potential. Within each area considered are those that unfold from it. In the case of use of land, the area necessary for production is taken into consideration, roads for transportation, the need for a garbage dump. The effort necessary for that area to become forest again is also weighed, explained Sonia.
The initial research takes into consideration the viability of the product in terms of cost and environmental correctness. It may be used to compare one product to another when evaluating the purchase, when launching a product or even when making it compliant. "It is a tool for easy interpretation," explained Sonia, adding that it may also be used by those who do not know the chemical industry. The study also includes the evaluation of social dimensions of the product, like the generation of jobs, etc. In Brazil, Basf has already developed 20 projects and up to the end of the year there should be another 30. Companies like Alcoa, Braskem and Votorantim are clients of the Eco Space Foundation.
*Translated by Mark Ament
