Wow, so much to write. Since my last blog I have been spending time with the environmental team learning about the environmental projects that are currently ongoing here at the Porto Alegre site. Once again, I can’t help but be amazed by what they’re doing. One of the most impressive projects is the effluent treatment system; this is where they take the gunk and the sludge that the factory produces (and we’re talking really horribe gunk) and processes it to give clean water (which in turn is reused to clean the floors with and cool the machines) and a dried, solid material, which is then sold to another company who produce “BioBlocks” – bricks made using this recycled sludge. In addition to this, all of the material that cannot currently be recycled is stored in a large warehouse so that when the company develops a suitable technique, the material can be reused. It certainly seems like forward thinking to me.
Now that I am becoming more familiar with the products and processes here I have been able to start asking more questions about peoples opinions of the companys and the manufacturing systems here in Brazil and the motives behind sustainable manufacturing. What is continuing to astound me is the positivity with which people talk about their employers – people genuinely love their jobs! (I will be totally naïve and presume that this is always the case in Brazil, but their certainly seems to be much more widespread job satisfaction than in England). The other thing that has really surprised me about the company that I am working with is that they are not shouting about their acheivements in CSR and sustainable manufacturing – if anything I have to dig for information. Beore I came I was really ready to “sift” valuable information from corporate spiel; the reality is that the company proactively does not shout about their successes. (The reason for this, I was told, is that their customers then turn around and say “OK, well done, you have made your process X times more efficient; lets go halves on the cost savings”. I found this really interesting and I wonder if this is a block to companies sharing best practice?).
On a side note, I have started reading “Natural Capitalism” by Hawken, Lovins & Lovins; it adresses the need for a new industrial revolution to bring about the changes that are needed in the manufacturing world. I’m finding it really interesting, and it is certainly providing food for thought, but think I will need to read a bit further before I’m able to come to any conclusion about its message.
sophieignitesherfuture 