Ceará Renewable Energy Project, Brazil
12 Dollars per Tonne of CO2
Based in a region prone to poverty and severe drought, this initiative tackles one of the major causes of deforestation in Brazil: illegal logging. The Ceará project has switched the fuel used by five ceramic factories from illegal firewood to agricultural and industrial residues. This biomass would have otherwise been discarded as waste, so the fuel switch not only transforms residues into something useful but also enables many local individuals to make a living - or complement their income – by supplying biomass waste directly to the factories.
Furthermore, the reduction in indoor air pollution from the switch has substantially improved working conditions for employees and the ceramic factories have adopted a system that reuses industrial wastewater. An especially significant step for a region afflicted by severe droughts.
This project alleviates deforestation, avoids greenhouse gas emissions and promotes a more sustainable supply chain: It does this whilst also improving the livelihoods of local communities and employees. Making good better.