Region: Southern Brazil

Standard:

A small brick and ceramics factory in southeastern Brazil is investing in kiln retrofitting and fuel switching, to stop cutting down their region's native old growth trees. While they previously used up to 3,000 tons of native wood per month, they now use material destined for landfills, such as coconut husks, sugar cane waste, wood chips and bamboo.

The Brazilian savannas (cerrados) are threatened and disappearing at an alarming rate. 57% of these forests has already been destroyed, and the country is on track to lose all cerrado land by 2030. The cerrado is characterized by an enormous range of plant and animal biodiversity, and is considered to be on of the most biologically rich savannas in the world. The cerrado has 10,000 species of plants, almost half of which are unique to the region. It is also home to several endangered species, including the giant anteater and jaguars.

Replacing native firewood with biomass as a fuel source helps conserve the cerrado, and also burns cleaner. Carbon finance for these reduced emissions has helped the owners modify the kilns and add the equipment necessary to make the conversion, and burn fuel more efficiently.

The modified kilns also reduce factory workers' exposure to smoke and particulates. This is just one of several areas where improvements are being made. By submitting to the Social Carbon verification, Ceramica Luara is required to focus not just on reduced emissions, but also on elevating the overall conditions for workers.