The Forum took place during the Courovisão fair and was organised by the Brazilian Center for the Tanning Industry (CICB) now in its 55th anniversary year and which represents at national level tanneries and defends the interests of the sector. Around 300 delegates attended the first event, many more then the organisers had anticipated.
Six panels were carefully selected with the most relevant topics for the average tanner’s routine. More than thirty specialists presented their experiences, participated in discussions on how to optimise resources and produce better results.
The co-organizers of the event alongside the CICB were the Industrial Association of Tanners of Rio Grande do Sul (AICSul) and the Brazilian Footwear and Leather Goods Components Association (Assintecal). Traceability of cattle – A tool for preservation
The Sustainability Coordinator of JBS, Fabio Brito, was the first presenter at the forum and explained to the attendees his experience of a management system which allows JBS to guarantee the origin of their raw material. This prevents animals from being purchased from suppliers on the list of those that have caused deforestation, used slave labour, are ranching in indigenous or in areas under conservation. The flexible system of traceability developed by the company explained Fabio, also has the possibility of allowing the end consumer of making an on-line inquiry about the product he has bought, have access to a list of properties from where the cattle come and from which the final product is obtained. This is an innovative system and is important for sharing information on social and environmental responsibility. “We cross official data with that of our active suppliers and obtain the origin of the cattle. We know if they come from slaughterhouses in deforested areas and if slave labour has been used,” explained Brito.
Fabio’s presentation was followed by a debate with Anna Isabel Suñé (a veterinarian and coordinator of the Sectorial Meat Chamber of Rio Grande do Sul), Marcos Carvalhodos Reis (an animal technician and Director of the NGO Alliance for the Land), and Valdemir Mello (raw materials manager of Gelita do Brasil). The debate, with questions from the floor, was moderated by José Fernando Bello, Executive President of the CICB.
Water management – Sustainable practices
The infrastructure analyst of the department for recovery of hydrographic basins from the Environment Ministry in Brasilia, Alexandre Saia, was the presenter of this panel. She presented a panorama of the hydrographic regions of the country using regional rainfall indices and the programs used to recover the country’s hydrographic basins. “One of the guidelines in the strategy of the Environment Ministry is to promote the recovery of hydrographic basins by actions of recuperation, preservation and conservation which make sustainable use of natural resources, improve the socio-environmental conditions and make water more available in terms of quantity and quality”, stated Saia.
The considerations of Saia’s presentation were complemented by the debaters Maria do Carmo Zinato (an architect of APEX-Brasil and a specialist in water resources), Roberto Maia (director of Clase Maia a company specializing in the treatment of residues), Ubiratan Hack (environment secretary of Novo Hamburgo) and Cesar Figueiredo de Mello Barros (agro engineer and president of Amcoa). The debate was moderated by Carlos Obregon of JBS.
Environmental policy – legislation, barriers, norms and awards
The Minister of Justice of the State of Rio Grande do Sul with attributions for the defense of the environment, Daniel Martini, was the presenter of this panel. He highlighted the importance of reforming the country’s legislation so that it does not just rest on punitive measures but also on educational ones and offers incentives to companies that have developed and implemented clean production methods. “The environmental problem will not be resolved with punishment and trials but with knowledge. We need to regulate activities in an intelligent way,” he stated. According to Daniel, command and control policies, or legal determinants which do not give economic agents any viable options to solve problems simply make a mockery of the laws. “Market incentives aim to give more flexibility to the agents involved without compromising the efficiency of the environmental results that have been forecast,” he noted.
The industrial director of Ilse, Franco Cavazza, dealt with innovations, trends and the technology used in the treatment of solid chrome residues by the Italian multinational, Ilse. Cavazza gave examples of how leather could be the ideal raw material for the production of finished pieces which is one of the main activities of Ilse. “Collagen is one of the main proteins in connective animal tissue. It is the protein present in mammals and represents 6% of the weight of a human. It is a complex protein with a high molecular mass. This protein allows the production of an organic nitrogen tanning agent with slow mineralisation. This type of nitrogen does not get lost in the environment through leaching being ideal for plants that need nitrogen for extended periods of time”, he added.
New technologies as catalysts for industrial optimisation
The presenter of this panel was Ricardo Augusto Cassel, doctor in Management Science from Lancaster University, England. Ricardo, who is also professor of the Post Graduate Program of Production Engineering of UFRGS, spoke about the new technologies available in the market for tanneries and the importance of optimising industrial processes with a view to sustainability. “The implantation of new technologies is a strategic decision since it affects the performance and competitiveness of the company, It is difficult to revert and can generate a need to relocate”, he stated. For him a tannery should shorten as far as possible delivery times, know the cost of each client and have complete knowledge of the internal and external bottlenecks affecting the business by mapping out the industrial processes.
Fashion and Sustainability
Agustina Comas, curator of the fashion nucleus of the Contem Project and also co-founder of In-Use (a brand that uses clothes from past collections to create new items) spoke about fashion and sustainability. As a Uruguayan and collaborator of DasluHomem, she gave examples of wastage of clothing that can be found in Brazil. “About 7% of the items produced each year in Brazil are not sold at retail level and are not liquidated. There is a total of 686 million wasted items”, she noted. She gave examples of how old clothing and raw materials called “junk” can be transformed into new and beautiful pieces. Agustina defends the idea that such transformations transcend artisan items and could become an industrial process on a large scale throughout the country.
