The manufacturing unit of AkzoNobel in Recife, responsible for meeting the demand for products from its decorative paint brand Coral in the North and Northeast regions, opened its first solar power plant in Brazil.
The system, installed in a area of 11 thousand m², count with 1.580 photovoltaic modules with ability to generation of 1.400 MWh/year, enough energy to serve around 600 homes/month.
“The solar plant is already generating 68% of the energy used by the company locally. And it is another project applied in Recife that we are considering expanding to our other units in Brazil and Latin America”, said Hugo Moreira, director of Manufacturing & Supply Chain at AkzoNobel for Latin America.
In total, around R$4 million will be invested in the project, which adds to another R$13 million already invested in Mauá (SP), in the ReviveR effluent treatment station, in which 100% of the factory's water is reused, including in the production of paints.
The Dutch multinational's goal is to reduce carbon emissions in operations by 50% by 2030, driving continued energy efficiency and promoting the transition to 100% renewable electricity in all its plants globally. In Brazil, the company's operations already use 100% renewable energy.
“We align our own sustainability ambitions with the Paris Agreement, a commitment signed between nations that aims to limit global warming and ensure that the increase in temperature on Earth does not exceed 1,5 ̊C above pre-industrial levels”, explained Daniel Geiger Campos , president of AkzoNobel for Latin America.
“As the first paints and coatings company to commit to science-based sustainability targets (through the SBTi, Science Based Targets Initiative), we are determined to meet them and investing in renewable energy is another step in that direction,” completed.
With around 150 employees, the Recife unit, the oldest paint factory in the Northeast, opened in 1968, hosts several actions related to innovation and sustainability.
This is the case of hybrid packaging in all latex wall paints that use 88% post-consumer recycled plastic, which reduces carbon emissions in the production process by around 30% – monthly, according to AkzoNobel, would be the equivalent of neutralize this emission on a car trip of 11 thousand km.
