Brazil Factory Visit - August 2009

Last week I took a trip to Brazil to work on my next collection and to also learn more about the eco-friendly aspect of the factory and the region where the factory is located. The factory is located in the southern part of Brazil (where a good portion of the footwear factories are located). It is situated in the mountains surrounded by lush greenery. The people that reside in this area are predominantly German and Italian descent and come from a generation of footwear manufacturers. Since they live in an area surrounded by so much greenery they also understand the importance of preserving the eco-system. A perfect match for Neuaura!

Brazil - Factory Visit - 09 - Recycling at the Factory

During my trip, I also visited the recycling facility which plays a major role in bringing awareness to the manufacturers and the community in the region. This facility recycles the scraps and waste that is created during manufacturing by the footwear factories and other facilities. In the factory that produces Neuaura shoes, every work station has about 5 color coded trash bins. Each color indicates the type of trash to throw into that bin. The factory then organizes the waste accordingly and sends it to the recycling facility. The recycling facility sorts the waste by type. (They also check each bag to make sure the factory separated correctly. If they failed to do so they send it back to the factory to correct. When you see the images of this recycling facility, it is amazing how organized they are.)

Brazil - Factory Visit - 09 - Recycling at the Factory

The employees of this facility are required to sift through so much waste and scrap on a daily basis that the facility compensates them generously to keep them motivated day after day.

About 65% of the scraps and waste the facility receives is recycled. Whichever portion is non-recyclable, they store it in an area nearby. The non-recycled waste can be potentially toxic to the land so they created a layer between the ground and the waste so that no chemicals or toxins can seep into the ground. As new technology is discovered to recycle this waste, they know exactly where it is stored. They transport it back into their facility and send it out for recycling. They also work very closely with universities in various parts of the world on the research and development of these technologies.

Brazil - Recycling Facility Staff

This facility is run by ecologists. The person I met with, Giovanna, spent about 1.5 hr giving me a thorough explanation and a tour of the facility. (She only spoke in Portuguese so my factory associate, Mauricio, translated. It also pleased me to know that Mauricio was just as interested in the subject and cause and not just merely translating!)

Giovanna and her staff are big believers in teaching the next generation about the importance of recycling and the preservation of our planet. They run several art programs and workshops with the local schools. They teach children to create art with the scraps which helps instill a mindset to think twice before throwing something away. Educating the community and the next generation is one of their top priorities as they know that this has to become a way of life. There is no other facility in the world that has this set up. Giovanna informed me that the UN visited their site to learn more about what they are doing. At the end of my visit, I realized that Giovanna and her staff are ecologists at heart and have taken the responsibility in their community to help people change their ways fundamentally.