Rio Ceramics Biomass, Social Carbon, Brazil

The three ceramic facilities which comprise this project are located in Vila Nova in Itaborai City, Sao Silvestre in Rio Bonito City and Nova Dutra in Pinheiral City.

Before the implementation of this project, these facilities were using 4.1 million litres of oil a year to produce around 60,000 tonnes of ceramics. The facilities now use two types of biomass to fuel their kilns: wood residue, such as sawdust which is usually discarded as waste, and wood from sustainable afforestation sites. As this wood is supplied by plantations where the removed trees are replanted, it is considered a renewable energy source. By comparison, the oil that was previously used at these facilities released carbon dioxide which has been stored over millions of years along with harmful pollutants such as nitrogen and sulphur dioxides, volatile organic compounds and heavy metals.

Through this project a number of employment and training opportunities have been created including 36 temporary construction roles and nine permanent operating roles.

This project has two verification standards: The Voluntary Carbon Standard which measures the emissions reductions generated by the project, and The Social Carbon Standard which measures the project’s contribution to sustainable development. To quantify these activities, the project commits to improving against a set of sustainable development indicators which they are continually assessed against through annual monitoring and independent verification. All three sites have documented improvement goals which they will continue to develop as revenue from carbon finance is generated:

• At Vila Nova, the project owner supports a number of local charities and, through an onsite well, makes water available to the local community.
• The Sao Silvestre owner works with a local NGO, Mundo Verde, providing an income to slum dwellers through the purchase of the recyclable wood residues they collect.
• The Nova Dutra owner provides clay and sponsors a teacher at the Espaco Cultural Francisco de Assis Franca; a local institution that runs pottery classes and social youth projects.
• Another activity at Nova Dutra is the donation of bricks to the local community to help rebuild and repair homes.
• Additionally, a new initiative has been identified at Nova Dutra which will be developed if enough revenue is raised from carbon credits. This initiative will involve building a small collection and digester system for residential waste, generating biogas to fuel a community kitchen.

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