Balsas - Sustainable Carbon
Cerrado

Balsas

Employee Well-Being

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CONTRIBUTION TO
SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT GOALS

Access the registration of this project

Access the registration of this project

CONTRIBUTION TO
SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT GOALS

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The Balsas project, located in Maranhão state, is a ceramics factory which produces about one million bricks per month. For decades, the factory had been using deforested native wood from the Cerrado to fire its kilns. Today, 100% of the fuel used by the factory comes from local agricultural waste. Moreover, the factory held public consultations to involve the views of local stakeholders regarding the carbon project. The project area lies within Brazil’s most deforested region in the Cerrado biome as of 2008/2009, according to the Ministry of Environment. The Balsas project has been awarded The Gold Standard ® certification, supported by WWF, which is currently the most rigorous certification worldwide for GHG emission reductions projects.

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Location

Project location

Balsas (MA), Brazil

Project Type

Renewable Biomass

Ecosystem

Cerrado

Major Cobenefit

Employee Well-Being

Standards

The Gold Standard®

Registry

Gold Standard Registry

TECHNOLOGICAL REVOLUTION

The carbon project has enabled tremendous technological progress in the Balsas ceramics factory. Owing to the use of renewable biomass combined with technological innovation, employees are no longer exposed to the severe heat of the furnaces which significantly improves their working conditions. According to one of the employees of the factory, it "has vastly improved the firing system: no more heat, no more smoke. We are very pleased, I'm proud of what we're doing here!"

THE GOLD STANDARD

The Gold Standard was established in 2003 by WWF and other international NGOs to ensure that projects that have reduced carbon emissions exhibit the highest levels of environmental integrity and also contribute to sustainable development. This ensures that projects using the Standard meet the Sustainable Development Goals, maximizing impact and creating value for the people and communities involved.

Gold Standard Logo
“We have known and supported Sustainable Carbon projects for 5 years, including visits on site. This enabled us to verify the high quality of the projects, and the relevant impacts they have on climate, environment and community."

— Simon Köppen (Head of Carbon Offset Services na ClimatePartner)

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