Eliane Receives Environmental Awards

Carrollton, TX, February 26, 2007--Eliane Ceramic Tiles has received three prestigious awards for its environmental protection programs at its manufacturing plants in Brazil. 

Eliane received the Fritz Muller award in recognition to outstanding initiatives in environmental protection granted annually by Santa Catarina state environmental protection agency (FATMA). The Ecology award, granted by publishing company Editora Expressao, was awarded in recognition of the recycling material program for private companies. And, the Sustainable Development award was granted by the Brazilian National Manufacturers’ Association.

As early as 1995, Eliane was the first ceramic producer in the world to receive ISO 14001 certification for meeting specified requirements of an environmental management system.

Since then, Eliane has created a set of goals and objectives to reduce and prevent hazards, recycle processed materials and reduce the extraction of raw materials from nature by identifying every aspect that can damage the environment during the manufacturing of ceramic and porcelain tile. In the last 10 years, Eliane has recycled 3.8 million tons of paper, 1 million tons of plastic and 2.3 million tons of metal. Also, every fluorescent bulb is decontaminated, and the residues, such as clay, ceramic broken pieces and silt, are mixed together and reused in future processes.

Water treatment is one of the priorities of the program. At the Cocal do Sul, SC manufacturing center, the water used from the Tigre River and is pumped to a reservoir inside the factory; to reduce the use of water coming from the river, rain water is also relocated to the same reservoir. At the treatment station for liquid effluents, 18,560 cubic meters are treated daily. From the water utilized in the manufacturing process, 60 percent is reused in future ceramic production processes while the remaining 40 percent is poured back to the Tigre River where quality control is maintained. The solid waste decanted from the water is sent back for production of ceramic tile and roof tile plants in the area.

Along with undergoing the project of environmental rehabilitation, Eliane has taken the initiative to develop and present several programs and classes to teach the community about preserving the environment, focusing on the awareness and education of all Eliane employees and contractors.