Eliane

All recyclable material is managed by a waste sorting system. The packaging of chemical products is returned to the manufacturer or is collected by a specialized company.

During 2010, Eliane's companies reused considerable quantities of materials – 513.25 tons of paper/cardboard, 64.93 tons of plastic and 263.84 tons of metal. The waste generated by the offices and factories is sold to recycling centers. The material resulting from the manufacturing process is reused as raw material to produce new mixture.

Water is used in extremely large volumes by Eliane's manufacturing processes, both as a raw material to prepare mixtures and during the process of cleaning and polishing pieces. For this reason, the company has adopted measures to reuse its liquid waste and protect the watershed.
The liquid waste generated during the manufacturing process is treated in its entirety by the waste treatment stations (WTS) installed in the production units. Around 90% of the treated water returns to the process to be reused in production. The sludge generated by the waste treatment station at the Cocal do Sul units is 100% reused as raw material in the formulation of product mixtures.
100% of the sludge generated by the treatment station at Eliane Porcellanato in Criciúma is sent on to the cement industry to be used as a raw material to produce cement.
At the headquarters in Cocal do Sul, the system that has been implanted ensures 100% treatment of the waste. At the Eliane III and Refractories units, rainwater is captured and treated for use by the company. At Eliane Porcelanato in Criciúma the circuit recycles 98% of the water used during the polishing process. The Camaçari branch in Bahia also manages to reuse 100% of its liquid waste.

In the community in which it is inserted, Eliane seeks to be present through a variety of social responsibility activities. The company carries out annual social campaigns to attract donations, such as clothing, food, personal care and hygiene products, involving employees from its factories and students from Maximiliano Gaidzinski School.
At the end of the year, the spirit of solidarity takes hold of the company's factory units, where the Natal Mais Feliz (Happier Christmas) campaign is held, bringing in donations of toys for needy children. The donations are made in communities where Eliane factories are located.
Eliane's choir was born in 2006, and its 24 members meet every week to practice their repertoire. The group performs at company events and other large events like the Criciúma International Choir Festival. It also participates in several events in southwestern Santa Catarina. The company also sponsors large scale cultural events.

Based on the premise of promoting well-being and contributing to an improved quality of life, Eliane plays a fundamental role in several social projects. One of the most outstanding is the Children's House project, which undertakes actions all across Brazil.
The project has relied on Eliane as a nationwide sponsor since 2003. The institution is a civil society organization of public interest that carries out renovation plans at institutions that serve children in unfavorable social situations. Through donations of ceramic coverings, the company makes the transformation and hygienization of the benefited institutions possible.
The project also receives the support and dedication of volunteers from a variety of professions like: Architects, decorators, contractors and plastic artists, who together undertake projects that transform spaces and provide better lodging for the children and adolescents served by the institutions. The new spaces are remodeled based on modern and efficient educational concepts, ensuring efficient service in the field of education, culture, sports and leisure.
Learn more about the Children's House Project at www.projetocasadacrianca.com.br.

Care with biodiversity begins before the manufacturing process of the ceramic coverings by the units. Eliane complies with the environmental legislation in effect for extraction of raw materials and is committed to recuperating the mined areas, reducing its environmental impact and reintegrating the locale to the natural landscape. Approximately 50% of the raw material used in the manufacturing process is extracted from quarries through mining. Eliane invests constantly in the perfection of its mining and post-mining recovery techniques with the objective of improving environmental quality, leaving the sites ready for later agricultural, residential or reforestation use.

In 2004, Eliane founded the Maximiliano Gaidzinski Institute (IMG), which is dedicated to educating and providing job training for young people and adolescents, providing social and professional inclusion. The IMG structure is made up of: Maximiliano Gaidzinski School (CMG), the University, the Personnel Training and Development Center (CCQP) and the New Business Research Center.
In a partnership with Universidade Barriga Verde (Unibave), it introduced the Ceramic Engineering course, which aims towards educating professionals to work in the ceramics industry.
For Eliane, investing in education means contributing to integrating school and profession; and above all towards integration with society.

Professional training and fine-tuning of labor have received special attention at Eliane since it first opened its doors. The Maximiliano Gaidzinski School and Institution were founded to sum up efforts towards being able to depend on well-qualified professionals on the job market.
The launching of the ecologically friendly collection Ecostone, the first BRTÜV certified porcellanato, and Ecocement, the first ecologically friendly BRTÜV certified wall covering, demonstrates the company's concern with the environment, being produced with 20% reusage of materials, water reusage during preparation of the mixture and reduced energy consumption.

Perfecting regional labor towards adding value and quality to its products, this was the necessity that led to the foundation of Maximiliano Gaidzinski School (CMG) in 1979. For more than three decades, the institution has been dedicated to educating professionals to work in a wide variety of sectors of the ceramics industry. Classes are full time and combine theory and practice. The quality of its education is recognized across the state, and according to data from the Ministry of Education the school is among the twenty best secondary education institutions in the state of Santa Catarina. Admission to the school is highly competitive, since prospective students see in the school an opportunity to win their place on the job market. CMG has already graduated more than 700 technicians, who have gone on to work in companies across Brazil.

Promoting environmental awareness is fundamental to guaranteeing a better future for generations to come. Eliane provides incentive to programs that raise awareness, so that people will become multipliers of good environmental practices. The company was one of the sponsors of the Environmental Awareness Primer, a project of the Brazilian Environmental Institute (IAB) and the Secretary of Urban Development of the city of Camaçari. The material will be used in the city's public school system.

In order to reduce the impact of atmospheric emissions produced by Eliane's factory units, since 2000 the company has been using natural gas, which burns much cleaner. For their part, emissions of particulates are controlled by bag filters and gas emissions control systems installed at the factories.