
Ibira solar power plant (SP)
Energy
GRI 302-3, GRI 302-4
The main strategy for managing energy at JBS Brasil is to invest in self-production, while also bringing down consumption and improving energy efficiency, aimed at attaining better economic and environmental performance. The Company works with monthly and annual energy consumption goals (kWh/cattle processed and by ton of product or leather goods).
Other trends are:
- An increase in migration to the Open Energy Market, edue to better performance;
- Automation, due to savings on resources from using more efficient equipment;
- Replacement of conventional light bulbs with LED models;
- Reduced natural gas consumption, in favor of cleaner fuels.
In 2019, two 75-kilowatt voltaic plants were leased as part of a pilot project to meet consumption demands at the Swift store in Valinhos (SP), generating over 300,000 kWh of energy during the year. In early 2020, a 1,200 kilowatt-peak photovoltaic plant was leased in Ibirá/SP, currently serving six Swift stores. The Company continues to look to partner with more plants to serve 100% of energy consumed at Swift stores by using renewable electric energy in its activities.
JBS has a cogeneration unit in Lins (SP), called Biolins, which uses biomass (sugarcane bagasse, sawdust, peanut shells, rice hulls and eucalyptus chips) to generate thermoelectric and steam energy. The thermoelectric plant has the capacity to generate 45 megawatts of energy per hour, a volume sufficient to supply a city with a population of 300,000.
Around 33% of electricity generated by Biolins supplies the Friboi, JBS Couros and JBS Novos Negócios production plants the same industrial complex where it is installed. The rest is distributed to JBS facilities and is sold to the national market. Steam generation, in turn, is solely used to supply adjacent JBS production plants. Biolins alone generates the equivalent of 20% of total energy used by all JBS factories in Brazil.
Other strategies include ongoing improvement in energy efficiency at production plants and expanded use of energy from renewable sources. Right now, 65% of energy the Company acquires on the open market comes from renewable sources. To generate steam, just 1.1% of fuel used comes from fossil fuels. To generate electricity, 1.6% of energy consumed comes from diesel.
From 2018 to 2019, electricity consumption per metric ton fell by 4.4% at JBS Brasil. Electricity projects were concentrated on optimizing the cold generation operation (machine room). For steam, there were projects to optimize consumption by installing more efficient equipment and reusing condensation, in addition to investing R$ 28.4 million in energy efficiency projects.
Out of all direct energy used in JBS Brasil processes, 85% comes from renewable sources, considering electricity use and fuel used in the Company fleet and to generate thermal energy. When only considering the use of thermal energy generated by Company boilers, over 98% is renewable fuel.
Waste and packaging
At JBS Brasil, every area is committed to working to recycle, reuse and reduce solid waste generated in industrial processes as efficiently as possible. All production units comply with the National Solid Waste Policy and waste management is based on the Solid Waste Management Plan (PGRS), created by the team members tasked with environmental duties at the unit. This plan defines procedures for collection, transportation and correct disposal, along with good practices to lower the amount of waste generated in specific points in the process.
The Company uses research and development projects to work on bringing down the weight of packing material used, changing out packaging materials for materials that are more easily recycled and reused as well as for projects to recycle materials for use in other products within the process.
JBS Ambiental is a business unit working with a circular recyclable waste economy. It is responsible for collection, processing (recycling) and reuse of materials inside the Company. Plastic waste, such as polyethylene, is recycled and turned into new products for use at JBS production units as trash bags, plastic tarps, pallet covers, shrink wrap, pallets and injected racks. Today, 100% of trash bags used at JBS are produced in-company; in other words, they come from circular economy initiatives.
Plastic collected by JBS Ambiental management units is sent to the Lins unit and transformed into recycled plastic resin, for use as a raw material in manufacturing products. In 2019, 2,432 metric tons of recyclable plastic resin and 2,189 metric tons of recycled plastic products were produced, this is equal to around 5 million units of new recycled plastic products and 1,780 ton of recycled shrink.
Another example of reuse is the process carried out with wood pallets that are collected at the Lins (SP) unit for refurbishment, after which they once again enter the production cycle, maximizing use cycles. In a project developed with a partner, five tons of liners (waste from labels used at meatpacking plants) were prevented from being sent to landfills each month.
JBS Ambiental’s overriding commitments are management of solid waste generated by JBS production units, aimed at compliance with current laws; reuse to add value to waste generated by the Company, consolidating the circular economy concept; and development of products and processes using recycled raw materials and promoting the sustainability of the business. In 2019, JBS Ambiental managed 23,904 metric tons of solid waste, including plastics, metals, oil, cardboard and non-recyclable waste.