INSI has existed for over 31 years and has always had cultural issues, human development, and environmental stewardship at its core. Below, we list some of the main sustainable initiatives we've taken to protect the environment and are being implemented across our six locations in Brazil.
Electricity Reduction
In 2018, INSI invested in solar panel installations, and since then, there has been a reduction of approximately 62% in electricity consumption. In Brazil's current situation, it is increasingly important for companies to value more sustainable solutions, as they are the ones who consume a large amount of electricity. The National Confederation of Industry (CNI) released a study that estimates a loss of over R$8 billion for Brazil in 2021 due to the increase in electricity prices. Therefore, solar energy is one of the healthiest and most easily accessible energy sources to adopt.
##Water Reuse
Another sustainable solution is that INSI's offices have underground cisterns, meaning rainwater is reused for flushing toilets. This has resulted in approximately 80% savings on water bills. It may seem like a trivial initiative, but it certainly isn't. Brazil has 12% of the planet's freshwater reserves, but it faces major problems. MapBiomas analyzed satellite images of the entire country between 1985 and 2020 and concluded that Brazil has been losing 15% of its surface water since the early 1990s. This represents an extremely large loss in a very short period of time!
##Recycling
A third INSI initiative is that all offices have waste separation systems. In fact, the income generated from dry waste is transferred to needy families, while organic waste is transformed into fertilizer for crops. The Recanto Maestro (RS) headquarters has a partnership with the OIKOS program, which collaborates with the local community.
Waste separation is a concept that has been gaining awareness in Brazil for some time, and, for example, has had an impact on recycling rates for cans, but there is still a long way to go for the treatment of other waste. According to the Panorama of Solid Waste in Brazil 2020, by the Brazilian Association of Public Cleaning Companies (Abrelpe), Brazil increased its solid waste disposal by 18% in nine years (between 2010 and 2019), reaching 9 million tons in 2019. This means that, per person, 379 kilograms of waste are generated per year. However, the average recycling rate remains below 4%.
GreenTech Park Platinum Seal
Thanks to these initiatives, INSI received the Institutional Ecoseal from the Green Tech Park Program with the Technology Park. Initiatives such as the 5S program, the inclusion of solar energy, and the rainwater harvesting system earned INSI Platinum status.
Check out our Instagram post (https://www.instagram.com/meta_oficial/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=a77ea26d-316a-4202-a684-d881e5b088a5) with a summary of these initiatives: