Produção mais limpa: um estudo de caso em um engenho de cachaça na Paraíba

Abstract

Cleaner Production (P+L) is a preventive environmental management strategy that applies to processes, products and services, in order to reduce the impacts caused to the environment. Considering that the cachaça sector has become one of the main sectors of the Brazilian economy in the renewal of processes and technologies, the focus is on waste management in the production process. Thus, the present study aims to analyze the aspects of the Cleaner Production environmental management tool in a cachaça-producing Paraiba industry. This research is characterized as descriptive and case study, where the three levels of the P + L tool proposed by the National Center of Clean Technologies - CNTL (2003) are considered as basis. Regarding the collection of data, this occurred through direct observation from the technical visits, from January to March 2017, to the place where the production process occurs, as well as the application of an interview with the child Of the business owner, guided by a semi-structured instrument. The qualitative method was used to treat the collected information considered essential, so that it was possible to verify the aspects related to the Cleaner Production tool in the referred industry of cachaça. The analysis of results showed that the practices adopted by the company have less incidence in the first level of the tool regarding the reduction of waste at source, because although good operational practices are used, it is impracticable to modify the product. On the other hand, the Cleaner Production practices of the organization are evidenced in the second level proposed by the P+L referring to the internal recycling aspect, since most of the waste is reintegrated into the production process. In relation to waste that can not be reused, the strategy of collecting and selecting them is adopted to be sold and used for another purpose outside the company, characterizing the practices referring to the third level of the tool. Therefore, Cleaner Production provides organizations with the benefits of obtaining competitive advantages, as well as reducing costs and environmental charges, as well as acting to reduce the impacts caused to the environment.