Have you ever seen someone throw money away? Yes, there are several ways.
What about trash? What do we usually do with everything we no longer want? We throw it away. What if we found a way to make trash disposal sustainable and profitable? This could be attractive and could help with reverse logistics (when waste is disposed of responsibly and can be reused to manufacture other products).
This is the basis of the Vale Luz project: offering discounts on energy bills in exchange for waste. Each type of waste (metal, paper, cardboard and plastic) has a specific value per kilo that generates an equivalent discount on the energy bill of the customer or of a designated charity.
Aimed primarily at low-income populations, Vale Luz began in 2008 in Bahia and was expanded to Pernambuco in 2011 and Rio Grande do Norte in 2014. As of 2016, in addition to residential and business clients, the initiative began to include condominiums in the capitals of the three states.
And the results show us that, in most cases, all it takes is a “push” to encourage thousands of people to adopt a sustainable approach. Since its first year of operation, Vale Luz has already benefited almost 9,500 customers, who have donated more than 2,300 tons of recyclable materials and received around R$500,000 in discounts on their energy bills.
The developments of Vale Luz go beyond environmental issues and extend to social areas. All the material collected is donated to recycling associations and cooperatives, which also contributes to the generation of jobs and income.
Ensuring sustainable production and consumption patterns is the 12th of the 17 objectives established by the United Nations Summit as Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for the world. And the Vale Luz project is one example of how Neoenergia promotes the preservation and conservation of the environment's natural resources.
The project, which is part of the Group's Energy Efficiency Program – regulated by the National Electric Energy Agency (Aneel) – is a reflection of the commitment of a company that never stops thinking about people and the planet. Through socio-environmental actions and partnerships, we help transform the lives of millions of Brazilians.
We know that the challenges in the field of sustainability are enormous, but the solutions are also vast areas to be explored. I invite you to learn more examples of how the group encourages sustainable development in its actions.. We always move forward together for a better world (#forabetterworld).
