Green' constructions create a new market for suppliers
O Estado de S. Paulo - 03/19/2008
The "green" constructions movement is helping develop a market of ecologically correct building materials. Water-based paints and recycled plastic, PET pipes for plumbing fixtures, economic light bulbs, home systems for the treatment of the domestic sewer, and home devices for the generation of aeolian energy are some of the products which are already found in the market. Currently in the Country there are 47 undertakings in the stage of certification to receive the Leed stamp (acronym for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), due to constructions that follow sustainability principles. "One year ago there were less than a dozen. That made the suppliers of building materials adapt to this new demand", says Nelson Kawakami, President of the Green Building Council Brazil, Brazilian subsidiary of the company that provides the sustainable construction parameters, with headquarters in the USA. The large manufacturers of paints and varnishes, for instance, are gradually replacing some petrochemical raw materials that make part of the composition of their products. Tintas Coral, a trademark of the Dutch Akzo Nobel group, launched the first water-based products in 2003, replacing the oil-based solvents. "The sales of these products grow nearly 60% a year. It is a one-way trend", says Mateo Lazzarin, manager of Coral's development laboratory. The manufacturers of paints are also substituting the petrochemical resins for the PET from recycled bottles. Suvinil started this process in 2000. In 2006, the company also changed the petrochemical solvents for water-based ones. Another segment that is growing along the sustainable construction is the segment of light fixtures. Philips Light, the lighting division of the Dutch group, registered growth of 30% in the sales of economic light bulbs in Brazil in the last five years. Some undertakings also put their chips on renewable energies looking for the green seal. Altercoop, the São Paulo-based company that sells domestic equipment for the generation of aeolian energy, was created to cater to distant communities where the conventional electric network is not present, but it saw the profile of the clients change completely. "Today, my main clients are large companies, which are constructing buildings based on sustainable construction", says Altercoop's founder, engineer Ronaldo Alves.