Ambiental, the JBS business unit that specializes in solid waste management, which operates 23 units in Brazil, reached the historic milestone of 6,000 tons of plastic recycled in just one year. In over 10 years of operation, Ambiental has been responsible for recycling 46,000 tons of plastic waste. This volume would fill the equivalent of more than 18 Olympic swimming pools of waste that did not end up in landfills.
Another milestone was the record production of recycled resin, which grew by 12% compared to 2023, totaling 4,100 tons of raw material. This material was used to manufacture products such as plastic bags, reels, tarp, protective packaging, pallets, resins, furniture, roof tiles and flooring, helping to reduce the use of natural resources and strengthening the circular economy model for plastic.
According to Thuany Taves, a director at Ambiental, the business unit has been investing in adding value to plastic waste recycling since 2017 and, between 2023 and 2024, there was a need to expand the market reach beyond JBS business units and move forward with circular economy projects. “Since the creation of Ambiental, the company has moved on from waste management to recycling plastic waste and converting it into raw materials and products,” she says.
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Around 80% of the plastic recycled by Ambiental comes from the operations of JBS’s business units, such as Friboi, Seara, Swift, Couros and Novos Negócios, and generates new products to serve the company’s companies and the market. Of the total plastic material recycled in the last 12 months, 66% was used for industrial inputs and 34% for plastic products.
Ambiental also manages recyclable waste such as paper, glass and metal, and non-recyclable waste such as light bulbs and batteries. In 2024, around 30,000 tons of recyclable waste were correctly disposed of.
The company also develops customized solutions for various types of plastic, in partnership with other companies. According to Thuany, large companies are looking for partners who can offer recycling and waste management solutions. One of the solutions developed was the “Sustainable Big Bag”, born to solve a common problem in agribusiness: the disposal of “big bag” – bags used for storing and transporting agricultural inputs – which previously went to landfills. The solution came from a partnership between Ambiental, Cibra and Infinity. The process starts at the farms, where the fertilizer big bags are collected by Infinity. These materials are sent to Ambiental, which turns them into resin. This recycled resin is used to make new big bags, closing the reutilization cycle.
For the cotton production chain, Ambiental, Cotton Wrap and Infinity have developed the first wrapping film in Brazil with post-consumer recycled resins. This means that plastics used in the field are given a new life, becoming a resistant and sustainable material for protecting the lint from harvest to destination. The process includes collection, recycling and transformation without compromising quality and while protecting the cotton and optimizing the harvest. In addition, Cotton Wrap PCR is compatible with the main harvesters, guaranteeing speed, durability and efficiency.
“Today we have equipment, technologies, innovations, experience and teams prepared to transform waste that is highly complex to recycle into new products for our partners,” says Thuany.
Other solutions are developed and marketed by Ambiental itself. One example is the “green floor”, launched in 2021 as one of the most innovative uses for plastic that is difficult to recycle. The green floor meets the standards of the Brazilian Association of Technical Standards (ABNT) and offers the same resistance as a material made 100% from concrete. The product is certified with the ABNT Ecological Seal of Environmental Quality.