Aware of the impacts caused by its activities, Cyrela has been investing for years in actions that have helped to mitigate the adverse impacts to environment. In 2010, the Company made progresses in adopting new measures and in creating the Area of Sustainable Production, responsible for promoting improvements and innovations at construction sites and in the way construction sites are carried out. Besides, it has started studies and assessments to define new corporate social and environmental strategies.
Project Managers of all regional branches have been helping to elaborate guidelines with a special focus on eco-efficiency. Those are mandatory to all projects. Currently the Company is defining the specific criteria for each aspect, applicable both to high-end projects and economic and super economic projects. Another effort aimed at implementing the environmental policy being developed at the Company is the definition of sustainability criteria for registering suppliers.
Because it has conscious attitudes and responsible practices, Cyrela is considered a market benchmark in waste management of projects in São Paulo. The Company is also a pioneer because of its formal procedures for waste handling since 2005.
Initiatives adopted by the Company are aimed at reducing the consumption of natural resources, during and after construction sites, and include the use of certified wood in projects, water-based paints (less harmful to the environment), and construction processes that minimize the need of materials.
Cyrela also has a recycling program for reusing waste produced during the construction. Plastic and papers, for example, are sent to recycling. Waste such as gypsum, metal and concrete also has specific destination. Wood, which is mostly a result of the tower’s structure works, is sent for reuse. This data is raised by a system that summarizes all information of the Waste Transportation Control (CTRs), requests for removal of waste from construction sites, in addition to information compiled such as quantity of waste generated by month/construction.
Another important initiative in the process of reducing environmental impacts is training new employees who have just started in the construction site. Professionals are trained on waste management. This includes contractors, who spread the knowledge about the importance of this management.
In addition to its efforts to improve the sustainability of its activities, the Company is also concerned about the rational use of natural resources in works. Thus it has been increasing the specifications of distinct items in construction projects, preferring the following items: individual gas and water meters; use of power-saving devices (presence sensors and use of lighting techniques to optimize the power consumption in common areas); use of water saving devices (automatic faucets, dual flux flush); specification of spots for implementation of selective waste collection by the condominium; spot for collection of oil and used batteries; bicycle parking lot; collection of rainwater; thermal insulation of roofs; automated irrigation of green areas; and use of solar energy for heating swimming pool water.
To ease the access for people with special needs and the elder, projects now consider accessibility improvements, with submerse stairs to swimming pools; access to the SPA by means of a transfer bank. The main access will have an elevating platform; slides for access to common areas; areas for wheelchairs in emergency stairs; doors one-meter-wide in internal common areas; adapted restrooms for people with special needs in strategic spots of common areas; elevators with features favoring mobility; and options for adapting the plan of the unit acquired.
These concepts are already implemented in five projects. NovAmérica Inside Park was the first project by Cyrela to highlight these features by means of the Sustainability and Accessibility Handbook. Now this handbook is also given by the following products in São Paulo: Andalus by Cyrela, Menara by Cyrela, Auge Home Resort, and Art de Vivre. In addition, a handbook is already scheduled to be published for Escritórios Mooca. Each project has a sign that highlights how each project will help to reduce environmental impacts. In 2011, this project will be extended to other construction in São Paulo, and will serve as a reference to the implementation in other regional branches.
In 2010, 5 thousand square meters of recyclable waste were sent to recycling, coming from around 20 construction sites in progress, in the city of São Paulo. These amount to around 1,250 truck dump buckets of plastic and paper. Other waste (gypsum, metal, and concrete) has also had a proper destination, as is the case of wood residues, sent to companies that reuse it.
