Cleaner Production in Jeans Laundries in Northeast Brazil - Implementing Environmental and Resource Management - page 88

nities to export to Europe or North America as well. This however also implies
that consumers are willing to accept slightly higher prices.
9.6 Summary and Conclusions
Fast economic growth is often given higher importance than sustainable develop-
ment, as in the case of the textile cluster around Caruaru in Northeast Brazil. For
years, a 'devil's deal' between local authorities and entrepreneurs fortified the
situation. During the last years however, the situation started to change. Aspects of
water consumption and pollution have already received attention, but the field of
energy efficiency in jeans laundries has been left aside. A huge potential exists to
reduce the consumption of firewood by increasing energy efficiency and use of so-
lar thermal systems. But as long as illegal cut wood is available for a low price,
entrepreneurs will be tempted to continue illegal practices.
On the other hand, some companies have already switched to alternative fuels
and show interest in applying solar heaters. The motivation behind this is to be-
come certified by environmental and quality management systems. Textiles of
high quality, produced in an ecologically correct manner, may have a higher mar-
ket potential. Thus, this important industry can continue operating while reducing
harm to the environment.
Concluding, these examples demonstrate that companies can be convinced to
invest in cleaner production most effectively by the help of economic arguments,
when a clear link between economic benefits and environmental improvements
can be presented. Difficulties arise from the interest in short-term profits, though
costs related to environmental degradation in the long run might be much higher.
Therefore, rather than simply presenting some technical solution for the problems,
this case study stresses the importance of environmental education in the field of
development assistance,
Finally, the aspect of environmental awareness also leads back to the responsi-
bilities of consumers, especially those in developed nations, given the clear link
between consumption behaviour and environmental degradation, which often
rather affects the poor more than the rich.
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Cabral S (2007) Logística reversa estimula reaproveitamento de materiais [Reverse
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Chapagain AK, Hoekstra AY, Savenije HHG, Gautam R (2006) The water footprint of cot-
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