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Loading ...A Computer Waste Bill for Rio Grande do Sul
Friday, October 2nd, 2009A bill on information technology (IT) waste has been introduced in the state legislative of the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul (RS) that is similar to a law adopted in 2008 by its neighbor, Paraná. The bill would require producers, distributors and vendors of “informatic equipment” to create and maintain programs for […]
Improving State-Level Environmental Governance in Brazil / Melhorar Gestão Ambiental Estadual no Brasil
Friday, September 25th, 2009Temas Observation: Note how this loan/project is being marketed. The headline trumpets “green growth” when in reality the program is more about strengthening environmental governance/institutions, arguably not as sexy a topic. The Bank argues that this is about ensuring economic growth is as green as possible through good regulation by competent, properly-equipped environmental regulators…seems like […]
A New Twist to Recyclables for Electricity Programs
Monday, September 21st, 2009I’ve posted in the past about innovative Brazilian programs in the states of Ceará (CE), Mato Grosso (MT) and Rio de Janeiro (RJ) to get people to turn in recyclables in exchange for getting a reduction in their monthly electric power bill. One of the programs I liked was Consciência EcoAmpla, run by Endesa‘s subsidiary […]
Toward Brazilian Environmental Norms for Electro-Electronics
Saturday, August 15th, 2009Several jurisdictions in Brazil — most notably the States of São Paulo (SP) and Mato Grosso (MT), and the Municipality of Rio de Janeiro (MRJ) — have recently adopted e-waste laws, and several states look interested in following suit (here, here and here). There’s rumors that the National Environment Council (CONAMA) will soon decide to […]
Mato Grosso Requires Cell Phone Take-Back
Sunday, May 17th, 2009It’s a very brief law — two articles, a total of four lines. But it may have a significant impact on the Brazilian market for cell phones and their accessories if other states follow Mato Grosso’s (MT) lead. When MT passed its e-waste law last year, the list of items covered did not include cell […]
Brazil Increases Pesticide Packaging Take-Back
Saturday, March 28th, 2009I’ve posted before on The Temas Blog (here, here and here) about Brazil’s amazingly successful program at recovering used pesticide packaging, which is achieving recovery rates higher than in many OECD nations. Well folks, Brazil continues to improve on this front: the National Institute for Processing Empty Packaging (inpEV), the industry-appointed group solely in charge […]
Brazil Creates Cancer Research Network / Brasil lança rede de pesquisas sobre o câncer
Thursday, March 5th, 2009Brazil’s National Council on Scientific and technological Development (CNPq) and Health Ministry (MS) have launched a Brazilian Cancer Research Network (Rede Brasileira de Pesquisas sobre o Câncer). According to the National Cancer Institute (INCA), cancer is the second greatest cause of death in Brazil, and it is projected to cause 465,000 new deaths in 2009. […]
Coke Donates R$20 mil. to Sustainable Amazon Foundation
Friday, February 6th, 2009Coca-Cola Brasil has just donated R$20 million to the Sustainable Amazonas Foundation (Fundação Amazonas Sustentável – FAS) to promote forest conservation in Brazil’s Amazonas state and improve the quality of life for around 2,000 families living in those forests. The Coke donation matches funds from the state government, Bradesco bank and Banco do Planeta for […]
Justice Ministry to Service Firms: Improve Customer Service, or Else
Tuesday, February 3rd, 2009Regulated service sectors are not complying with Brazil’s new rules on customer service, despite being given a (brief) grace period in order to bring their operations into line. So declared the Justice Ministry’s (MJ) Department of Protection of Consumer Rights (DPDC), which is now handing out fines, naming names, scrutinizing practices and issuing warnings. The […]
Recyclables for Electricity Program Catches On
Tuesday, November 25th, 2008When the 10 winners for 2008 of the biennial World Business and Development Awards were announced a few weeks back, the Spanish energy conglomerate Endesa was one of the recipients for a program its subsidiaries run in two Brazilian states. The program helps people pay for their power bills while promoting recycling. While an interesting […]