Employee Q&A: Managing Waste and Caring in Rio Claro
Rafael Correa, Operations Manager
Our people making a difference is a series featured throughout Owens Corning’s 2023 Sustainability Report.
As the Operations Manager at our Composites plant in Rio Claro, Brazil, Rafael Correa is able to do a great deal to increase our positive impacts. Although Rafael has been with Owens Corning for just under two years, he has been instrumental in a number of important initiatives to reduce waste. In addition to taking on sustainability responsibilities on the job, Rafael is also an advocate for reducing, reusing, and recycling at home. He is proud of the work Owens Corning is doing to manage waste, and he shares some of his plant’s recent accomplishments here
On recent waste management initiatives at Owens Corning
We have implemented numerous initiatives aimed at reducing and reusing waste. One initiative focuses on the internal reuse of pallets; we repair and reuse them when possible instead of discarding them. These initiatives, developed using the Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) methodology, have resulted in significant waste reduction and contributed to environmental conservation.
On the importance of caring for our environment
It is important that we are not only thinking about the moment, but that we are also caring about the future, because natural resources are limited. I would like for everyone to have the same resources, the same access to fresh air, water, and all the other things that we have today. When we talk about sustainability, we must be committed in terms of how we care for ourselves now and the next generations. When we do this, both inside the company and outside the company, we can increase the potential benefits of the things we do, and we will have a better planet as a result. I believe that every small action that we all take towards sustainability can have a significant impact, and that is what will truly make a difference in the future of our planet.
On our company’s emphasis on collaboration throughout the organization
I think we are very well supported by Owens Corning in our waste management efforts. If we have an idea that will help reduce waste or help improve the environment in other ways, the enterprise is always open to hearing about it. If we can prove it’s a good idea, they will provide the support we need.
There’s also a lot of collaboration, where we can discuss ideas with people from other plants, improve on those ideas, and then implement them. For example, we have worked with people at other plants who are trying to take waste and reuse it in melters. This opened our minds about how we can use our waste here at our plant. If it weren’t for these collaborations, we might never have thought about this. I think that’s something that makes Owens Corning different.
