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Santa Catarina industry reduced water usage in its own operation after modernizing equipment, expanding reuse, and decreasing losses in the production process. The change involves a factory linked to the flexible packaging chain, used in food, labels, bags, packages, and boxes.
An industry in Morro da Fumaça, in the South of Santa Catarina, reduced its daily water consumption by about 95% after investing R$ 5 million in the modernization of equipment and internal processes.
Specialized in solutions for waste used in flexography, Reciclo Química went from approximately 48,000 liters per day to about 3,000 liters, according to information released by the company and a report published in June 2026.
With the change, water ceased to be used intensively in the industrial process and began to mainly meet the domestic demands of the factory, which has about 40 employees.
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The result was attributed by the company to improvements in the reuse circuit, reduction of losses due to evaporation, and updating of machinery, as explained by CEO Alan Fabre.
Investment reduced water dependency in the factory
Before the new investment, the company already operated with water reuse, but the modernization increased the system’s efficiency, according to Reciclo.
In practice, the operation became less dependent on daily capture and concentrated consumption on support activities, such as bathrooms, cleaning, and other internal uses not directly linked to industrial processing.
The reduction in consumption was presented by the company as part of an environmental strategy aimed at reducing waste in the industrial chain.
Fabre stated that the decision did not stem solely from commercial demands, but from a broader concern with the rational use of water.
“It comes from a humanity appeal, not merely from the market. It is not a matter strictly linked to a client request or a requirement. In reality, water is the essential asset for life, we all know that,” said the executive.
The statement was used by the company to explain the investment made in the factory.
Although the industrial sector is subject to environmental goals and efficiency requirements, Reciclo states that the change seeks to make production less dependent on natural resources and more aligned with reuse.
According to Fabre, the reduction occurred on several fronts at the same time, including the expansion of reuse, reduction of water losses due to evaporation, and updating of the equipment used in the daily operation of the factory.
What Reciclo does in Morro da Fumaça
Founded in 1990, in Morro da Fumaça, Reciclo Química operates in the recovery of solvents, processors, and other waste used by the flexographic industry.
The company is featured in industry publications as one of the main recyclers in this segment in Latin America and operates in a chain linked to the production of packaging, labels, bags, packets, and boxes.
Used in flexible packaging, flexography is a printing process applied to different surfaces and present in everyday products, especially in the food sector, where packaging helps in preservation during transport, storage, and distribution.
Within Reciclo’s operation, the processors are part of the preparation of the molds used in printing.
After being used by other industries, these materials need to be properly disposed of to avoid incorrect disposal and allow the reuse of inputs, as the company explains.
“Here we work with the processors for printing, which are the molds, for labels, packaging, bags, packets, and boxes. Many times we see an object in daily life and don’t even imagine what needs to be done for it to be in that condition,” said Fabre.
The company also associates the sector’s work with food preservation.
According to the CEO, certain products would not reach some regions in good condition if there were no suitable packaging to protect the content during circulation.
Water reuse was already part of the industrial operation
Before the investment of R$ 5 million, Reciclo was already working with a closed-loop reuse system.
According to the company, the new package of improvements reduced the need for water within the process and not only expanded the reuse of the volume already captured.
“The reuse that existed was expanded and improved, we also reduced the losses due to evaporation. Above all, the modernization of our machinery allowed this consumption to be much lower,” highlighted the executive.
The reduction from 48,000 to 3,000 liters per day represents, according to the data released by the company, a change in the operation of an industry that deals with liquids, solvents, and chemical waste in its routine.
By concentrating the water on the domestic use of employees, Reciclo claims to have reduced the direct impact of productive activity on this resource.
Besides the water issue, the company’s activities involve the recovery of materials that require specialized treatment.
In April 2026, a publication about the company reported that, in the last 20 years, Reciclo has recycled almost 68 million liters of solvents used by the flexographic industry and received 23.4 million kilograms of photopolymers for decharacterization and transformation into raw material for other segments.
In the same period, the processes generated 12.8 million kilograms of sludge, a byproduct sent to partner companies and used as input by other sectors, such as industries related to rubber.
Reciclo was also described in the publication as responsible for more than 80% of the demand in the solvent recycling and processors market of the flexographic industry in Latin America.
From Rural Area to Latin American Operations
The company’s journey began on a farm in the rural area of Morro da Fumaça.
The business was created by Alan Fabre’s father, who developed the first flexographic equipment with his partner at the time and remains linked to the company even after more than three decades of activity.
In the early years, the structure was simpler and mainly served regional demands.
With the growth of the packaging industry and the need for proper disposal of chemical waste generated in the flexographic process, the company gradually expanded its operations.
In 1998, Reciclo left the initial structure and began operating in its own headquarters.
The change marked a new phase of expansion, first serving the South of Santa Catarina and then advancing to clients and demands from other Latin American countries.
The family’s continued management is also part of the company’s history, according to information released by the company.
While Fabre took on the executive leadership, the founder continues to participate in the business routine 35 years after the creation of the business.
Recycling of Chemical Waste in Flexography
The flexography chain uses materials that cannot be treated as regular waste.
Solvents, processors, and photopolymers require technical processes for recovery, decharacterization, or reuse, as improper disposal can pose environmental risks.
In this scenario, specialized companies act as a link between waste generation and the return of part of the inputs to the production chain.
The stated goal of this type of process is to reduce pressure on landfills, recover materials with industrial value, and prevent chemical substances from ending up in inappropriate destinations.
Fabre has already stated, in a publication about the company, that concern about improper disposal existed in the sector since the early 1990s.
According to the executive, the advancement of physico-chemical processes allowed for the separation of solvents from contaminants and their return for industrial reuse.
The modernization that reduced water consumption is part of an operation that already had reuse as a business focus, according to the company.
In addition to recycling materials from clients, Reciclo also started to reduce the volume of water necessary to keep its own production running.
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