On January 28, 2011 students participating in the “Young Reporters for the Environment” project paid a visit to Gestamp Aveiro, a company that manufactures automobile components that has become noticed for its environmental care.

The recognition of this company with regard to environmental care in the surrounding community made us ask for a visit to its facilities to better understand the scope of its intervention in the environmental field.

We were welcomed by the representatives of the Department of Environment, Health and Safety and the Environmental Department, Ivo Lima and Ana Canhola, respectively, from whom we learnt how Gestamp manages its activities in what concerns environmental issues.

As a producer of metal components for the main motor, its main residue is scrap, which is automatically collected during the manufacturing process and sent for recycling. It also has a number of ecopoints to which or wastes are sent. There is a culture of selective waste collection well implemented in all its sectors.

The sludge from the process of painting and other contaminated waters are treated in a wastewater treatment plant of the company itself that ensures proper treatment of such waste. The Gestamp Aveiro has been awarded several voluntary environmental certifications such as ISO 14001 and EMAS, not only as a way to demonstrate its environmental commitment, but also to encourage a systematic improvement of their practices.

Visit to the WWTP

When asked about the relationship between the costs of environmental issues and productivity, Ivo Lima, did not hesitate to reply that even with an increase in costs, of which the WWTP is an example, this does not imply a lower yield. Instead, the optimization in many areas allowed better resources management, particularly in the consumption of water and other consumables.EMAS is a standard of the European Commission which presupposes aims for improvement. A team visits the company, annually, for three days to audit procedures. A thorough analysis of the evidence presented is made and only after validation of the whole process is the certificate awarded. This certification requires a relationship of transparency with the community, so the environmental report must be disseminated to various local entities and the general population, either through the company website, on paper or other digital media.

According to Ivo Lima, customers themselves require compliance with the standards required by environmental certifications, which is one of the reasons that lead them to opt for the company and is therefore a key element for competitiveness.

Following this logic, Gestamp AVEIRO also begins to require its suppliers to submit to identical environmental policies and is therefore a multiplication factor of good practice.

After a tour of the company we saw on the spot all environmental precautions such as the sealing of the factory floor to prevent any leakage of toxic products, the various ecopoints appropriate to the type of waste produced there, the different warning signs, the operation of the WWTP, and other procedures. Often it is thought to be impossible to reconcile high levels of production and efficiency with environmental care. Gestamp is the perfect example that this aim is possible.