JBS converts 36 million liters of used oil into biodiesel
Created to promote environmental education and the circular economy, JBS's Óleo Amigo program collected 11 million liters of used cooking oil in 2024 for the production of biofuel – a 154% increase over the previous year, with one of the main factors being the expansion of the project to Curitiba. The oil is used as an input by JBS's Biopower, one of the largest Brazilian biodiesel producers. Over the 8 years of the program's existence, 36 million liters of used cooking oil were collected for proper disposal.
The initiative resulted in the preservation of 900 billion liters of water, a volume that would supply the equivalent of 36 million water tanker trucks with a capacity of 25 thousand liters each. To give you an idea, this amount would be enough to supply the city of São Paulo for about a year and eight months, based on calculations using data from Sabesp and IBGE on per capita consumption and the city's population. In 2024 alone, 278 billion liters of water were preserved.
"Promoting environmental education and the circular economy is a way of nourishing the ecosystem as a whole. We are not only fighting pollution, but also guiding people on the importance of responsible disposal of used oil. These numbers are a clear reflection that we are on the right path, sowing changes that will generate good results for the entire society", highlights Alexandre Pereira, commercial director of Biopower.
Currently, the program serves the cities of Lins (SP), Curitiba (PR) and Campo Verde (MT), impacting more than 90 municipalities in the states of São Paulo, Minas Gerais, Paraná, Mato Grosso and Santa Catarina, with the potential to promote environmental education for more than 10 million people in these regions.
"In addition, through the purchase of cooking oil used in commercial establishments, schools and institutions, the project ends up being a source of income for the program's partners and can help reduce cities' expenses with basic sanitation, since, when disposed of correctly, it helps reduce the need for cleaning actions in sewage systems, promoting a virtuous circle in the municipalities where the program operates", adds Pereira.
The program also stands out for its educational nature, directly involving children in activities that reinforce the importance of disposing of oil correctly. To illustrate this, aquariums are used to demonstrate the impact of oil on water, blocking the passage of oxygen and damaging the ecosystem.
Since 2016, the program has directly reached more than 45,000 students from over 600 schools, companies and institutions. "We believe that education is the key to transformation. That is why we invest in lectures and workshops to raise awareness among the population, creating multipliers of the environmental message throughout society", says Pereira.
"Óleo Amigo is an example of how simple actions can generate a significant impact on environmental preservation, educating society while contributing to a cycle of reusing essential resources for our planet", adds the commercial director.
Within the concept of circular economy, JBS uses 99% of each bovine animal processed by the company. In poultry and pork, this percentage is 94%. In addition to biodiesel, the waste from the bovine production process is used to produce leather for upholstery, clothing and accessories, collagen peptides and gelatins, and to manufacture soaps and many other products.
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