JBS Program Converts 26 Million Liters of Used Cooking Oil into Biodiesel

The program contributes to preventing the improper disposal of used cooking oil, such as pouring it down sinks or onto the ground. Instead, it becomes one of the raw materials for producing biodiesel. Aimed at fostering environmental education and encouraging a circular economy, the Óleo Amigo program, initiated by Biopower, a biodiesel-producing subsidiary of JBS, saw nearly a 15% increase in 2023, collecting 4.5 million liters of cooking oil. Over its eight-year existence, the program has gathered over 26 million liters of oil, converting it into biofuel. This initiative has saved more than 650 billion liters of water, equivalent to 260,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools. The New Business area of JBS, which includes Biopower, is committed to promoting a circular economy. "We believe it's increasingly important to move away from the traditional model of extract, produce, consume, and dispose. To give you an idea, just one liter of cooking oil can contaminate 25,000 liters of water, according to Sabesp. That's why we've adopted a model that reintroduces waste as raw material in productive chains to generate high-value energy," says Alexandre Pereira, Biopower's commercial director. Currently, the Óleo Amigo program operates primarily in Lins, in the state of São Paulo, and Curitiba, the capital of Paraná, but it reaches a total of 87 municipalities across São Paulo, Minas Gerais, Paraná, and Santa Catarina. It has the potential to raise environmental awareness among over 10 million people in these areas. The program, supported by local city halls in Lins and Curitiba, ensures that used oil is not improperly disposed of in sinks or on the ground. Instead, it is transformed into a raw material for biodiesel production. To date, more than 550 commercial establishments have contributed oil to the initiative. Collections are scheduled, with the company's trucks and cars picking up oil from bars, restaurants, schools, and other places that generate oil. The collected product undergoes analysis, monitored by auditors, to check if the oil meets the acidity, impurity, and moisture parameters for biodiesel production. In terms of environmental education, besides the companies backing the program, 51 schools and social institutions actively participate in activities to promote correct disposal awareness among their attendees. Each collection from these places results in improvements and books for the social institutions and schools. The Óleo Amigo program believes that education can foster new sustainable habits and attitudes, which will be upheld by future generations. Since its inception, the program has directly reached over 30,000 students, who become advocates for environmental awareness. "We teach people in a fun way about how the program can benefit the environment and society. For instance, we use aquariums to show how oil forms a layer on top of the water, blocking oxygen passage and harming the entire ecosystem," Pereira explains. Following the circular economy concept, JBS utilizes 99% of each processed bovine. For poultry and pigs, this figure is 94%. From the by-products of beef processing, besides biodiesel, other products such as leather for furniture upholstery, clothing and accessories, collagen peptides and gelatins, as well as soap manufacturing, are derived.