Professor Patrícia Deporte de Andrade set up her own sustainable design laboratory to help protect the coast where she lives.
Enchanted by the beaches of Florianópolis, Patrícia implemented the idea of producing various accessories, gifts and souvenirs from recycled material.
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The idea arose mainly from the teacher's concern about the amount of plastic waste discarded on the region's beaches. Initially, she organized cleaning efforts with her students, until she decided to turn the practice into a sustainable business. Find out more about this incredible initiative!
Laboratory set up by Patrícia. (Image: Portal Pequenas Empresas & Grandes Negócios/Reproduction)
Combining her passion for design and sustainability, the educator came up with the idea of a project for machines of international origin.
Through these devices, she was able to process the collected materials and transform them into new creations such as earrings, keychains and even lampshades.
The initial investment was made by the teacher together with some local partners in the amount of R$15,000 to create the machines.
Furthermore, with her project in conjunction with local cooperatives, she obtained the material to recycle and create her projects.
To see the video about the project, just click in this link from the “Small Companies & Big Business” portal. In the content, Patrícia narrates the main steps taken and challenges to start the idea.
According to the professor, from the initial process until the end of 2022, her company was able to produce R$100,000. Its main sales channels were its online sales platform and specific points spread across the region.
Furthermore, Patrícia expects her company to surpass last year's result by 2023, presenting thus an average growth potential of between 15% and 20% of revenue in relation to the period of the year previous.
In this way, we see that small businesses with big ideas can bring several beneficial results, both for the entrepreneur and for the environment.
