ACV comparativa entre processos produtivos na indústria Mercur : aplicação e desenvolvimento nos cenários de prognósticos ambientais.

Abstract

Mercur S.A., a reference in sustainability, stands out for its erasers that combine functionality with environmentally responsible practices. Within their production chain, the natural rubber cycle stands out, involving the species Hevea brasiliensis and Parthenium argentatum. Given the importance of the topic, the main objective of this work was to map the environmental impacts involved in the production of erasers by the company Mercur S.A. Initially, two review and scientometric analysis articles were developed to understand the main environmental and socioeconomic impacts involved in this production cycle. In this way, it was possible to identify the commercial importance of H. brasiliensis, which accounts for about 90% of the world trade in natural rubber. Most of this production occurs in Asian countries, with approximately 90% carried out by small farmers. These workers are directly exposed to risks in their profession, whether due to a lack of workplace safety or the absence of a governmental support network that ensures financial incentives and access to technical knowledge. In this sense, there is a significant gap in studies evaluating the environmental, economic, and social impacts on this topic, especially in industries producing final products. The third work presents the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) (gate-to-gate) of eraser production at Mercur S.A., where the environmental impacts of using cassava starch as a substitute for dolomite in the formulation were compared. The results demonstrated that the critical point of the production chain is related to the use of fossil fuels (diesel) during the transportation of cassava starch, specifically in the following impact categories: human toxicity, marine ecotoxicity, and freshwater ecotoxicity. Therefore, the use of biodiesel is recommended as a mitigating solution, especially given Brazil's prominence in the production of sugarcane-based biofuels.