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Argentianian retreader Unigoma has installed solar panels its factory in Buenos Aires. According to the company’s founder Esteban Rappazzo, the idea for the project started about three and a half years ago, when Rappazzo measured the company’s carbon footprint and found out that approximately 65-70% of the carbon footprint came from electricity consumption. At that point he started looking at how to install solar panels – in parti- cular how to finance it considering the complications of mana- ging such projects in Argentina given the lack of credit for such projects.
Rappazzo explains; “For 3 years I was looking at how to finance it, but I could not get it according to our needs and possibilities. In February of this year, though, I was on vacation and talking to my brother, and he told me, look, I am here with Gonzalo Ro- driguez. Gonzalo turned out to be the owner of the Argentine company Argenware SRL, from the city of San Martin de Los Andes, and the company specialises in renewable energy, solar photovoltaic, isolated mini-grids, and energy systems consul- ting. So, I started talking to him and told him about my problems, my needs, and he helped me. First, with the technical details and then with Banco Santander to get a loan for an SME under the sustainability area.”
Unigoma bought the solar panels in March this year, and they arrived at the end of May along with the rest of the equipment.
On June 20, Rodriguez sent the technicians and engineers for the installation, which was completed within five days.
Rappazzo says he is now looking to reduce Unigoma’s carbon footprint, and with savings of approximately 80 kg of CO2 per day, the company expects to be able to calculate its new reduced carbon footprint within a few months.
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UNIGOMA INSTALLS SOLAR PANELS
TRAINING THE COLOMBIAN NATIONAL POLICE IN TYRE RETREADING
The Colombian Association of Tire Retreaders and Related Industries – ANRE recently carried out a training session on retreading for the Colom- bian National Police. According to Hernando Diez Vargas, Executive Pre- sident of ANRE, on May 19 the asso- ciation conducted a training session for 60 police officers from the Road Safety School of the city of Madrid, a municipality in the department of Cundinamarca in Colombia. The trai- ning was held at the premises of Co- lombian retreader Servireencauche Medellín S.A.S. and involved a plant tour as well as technical training on tyres and retreading regulations. According to Diez Vargas, the training session involved a complete presen- tation that included the history of the Association; a general description of the tyre retreading process; tyre typology; the description of a tyre; la-
belling requirements; tyre retreading regulations; statistics from the tyre retreading sector; economic benefits of our industry; and finally the envi-
ronmental benefits of tyre retreading in the context of how our industry is a great example of circular economy.
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