In recent years, GRECA Asfaltos has expanded its presence in the Brazilian paving market, with continuous growth in its market share and in offering solutions aimed at reducing environmental impacts. The company, founded in Paraná and operating throughout the country, develops technologies that have the potential to improve the technical performance of pavements.
One standardized initiative is the use of rubber-modified asphalt from scrap tires, a technology pioneered in the early 2000s. According to the company, this substance has already been applied to about 27 thousand kilometers of roads, and has prevented the disposal of more than 27 million tires into the environment.
Another focus is asphalt recycling, a technology that reuses crushed pavement to rebuild new layers. For every kilometer recycled, approximately 350 cubic meters of material are no longer sent for waste disposal, reducing the need for trucking and contributing to reduced pollutant emissions. One recent application took place on a highway under the responsibility of the National Department of Transport Infrastructure (DNIT), in western Santa Catarina, in partnership with Nuvia Ingenharia.
For Alexandre Castanho, Business Development Director at GRECA Asfaltos, the progress of these solutions reflects a structural change in the infrastructure sector. “The need for more sustainable businesses with lower environmental impact is growing. Today the sector discusses not only technical performance, but also how to reuse materials, reduce emissions and improve processes. Our work follows this shift, focusing on operational viability and real gains for society.”
Castanho highlights that the adoption of technologies using reused materials has increased over recent years. “Recycling and the use of alternative inputs are not future trends, but practices that have already been integrated in many markets. The goal is to expand these applications and contribute to solutions that make paving more efficient and sustainable,” he adds.
The company has also begun a partnership with Minas Gerais startup Abundance to improve emissions monitoring and develop digital environmental assets in conserved areas maintained by GRECA itself. There are currently 211 hectares of preserved forest, equivalent to more than 70,000 tons of stored carbon. Among the goals announced by the company are expanding the production of sustainable materials by 2030 and enhancing the electrification of the operational fleet.
For Edilson Dalbosco, CEO of GRECA Asfaltos, these investments are part of a broader movement at the company. “The infrastructure sector has faced increasing challenges to integrate environmental criteria into its decisions. Monitoring emissions, responsible management of protected areas and adopting lower-impact processes are complementary steps to an industrial policy that seeks efficiency and responsibility. Our goal is to integrate these fronts on an ongoing basis, following the country’s technical and regulatory development,” he says.