This trade relationship is currently not active.

 

Profile of CONTIGO´s partner Green Glass

Products

Different glass products, made of waste glass

Location

La Reine in Santiago de Chile, Chile – distance to Europe: 12,200km

Founded in 2012

History

• 2012: Oscar Muñoz founds this glass project in order to make a living during his studies (business administration)
• Several awards motivated him to continue this project
• 2015: Green Glass manages to recycle all the glass from Easter Island
• First half-year of 2016: Green Glass manages 100.000 bottles saved from trash
• 2016: Green Glass campaigns for better prices for the waste glass pickers
• Background information: Oscar Muñoz is the son of Marcela Cofre, who founded Calypso and produces different glass jewellery for CONTIGO since 2004

Cooperation with CONTIGO since 2012

Structure of the business

Green Glass is a business unit of Calypso, both companies work together in the same location

Number of employees:

• 5 full time employees
• Cooperation with 20 trash collectors

Organisation of workforce:

• Main product (bottles) comes from trash collectors or is provided by a local collecting point
• Melting of the glass in a kiln with fire clay bricks
• Cutting and grinding with a self constructed diamond cutter
• Screen printing

Sales

• Home market (80%): own onlineshop, corporate gifts, local hotels, small distributors
• Exports (20%) to Germany, Sweden, USA

Goals

• To improve sales to other fair trade markets
• To better equip the trash collectors with faster carts and more space for collection

Special features

• Green Glass gets an award (B-Certification) for its high environmental and social standards

Why does CONTIGO work with Green Glass: Brilliant combination of environment protection and generating income. CONTIGO wants to support this start-up.

 

Fairtrade classification

FTA = Fairtrade Approved

Fairtrade aspects

Green Glass complies with the following Fairtrade principles:

No child labour

No discrimination

No discrimination due to gender, disability, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, political orientation, or infection with HIV.

Fair wages

• Minimum wage in the sector/region/country: US$ 400/month
• Average wage at Green Glass: US$ 800/month
• Daily or weekly payment of workers in cash
• Trash collectors: payment by piece, in advance or on delivery, at least 2 times the price the glass recycling industry offers
• Holiday bonus

Humane working conditions

Working hours:

• 8 hours/day
• 1 hour lunchbreak
• 5 days/week

Social benefits:

• Continued payment of wage in case of sickness or accidents
• Paid holidays (2-3 weeks)
• Financial support (loans) of employees in case private needs
• Payment of transport costs

Educational opportunities:

• Courses of glass cutting for small entrepreneurs are offered
• At schools: motivational talks and bottle cutting course

Occupational safety:

• All safety standards are met
• Protective clothing is provided

Transparency

• Work contracts are available
• Payroll is available
• SAR (Self Assessment Report) was duly submitted to CONTIGO

Monitoring

• Personal visits in Santiago de Chile (in 2012)
• Feedback interview during serveral visits in Germany

Country information

See Encyclopaedia Britannica: Chile

Photos