The typical vision of photovoltaic panels invading rooftops across the country can now also be recognized in prints on some shorts and shirts 2019 summer collection of the brand of Rota do Mar, the largest apparel manufacturer in the state of Pernambuco. The photovoltaic panels of the plant recently installed by ENGIE at the company have been the inspiration for the brand’s designers who have created the “Moved by the Sun” collection, presented at the Pernambuco Fashion Style 2018 and held in Santa Cruz do Capibaribe (PE) in July.

Moving one the largest apparel manufacturing poles in the semi-arid interior Agreste region of the state of Pernambuco, the theme, “fashion and sustainability” was the catch phrase of this year’s show. “The summer collection is entirely inspired by the “sun” and we used this concept to reproduce photovoltaic plant motifs on some pieces displayed at the fashion show. However, the items are only conceptual and created for the catwalk and will not necessarily be commercialized”, Rota do Mar’s administrative director, Silvanio Neves explains. “But the collection is a sign, a demonstration of how much Rota do Mar is committed to the sustainability theme and to the new energies”, he finalizes.

The largest apparel manufacturer in the state of Pernambuco and one of the largest in the Northeast, Rota do Mar invested R$ 400 thousand in a mini solar plant installed by ENGIE in the company’s yard at its facilities in Santa Cruz do Capibaribe. There are 240 panels with a generation capacity of 76.38 kWp responsible for producing electricity for the Rota do Mar Club, a space dedicated to the practice of sport and leisure activities. “We are going to zero out our costs with energy, in addition to using a methodology for producing clean, silent and sustainable energy”, declares Neves. Currently, the club has a 10,000 KWh monthly energy bill.

Over the course of 25 years of operations, the Rota do Mar system has the capacity to avoid emissions of 1,500 tons of CO2, the equivalent of a car travelling 842,709 Kms and the planting of 2,740 trees.  “To be able to take part in this project is important for us, since the Northeast region has major potential for developing distributed solar energy, particularly in Pernambuco, which is among the states with one of the highest levels of solar radiation in the country”, explains Rodrigo Kimura, executive director of ENGIE Geração Solar Distribuída, one of Brazil’s leading companies in the segment with operations in all the states of the Federation. “And ENGIE is present also in this region with a menu of solutions and proposals for partnerships such as this one with Rota do Mar which will generate a huge gain not only for the company but for the environment with the generation of decarbonized power”, he says.

Incorporated 21 years ago by entrepreneurs Arnaldo Xavier and Marta Ramos, Rota do Mar is the largest apparel manufacturing industry in the state of Pernambuco and is among the flagbearers for the sector in the Northeast. With its headquarters in Santa Cruz do Capibaribe, in the semi-arid Agreste region of the state, the company has six manufacturing units, a showroom and six proprietary stores, two in Santa Cruz do Capibaribe, two in Toritama and two in Caruaru. Currently, the brand’s apparel is sold throughout            Brazil via e-commerce and a network of retailers. The label produces more than 1.5 million pieces per year in casual, surf and street wear styles.