Vale PET - The Bakery

January - 2026

From the PET bottle to the mine

From university research to commercial-scale operation: a polymer made from recycled PET that cuts emissions, generates income for recycling cooperatives, and closes the circular economy loop in heavy industry.

OPEN INNOVATION | STRATEGY

January - 2026

From the PET bottle to the mine

OPEN INNOVATION | STRATEGY

January - 2026

From the PET bottle
to the mine

OPEN INNOVATION | STRATEGY

January - 2026

From the PET bottle to the mine

OPEN INNOVATION | STRATEGY

How Brazil’s largest mining company took a university research project to commercial-scale operation — and built an entire circular economy supply chain along the way.

The challenge

Dust suppression across stockyards, railways, and internal roads is one of the most critical environmental performance indicators in mining. Traditional suppressants have fulfilled this role for decades — but the company identified a strategic opportunity: to evolve towards a solution aligned with its ESG agenda and circular economy commitments.

The starting point was a mature research project, developed since 2012 at a partner public university: a polymer made from post-consumer PET bottles, capable of binding particulate matter at industrial scale.

The ambition was to bring this technology from the lab bench to full commercial deployment, without compromising the company’s performance standards. Three fronts had to advance in parallel:

Proving the polymer’s maturity under real operational conditions — iron ore stockpiles, coal, tailings, and internal roadways;

Structuring a network of industrial partners capable of standardised, high-volume manufacturing;

Managing the change process with operational teams to ensure a safe and consistent transition.

The challenge was not to invent the solution. It was to bring it to the shop floor without
sacrificing performance, inflating costs, or disrupting decades of established routine.

How we did it

The Bakery joined the project in 2023 as the connective tissue between three worlds that rarely move at the same speed: university science, industrial operations, and the production capacity of suppliers. The journey was structured across three complementary workstreams, run in parallel:

01.

From the lab to the field

We translated academic research into homologation protocols applicable to live operations, conducting field tests and formally registering each result within the company’s internal systems — the rigorous documentation trail required to validate a new material in a regulated industrial environment.

02.

A bespoke production supply chain

We mapped the supplier ecosystem and selected two industrial partners for scaled manufacturing, developing a business model that connects the recycling cooperative’s yard to the injection moulding machine, through logistics, and ultimately to the mine.

03.

Adoption at scale

We structured a phased substitution plan, with dedicated training and close technical support, ensuring safe and consistent adoption across all operational teams.

Three workstreams. One unifying principle: ensuring that science, suppliers, and
operations were working to the same standard, the same timeline, and the same goal.

01.

From the lab to the field

02.

A bespoke production supply chain

03.

Adoption at scale

We structured a phased substitution plan, with dedicated training and close technical support, ensuring safe and consistent adoption across all operational teams.

Three workstreams. One unifying principle: ensuring that science, suppliers, and operations were working to the same standard, the same timeline, and the same goal.

01.

From the lab to the field

02.

A bespoke production supply chain

03.

Adoption at scale

We structured a phased substitution plan, with dedicated training and close technical support, ensuring safe and consistent adoption across all operational teams.

Three workstreams. One unifying principle: ensuring that science, suppliers, and
operations were working to the same standard, the same timeline, and the same goal.

01.

From the lab to the field

02.

A bespoke production supply chain

03.

Adoption at scale

We structured a phased substitution plan, with dedicated training and close technical support, ensuring safe and consistent adoption across all operational teams.

Three workstreams. One unifying principle: ensuring that science, suppliers, and operations were working to the same standard, the same timeline, and the same goal.

Modelo contínuo e escalável:

evoluir de iniciativas dispersas para uma arquitetura única, com governança clara e métricas de impacto;

Gestão orientada a dados:

consolidar indicadores e entregas em um painel único, com leitura em tempo real para tomada de decisão;

Cultura de transformação:

engajar lideranças e times para adotar novos comportamentos, simplificar fluxos e operar com mais autonomia.

O objetivo era posicionar a eficiência operacional como alavanca estratégica da transformação — capaz de gerar ganhos sustentáveis de produtividade, governança e competitividade em toda a operação.

Gestão orientada a dados:

evoluir de iniciativas dispersas para uma arquitetura única, com governança clara e métricas de impacto;

Cultura de transformação:

consolidar indicadores e entregas em um painel único, com leitura em tempo real para tomada de decisão;

Modelo contínuo e escalável:

engajar lideranças e times para adotar novos comportamentos, simplificar fluxos e operar com mais autonomia.

O objetivo era posicionar a eficiência operacional como alavanca estratégica da transformação — capaz de gerar ganhos sustentáveis de produtividade, governança e competitividade em toda a operação.

Results

The Sustainable Suppressant moved from concept to product to operational routine.
The numbers reflect the scale of what was unlocked through collaboration:

R$ 0 m

in projected savings over a decade of operational use

0 m

post-consumer PET bottles diverted from the environment per year, with a significant reduction in particulate matter across logistics corridors and industrial sites

+ 0 %

average income increase for recycling cooperative members

certified industrial partners producing at scale since 2023

0 years

from university lab bench to commercial deployment

Significant reduction in particulate matter across logistics corridors and industrial facilities

Results

The Sustainable Suppressant moved from concept to product to operational routine.
The numbers reflect the scale of what was unlocked through collaboration:

R$ 0 m

in projected savings over a decade of operational use

0 m

post-consumer PET bottles diverted from the environment per year, with a significant reduction in particulate matter across logistics corridors and industrial sites

+ 0 %

average income increase for recycling cooperative members

certified industrial partners producing at scale since 2023

0 years

from university lab bench to commercial deployment

Significant reduction in particulate matter across logistics corridors and industrial facilities

Results

The Sustainable Suppressant moved from concept to product to operational routine. The numbers reflect the scale of what was unlocked through collaboration:

R$ 0 m

in projected savings over a decade of operational use

0 m

post-consumer PET bottles diverted from the environment per year, with a significant reduction in particulate matter across logistics corridors and industrial sites

+ 0 %

average income increase for recycling cooperative members

certified industrial partners producing at scale since 2023

0 years

from university lab bench to commercial deployment

Significant reduction in particulate matter across logistics corridors and industrial facilities

Results

The Sustainable Suppressant moved from concept to product to operational routine. The numbers reflect the scale of what was unlocked through collaboration:

R$ 0 m

in projected savings over a decade of operational use

0 m

post-consumer PET bottles diverted from the environment per year, with a significant reduction in particulate matter across logistics corridors and industrial sites

+ 0 %

average income increase for recycling cooperative members

certified industrial partners producing at scale since 2023

0 years

from university lab bench to commercial deployment

Significant reduction in particulate matter across logistics corridors and industrial facilities

January - 2026

From the PET bottle to the mine

OPEN INNOVATION | STRATEGY

January - 2026

From the PET bottle to the mine

OPEN INNOVATION | STRATEGY

January - 2026

From the PET bottle to the mine

OPEN INNOVATION | STRATEGY

January - 2026

From the PET bottle to the mine

OPEN INNOVATION | STRATEGY

How Brazil’s largest mining company took a university research project to commercial-scale operation — and built an entire circular economy supply chain along the way.

How Brazil’s largest mining company took a university research project to commercial-scale operation — and built an entire circular economy supply chain along the way.

The challenge

The ambition was to bring this technology from the lab bench to full commercial deployment, without compromising the company’s performance standards. Three fronts had to advance in parallel:

Proving the polymer’s maturity under real operational conditions — iron ore stockpiles, coal, tailings, and internal roadways;

Structuring a network of industrial partners capable of standardised, high-volume manufacturing;

Managing the change process with operational teams to ensure a safe and consistent transition.

The challenge was not to invent the solution. It was to bring it to the shop floor without sacrificing performance, inflating costs, or disrupting decades of established routine.

How we did it

The Bakery joined the project in 2023 as the connective tissue between three worlds that rarely move at the same speed: university science, industrial operations, and the production capacity of suppliers. The journey was structured across three complementary workstreams, run in parallel:

01.

From the lab to the field

02.

A bespoke production supply chain

03.

Adoption at scale

Three workstreams. One unifying principle: ensuring that science, suppliers, and operations were working to the same standard, the same timeline, and the same goal.

01.

From the lab to the field

02.

A bespoke production supply chain

03.

Adoption at scale

Three workstreams. One unifying principle: ensuring that science, suppliers, and operations were working to the same standard, the same timeline, and the same goal.

01.

From the lab to the field

02.

A bespoke production supply chain

03.

Adoption at scale

Three workstreams. One unifying principle: ensuring that science, suppliers, and operations were working to the same standard, the same timeline, and the same goal.

01.

From the lab to the field

02.

A bespoke production supply chain

03.

Adoption at scale

Three workstreams. One unifying principle: ensuring that science, suppliers, and operations were working to the same standard, the same timeline, and the same goal.

Modelo contínuo e escalável:

Gestão orientada a dados:

Cultura de transformação:

O objetivo era posicionar a eficiência operacional como alavanca estratégica da transformação — capaz de gerar ganhos sustentáveis de produtividade, governança e competitividade em toda a operação.

Gestão orientada a dados:

Cultura de transformação:

Modelo contínuo e escalável:

O objetivo era posicionar a eficiência operacional como alavanca estratégica da transformação — capaz de gerar ganhos sustentáveis de produtividade, governança e competitividade em toda a operação.

Results

The Sustainable Suppressant moved from concept to product to operational routine. The numbers reflect the scale of what was unlocked through collaboration:

Results

The Sustainable Suppressant moved from concept to product to operational routine. The numbers reflect the scale of what was unlocked through collaboration:

Results

The Sustainable Suppressant moved from concept to product to operational routine. The numbers reflect the scale of what was unlocked through collaboration:

Results

The Sustainable Suppressant moved from concept to product to operational routine. The numbers reflect the scale of what was unlocked through collaboration:

Every large operation has an innovation waiting to scale. Shall we find yours?

From the PET bottle
to the mine

The challenge was not to invent the solution. It was to bring it to the shop floor without
sacrificing performance, inflating costs, or disrupting decades of established routine.

Three workstreams. One unifying principle: ensuring that science, suppliers, and
operations were working to the same standard, the same timeline, and the same goal.

Three workstreams. One unifying principle: ensuring that science, suppliers, and
operations were working to the same standard, the same timeline, and the same goal.

The Sustainable Suppressant moved from concept to product to operational routine.
The numbers reflect the scale of what was unlocked through collaboration:

The Sustainable Suppressant moved from concept to product to operational routine.
The numbers reflect the scale of what was unlocked through collaboration:

Every large operation has an innovation waiting to scale.
Shall we find yours?