Through a fully sustainable and viable method, we are transforming the same mud that destroyed the region into a product that helps rebuild it: bricks.

Bricks from Mariana is a new independent brand created to help rebuild Mariana and support local communities.

We used the first handcrafted produced bricks to show the public that, yes, it is possible to use the same mud that destroyed Mariana to rebuild it.

We looked for a geotechnology and georesources engineering consultant, who was able to turn the mud into clean and non-toxic raw material for the production of ecological bricks.

The method was simple: Using UFMG’s technology, mud waste is transformed into a clean, non-toxic compound. The compound is then made into bricks by an eco-friendly process that does not generate gas emissions.

Using this as raw material, we have been producing batches of Bricks from Mariana by hand since January of this year, in partnership with Ecobrick.

With only 3,000 bricks we were able to get all the most important media in Brazil talking about the project, showing that it is viable to use the same thing that destroyed the region to rebuild it. The idea brought the subject to discussion in a big and relevant way for the whole country and proved that it is possible to make something to hasten the recovery rather than just wait for the justice to happen.

On November 5, 2015, the region of Mariana, in the state of Minas Gerais, collapsed because of one the greatest environmental disasters in the history of Brazil. With the failure of a Dam, a sea of mud covered dozens of cities, decimated lives, and destroyed the environment. According to experts, it will take over than a decade for the region to recover. But we know that the affected communities can’t wait a minute longer.