Among Brazil’s key economic activities that drive national development, agribusiness stands out. Within this market, Brazil’s productive sector focused on sugarcane harvesting and processing is one of the most developed in the world, moving more than R$ 25 billion and 400 million tons of product.

As an industry with strong regulation and concern for worker safety, the use of professional uniforms is essential for work in sugarcane fields and plants. In this article, you’ll learn more about this market and the importance of uniforms for sugarcane workers.

Sugarcane: the gold of agribusiness

First, it’s important to understand the size of Brazil’s sugarcane sector. Today, Brazil is the world’s largest sugarcane producer. With nearly 500 years of tradition, the state of São Paulo accounts for 55% of Brazilian plantations—equivalent to more than 5 million hectares planted.

As a global leader, Brazil’s numbers are impressive. According to the IBGE Municipal Agricultural Survey (2016), 442.3 million tons of sugarcane were produced. The value generated was R$ 27.6 billion, equivalent to 2% of the national GDP. These results come from the production and export of sugarcane derivatives.

One reason for this industry’s success—besides soil and climate conditions—is constant investment in research and new technologies. These advances leveraged Brazil’s natural advantages and made it a global production leader.

Why sugarcane fuels the country

Now that you know more about one of Brazil’s main agribusiness sectors, let’s show how it appears in everyday life. Beyond planting and harvesting, what makes this activity so important are the products derived from sugarcane.

Generally, two key products come to mind: alcohol and sugar. In addition, another essential byproduct comes from transforming alcohol into ethanol, widely used as fuel in the country’s vehicle fleet.

To highlight the size of the industry again, the state of São Paulo alone is the world’s largest producer of sugarcane-derived ethanol. Globally, Brazil ranks second in ethanol production, behind only the United States. Ethanol is mainly highlighted for being a sustainable fuel compared to fossil fuels, and increasingly more markets are adopting this solution.

During the public health emergency of the pandemic, alcohol also played a central role as a safety item. It’s estimated that demand for hand sanitizer production increased by 1,000% at the peak in 2020.

The importance of professional uniforms for sugarcane workers

Without a doubt, one of the pillars that makes all this possible is the workers directly involved in planting, harvesting, and processing sugarcane. Because it’s an activity with significant exposure to environmental risks—such as cuts and exposure to chemical agents—uniforms are essential for safe and proper work.

In addition to federal legislation, uniforms specific to each role were widely discussed by companies and labor unions. This led to collective agreements that now govern uniform use across various activities in plantations and processing plants.

The main uniforms used for preparation, planting, and harvesting are called coveralls. They can be offered in various colors, most commonly white and blue. Aesthetically, they resemble beekeepers’ suits, emphasizing face and hand protection.

Uniforms are also present in transporting raw material to plants and industrial sites. Drivers of tractors, trucks, and other machinery use uniforms made of heavy-duty cotton twill sets, usually in khaki or blue tones.

Uniforms for internal plant workers must follow specific requirements: in general, they are produced as a mixed set or 100% cotton, with reflective strips, forming an NR 10 set—aimed at protecting users against flames and sudden fires. In addition, the production year is embroidered directly on the uniform to facilitate annual control and replacement, according to legislation.

Discover the ideal uniforms for your company

As Brazil’s largest uniform manufacturer, Ideal Work is proud to support the sugar and ethanol sector by supplying exceptional-quality professional uniforms for sugarcane workers—one of the engines of Brazil’s development.

You can also join this champion team building Brazil’s future and rely on Ideal Work’s expertise for your uniform solution.

We offer an exclusive service for the creation of customized uniforms. We work side by side with our clients to understand their needs, learn the roles, and study the real situations in which each garment will be used.

Click here to get in touch and learn how Ideal Work can help develop the best uniform for each area of your company.