Chinese used shipping containers turned into living spaces in Brazil

Global Business

Used Chinese shipping containers are becoming popular in Brazil for something besides shipping. Instead of scrapping containers that have reached the end of their product lifecycles, which is around 20 years, Brazilian recyclers are turning them into spaces to live and work in.

CGTN’s Lucrecia Franco reports.
Follow Lucrecia C. Franco on Twitter @LucreciaFranco

Rentcon, a seven-years-old container recycling company, located in the outskirts of Rio, is doing well despite Brazil’s economic slowdown.

One of its trade secrets is the “Made in China” stamp. For a company that rents and refurbishes secondhand shipping containers, buying Chinese-made containers guarantees solid profits.

Rentcon buys used containers from China for around $3000 including import duties. The company then sells refurbished ones for nearly triple that — at around $10,000.

While using containers as homes or businesses in Brazil is rather a new concept, they’re becoming more and more popular, basically because they can cost up to 30 percent less than a conventional construction.

The project attracted several eco-conscious fashion designers who want to keep costs down.