In a year of challenges and uncertainties, the company has intensified its actions to support the communities and has increased investments to enhance its social-environmental practices
Bracell, one of the largest producers of soluble cellulose and specialty cellulose of the world, disclosed its 2020 Sustainability Report informing all actions taken over the last year to accomplish its mission to make people’s lives better by developing resources sustainably. In a year of challenges and uncertainties, especially due to Covid-19, the company asserts its commitment to a production that is socially and environmentally responsible, the great results from its social inclusion agenda, the efforts to face the pandemic, and the generation of jobs and income, in addition to the investment of over R$ 8 billion in Project Star, which is intended to expand the company’s operations in the State of São Paulo.
“Our commitment to a sustainable work, with a positive influence on our value chain, is expressed throughout the report, which we joyfully invite you to read. What we do is only good for Bracell if it is good for the community, for the country, for the weather and for our clients. This philosophy guides our steps towards constant improvement and initiatives that are aligned with ethics and social-environmental responsibility, which we cherish so much,” says Lais Drezza, Sustainability Manager at Bracell.
Part of RGE group, which manages companies with global manufacturing operations based on natural resources, Bracell carries in its DNA the sustainability as its purpose and greater mission.
From the very early stage of its process, the company uses renewable raw materials to manufacture biodegradable products. Over 30% of its forest were allocated for environmental conservation, considering the States of Bahia and São Paulo together. The company not only has as its policy to plant only in anthropized areas, but it also invests in planting eucalyptus trees in degraded areas in the State of São Paulo, especially pasture areas, which increase the company’s contribution to the weather. Bracell has negative carbon emission, which means that it removes more CO² from the atmosphere through its forestry activities than it emits, which reflects its concern about the weather, the community, and the environment. The company uses renewable raw materials to manufacture biodegradable products.
Facing the pandemic
In a year that was directly impacted by the pandemic, Bracell saw itself in the middle of a challenge to keep its levels of production of inputs, once they are crucial for the manufacturing of products that are imperative for the global supply chain, such as food, medicines, and personal hygiene products, – and to preserve the health and safety of its employees and partners. In this scenario, aligned with its social responsibility actions, the company has actively contributed to fight against Covid-19. During 2020, the company invested over R$ 14 million in actions in the States of Bahia and São Paulo, such as the distribution of medical equipment and inputs to health centers, new ICU units in local hospitals, donation of funds to expand the manufacturing of the Covid-19 vaccine by Instituto Butantan, in addition to the collection and donation of food. During 2020, the company invested over R$ 14 million in actions in the States of Bahia and São Paulo.
Generation of jobs and income
Our commitment to the community also translates into numbers. The company has employed over 22,000 people, whether directly or indirectly, in its operations in the States of Bahia and São Paulo, and in Project Star’s works, which is currently one of the most important ongoing projects in Brazil, with a direct impact in the levels of job and income generation in the municipalities in which the company operates. According to data from the general list of employed and unemployed people (Cadastro Geral de Empregados e Desempregados, “Caged”), disclosed in January 2021 by the Ministry of Economy, Lençóis Paulista was included, for the first time, in 2020, in the national ranking of leading job generation municipalities, being accountable for 3.2% of all jobs generated in the Brazil in 2020. With 14,729 employees and a surplus of 4,578 job positions, the municipality ranked 13 in the national ranking and third in the ranking of the State of São Paulo.
Bracell’s 2020 Sustainability Report is available at: https://bit.ly/bracell-rs-2020.
