Company's 2024 Forestry Management Plan for the states brings positive results from forest management and community-oriented programs

 
Santa Catarina, May 6, 2024 – Klabin, Brazil’s largest producer and exporter of packaging paper and sustainable solutions in paper packaging, publishes this month the 2024 Public Summary of Santa Catarina. The document outlines the Company’s efforts to adequately manage its native and planted forests, as well as its social and sustainability policies.

 
Klabin has been present in Santa Catarina for over 50 years, with the municipality of Lages as a hub for social and economic development.  With a forest area spanning approximately 151,000 hectares, the planted and native forests extend into the neighboring state of Rio Grande do Sul, covering a total of 44 municipalities in Santa Catarina and 11 in Rio Grande do Sul.  Considering only native forests, the company maintains nearly 72,0000 hectares in this region.

 
Recognized for modernizing and seeking efficiency in all its operations, forest management is no different for Klabin.  In Santa Catarina, based on studies, the forestry area guarantees the maintenance and improvement of forestry productivity, considering the quality of plantations and fibers to be used in pulp production. Projects and adoption of new technologies combined with sustainable cultivation mainly focus on forest improvement, cloning and biotechnology, nutrition and silviculture, forest phytosanitary and wood quality.

 
Júlio Nogueira, Sustainability and Environment manager at Klabin, says the document details the sustainable management practices of the company, recognized for its pioneering mosaic planting method, whereby pine and eucalyptus plantations are interspersed with native forests.  “Klabin’s use of environmentally-correct practices in its forest cultivation, as well as proper management of the landscape, ensure excellent use of the forests’ production potential and the protection of natural resources,” he explained.

 
In Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul, 48% of the company’s areas are earmarked for conservation, An important index for conservation of species. In Klabin's areas in this region, 892 species of flora and 541 species of animals have already been identified. “These forest areas have made important contributions to environmental preservation by helping to protect biodiversity and conserve headwaters. In the 44 municipalities where Klabin has forest areas in Santa Catarina, there are over 5,000 kilometers of rivers and more than 9,000 watersheds protected by the company, which contribute to the region's water supply," commented Nogueira.

 
Proof of this are the certifications obtained by the forest area in the state.  In 2023, Klabin obtained yet another certification after an audit conducted by the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification Schemes (PEFC), considered the world's leading forest certification system.

 
As regards Social and Environmental Responsibility, Klabin has implemented comprehensive occupational health and safety programs and provides training and benefits to promote the quality of life of its employees. It also works in partnerships for forest development in rural properties for planting forests and with small producers, maintaining open dialogue channels with neighboring communities through phone, email, meetings and other means. In 2023, Klabin maintained its programs aimed at the development of communities where it operates, notably the following:  Klabin Caiubi; Environmental Protectors, in partnership with the Environmental Military Police; Social Forests and Legal Forests; Support for public administration; and Klabin Sowing Education.

 
"The recognition of Klabin’s ecosystem services reinforces the importance of good forest management for environmental conservation, reflecting the efforts undertaken by the Company in this journey towards sustainable development," concluded Nogueira.