Paraná, December 1, 2020 – Klabin, Brazil’s largest producer and exporter of packaging paper, is expanding the reach of its actions in the forestry area that foster sustainable development in the economic, social and environmental dimensions. Planting with Klabin, which represents the evolution of the development program, gives producers greater security in the sale of their production over the long term, which includes terms that stipulate minimum sale prices and incorporate any inflation adjustments to ensure producers’ future gains.

Planting with Klabin forges partnerships with rural producers for forestry production and the acquisition of wood. Through the Legal Forests program, it works to create an integrated production system on these properties that balances planted forests with livestock raising and farming, such as the production of grains and milk. All participants prepare action plans for the property to ensure it develops sustainably and obtains certifications that attest that its production complies with environmental, economic and social issues.

 “When you visit the Campos Gerais region in Paraná state, it is very interesting to see the constant technical dialogue between small producers and large forestry producers. Small producers in the region achieve excellent yields and participate actively in conservation processes. Another important feature is the integration between forestry production and the lumber production hub in the Telêmaco Borba region of the state. This integrated development model of the forestry base enabled Telêmaco Borba, for example, to improve its Local Human Development Index (Firjan) from 0.66 in 2005 to 0.76 in 2016, outperforming the 77 municipalities of Paraná”, said Erich Schaitza, a researcher at Embrapa Florestas and formerly general manager of the Paraná Biodiversity Project.

In the Legal Forests program, producers take courses, conduct community support actions, make visits to exchange knowledge and receive free native saplings to recover degraded areas. Besides encouraging silviculture using forests planted with pine or eucalyptus with a sustainable stewardship plan, the program also works to enrich secondary forests, support the conservation of headwaters and the soil, protect biodiversity and foster organic agriculture. According to the Brazilian Tree Industry (Ibá), the forestry industry conserves around 5.9 million hectares of native stands in Permanent Preservation Areas (APPs), Legal Reserves (RL) and Natural Heritage Private Reserves (RPPNs).

 “The gains generated by these programs reach communities and support the business environment of the entire region through benefits such as job and wealth creation to ensure that families continue to have opportunities in farming while diversifying their activities and increasing their income. This cycle makes the forest industry an important economic and social development agent in the country,” said José Totti, Klabin’s Forestry Director.

Klabin continues to expand its local development programs guided by the bioeconomy, which helps to conserve natural resources while promoting improvements in the economic and social area. In Brazil, the industry creates 3.75 million job opportunities in over 1,000 cities (based on Ibá data), including direct and indirect jobs and the “income effect”, when job positions are not directly related to the forest industry, but are leveraged by other ancillary services, which stimulates the economy and increases demand for local and regional labor.