The dream of selling with an international seal, which attests to responsible forest management, can now become a reality for small farmers in the interior of Parana. Klabin is assisting the Group of Forestry Producers from the Mid-River Tibagi, located in Telêmaco Borba (PR), to obtain forestry certification from the FSC® – Forest Stewardship Council®. The company helped to draw up the national standard for planted forests known as SLIMF (Small and Low Intensity Managed Forests), which aids small and medium-sized producers to obtain certification and receive greater recognition from the market.

The Group of Forestry Producers from the Mid-RiverTibagi consists of 41 owners and 74 rural properties, covering nearly 6,900 hectares of total certified area, with 3,600 hectares of actual plantations of pine and eucalyptus. The properties are spread throughout eight municipalities – Telêmaco Borba, Tibagi, Imbaú, Reserva, Ortigueira, Curiúva, Figueira and Ventania, in the interior of Paraná. Certification will allow the group to sell timber with a greater added value and with the best stewardship practices.

“Helping small farmers to progress in the regions where we are operating is a job Klabin is proud to perform. Being one of the companies responsible for helping them to earn FSC® certification means that the company is contributing to the development of a higher added value market, while at the same time actively participating in improvement of rural property administration with significant environmental and social results”, states Ivone Namikawa, Klabin’s Forest Sustainability coordinator.

All the members of the Group of Forestry Producers from the Mid-River Tibagi get support from Klabin through the Legal Woods Program, a wide-ranging effort by the company to assist the producer to adapt and also to recuperate and conserve areas of permanent preservation. In partnership with Apremavi (Association for the Preservation of the Environment and Life), the program is the first of its kind in the sector and is being run in the states of Santa Catarina and Paraná.

The certification standards of SLIMF for planted forests is the result of work done by companies from the pulp and paper sector, FSC® Brasil, WWF Brasil and the Federal University of Viçosa. Its main objective was to develop a standard to introduce the proper management of pine and eucalyptus plantations, simplifying the process for small farmers while facilitating access to FSC® certification and stimulating the opening of new markets.

About Klabin

Klabin, Brazil’s biggest paper manufacturer and exporter, produces packaging paper and board, corrugated boxes, industrial sacks and timber in logs. Founded in 1899, today it has 15 industrial plants in Brazil and one in Argentina. It is organized in three business units: Forestry, Paper (cartonboard and kraft paper) and Converting (corrugated board and industrial sacks).

Sustainable Development guides the management of the company, in the pursuit of integrated, responsible growth which combines profitability, social development and environmental commitment. In 2014, for the first timeKlabin will be part of BM&F Bovespa’s Corporate Sustainability Index (ISE). Consequently, it is a signatory to the UN Global Compact and looks for suppliers and business partners who adhere to the same ethical values, transparency and respect for the principles of sustainability.