Santa Catarina, August 31, 2020 – Klabin, Brazil’s largest packaging paper producer and exporter, was one of the biggest winners at the 27th Ecology Expression Awards. The company, which won three awards in this year’s edition, for two cases in Santa Catarina and one in Paraná, is now one of the most prolific winners of the award.

In the “Conservation of Mineral Resources” category, the company won for its case about the inauguration of the “Nature Interpretations Center (CINAT) – Serra da Farofa Complex State Natural Heritage Private Reserve (RPPN), which was established to provide the infrastructure for research and preservation activities at the RPPN, which has over 590 officially identified species of flora and 198 of fauna, many of which are endangered. This conservation unit is located in the municipalities of Urupema, Rio Rufino, Urubici, Painel and Bocaina do Sul. The “Forest Management Certification for Wood Suppliers Program” was the winner in the “Sustainable Forest Management – Private Sector” category. The initiative is designed to add value to forests by encouraging the production chain in the region’s wood industry through the sustainable development of planted forests combined with the conservation of native areas, which enables them to seek FSC certification, where more than 23,000 hectares of forests were certified in Santa Catarina in the last three  years. Lastly, Klabin won in the “Solid Waste – Pulp & Paper Sector” category for its Solid Waste Program implemented in Paraná. The program’s main goal is to support solid waste management in six towns in the Campos Gerais region by providing the necessary structure to support recycling associations and cooperatives, as well as environmental education actions.

“The projects implemented by Klabin are guided by its Sustainability Policy and aim to contribute directly to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Having our initiatives recognized by one of the preeminent ecology awards motivates us to keep expanding them more and more,” said Júlio Nogueira, corporate sustainability and environmental manager at Klabin.

The Ecology Expression Awards were established by Editora Expressão in 1993, one year after the Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit, also known as Eco 92. The initiative recognizes the environmental actions of companies in southern Brazil and encourages other companies to follow their example. The awards have already received more than 2,900 case submissions from leading companies, NGOs, municipal governments and other organizations in the region. They are considered Brazil’s longest-standing awards.