“Suzano has long been a strong supporter of sustainable forest management and certification,” said Jorge E. R. Cajazeira, Head of Institutional Affairs and Certification at Suzano. “We hope that by becoming an International Stakeholder member, our expertise can help contribute to expanding sustainable forest management and PEFC certification, especially in Latin America.”
Sustainable forest management is of major importance to Brazil. The country is home to the third-largest remaining frontier forest (large and relatively undisturbed natural forests) on the planet, making up about 17% of the world’s frontier forests. It has the highest biodiversity in terms of the plants that these forests accommodate. The native forests of Brazil occupy an area of just over 517 million hectares (more than 98% of the country’s forests), while the planted forests occupy approximately 6.6 million hectares. Utilizing these forest resources sustainably is of fundamental importance to the country as the forestry industry is a major component of the financial success and stability of Brazil, contributing about 5% to the national gross domestic product (GDP) and employing in total more than half a million people.
“Suzano has a long history in promoting sustainability, and I am confident that both Suzano and PEFC will benefit from the increased engagement and cooperation towards our common objective of safeguarding the world’s forest resources,” said Ben Gunneberg, Secretary General of PEFC International.
Suzano has a 90-year history marked by the constant pursuit of sustainable development. The company’s forestry base spans about 819,000 hectares, with 354,000 hectares of planted forests. About 37% of this area is reserved for environmental protection, including legal reserve areas and permanent preservation. Suzano is one of the ten largest players of pulp in the global market. It operates in more than 80 markets and directly and indirectly employees about 17,000 people.
PEFC is the world's largest forest certification organization. An international non-profit, non-governmental organization dedicated to promoting sustainable forest management, the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification is the certification system of choice for small forest owners.