Sofidel Partners With Suzano to Protect the Amazon

Sofidel has entered into a strategic agreement with Suzano Papel e Celulose, a Brazilian producer of pulp and paper products.

The three-year pilot partnership, officially titled “Together we plant the future – Developing biodiversity corridors towards a more sustainable future,” calls for the two organizations to collaborate on advancing ecological conservation and restoration alongside supporting socio-economic development in the Amazon Rainforest. The program will be supported by the Brazilian Institute for Development and Sustainability (IABS) and Amazônia Onlus, an Italian nonprofit focused on protecting the Amazon region and its inhabitants.

As part of the partnership, Sofidel will scale up sustainable business models that can be used by the Amazon’s communities while improving food security and nutritional value. The first phase is forecasted to develop income-generating projects for roughly 1,400 family farmers living below the country’s poverty line.

The program will also fund the creation of a biodiversity corridor between the Brazilian states of Maranhão and Pará to promote connectivity within an 853-square-mile area of high ecological value rainforest. This will be achieved through a combination of natural habitat restoration and sustainable agroforestry systems.

“Today, a company committed to build a sustainable future and create value for all its stakeholders has to ensure that its suppliers share the same vision and way of operating,” said Andrea Piazzolla, Sofidel chief purchasing officer. “According to [United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 17], we are pleased to partner with Suzano, one of our biggest suppliers, to make a difference. They share our same values, so it came naturally to make our contribution to join forces to tackle both social and environmental issues in one of the poorest regions in Brazil.”