The Três Lagoas site of Suzano, a global benchmark in the manufacture of bioproducts from cultivated eucalyptus, celebrated a historic milestone for the company and the pulp industry at the end of 2023. On December 20, the site, which includes two plants that have been in operation for 14 years, reached the mark of 30 million tonnes of pulp produced, becoming the first site in the world to reach this milestone in such a short period of time. To transport this volume to the Port of Santos, 10 million kilometers have been travelled—the same distance as travelling around the world 250 times.
“This milestone reflects the commitment of our entire team and the successful partnership we have with Três Lagoas and Mato Grosso do Sul. A total of 30 million tonnes of pulp with the Três Lagoas seal has been made available to the world. Directly or indirectly, this production has involved and benefited the entire local population. And we are not just talking about employment or tax collection, but about the organic development driven by our site,” said Eduardo Ferraz, executive manager of the Três Lagoas site.
The history of Suzano in Mato Grosso do Sul is directly linked to the socioeconomic development of Três Lagoas and the Brazilian East Coast. The company was one of the first in the sector to invest in the region’s potential for forestry and the pulp industry. The company’s first plant started operating in 2009, creating, at the time, around 2,000 direct and indirect jobs, in addition to fostering hundreds of businesses opened to serve the new plant and meet the new needs created by accelerated development.
In 2017, the company inaugurated its second plant, making the Três Lagoas site the world’s largest site in terms of production capacity, with 3.25 million tonnes of pulp produced per year, a volume that has remained the same to this day. As a result, the number of employees needed to keep up with the demand more than doubled: today, there are around 6,000 direct and indirect jobs, many of them in the forestry sector.
To reach the milestone of 30 million tonnes, Suzano has harvested no less than 100 million cubic meters of wood, which is equivalent to approximately 500 million eucalyptus trees planted by the company over almost two decades.
“The motto of our institutional campaign about this production milestone is ‘From seedlings to the world’, because our process goes from our eucalyptus seedling nurseries, to research, to planting, to harvesting, to plant production until it reaches the international markets we supply to. Hundreds of people have been involved in this eucalyptus harvesting process over the years, and their lives have been transformed and renewed by trees. Today, for example, we have operations in 13 towns in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, which benefit from our activities in different ways—either organically or specifically, through our social projects,” added Ferraz.
Currently, Suzano has a forest base of 599,996 hectares of planted eucalyptus and native forests in Mato Grosso do Sul. Of this total, 143,129 hectares are used exclusively for biodiversity conservation.
From father to sons
Genalro Adair da Silva, a 54-year-old maintenance technician 2, has been part of these transformations. Born in Três Lagoas, Silva joined the company on May 7, 2008, as an electrical maintenance technician, after hearing a call for a training program on a local radio station. Today, in addition to him, two of his three children work at the company.
“When I applied, there were around 200 positions for 1,600 applicants. I was selected and hired even before I finished the course. And I had always said that I would prepare my children to work in the company too. I was an example for them and made them study to join a company like Suzano. And that’s what happened. One of them, Erik Willian, just joined. He was in the army and did a course for automation technicians. I wanted him to go into maintenance, but I didn’t get my way—he likes operation. My other son, Allan Cristian, also took a course in electrical engineering and has been working here for six years,” he said.
Genalro added: “Today, everything I have is the result my work here [at the Suzano site], and of the company fulfilling its commitments as well. The company offers security, so we work with a passion for what we do.”
Moving the economy
To contribute to the organic and sustainable development of the region, Suzano has a series of programs and initiatives aimed at supporting the local workforce and the business community. More than 500 small, medium and large companies in Mato Grosso do Sul are registered in the Suzano Supplier Program and, in 2023 alone, provided some type of good or services to the company’s Três Lagoas site, directly helping boost the local economy.
At the same time, last year, Suzano invested R$3.5 million in projects and programs to drive the socioeconomic development of Três Lagoas and the region, primarily aiming to create jobs and generate income. In total, more than 40,000 people have benefited directly and indirectly from initiatives supported by the company in seven towns in the eastern region of the state, not to mention the Suzano’s social investments related to the construction of its new plant in the town of Ribas do Rio Pardo.
About Suzano
Suzano is the world’s largest pulp producer, one of the largest paper producers in Latin America and a benchmark for the development of sustainable and innovative solutions from renewable sources. The company’s products, which are part of the lives of more than 2 billion people in more than 100 countries, include pulp, printing and writing paper, paper straws and cups, paper packaging, sanitary pads and toilet paper, among others. Suzano is guided by its purpose of “Renewing life inspired by trees.” The company pursues sustainability through innovation to address the challenges faced by society. With 99 years of history, the company has shares listed on stock exchanges in Brazil (SUZB3) and the United States (SUZ).