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Suzano S.A.

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FY2020 Annual Report · Suzano S.A.
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Report 
2020

O u r   p u r p o s e :   r e n e w i n g   l i f e   i n s p i r e d   b y   t r e e s .

Moving Forward
Together

#proudtobesuzano

SUMMARY

 1. Messages ...................................................................................4

 2. About this report ................................................................8

 3. Suzano and shared value ........................................... 10

 4. Value generation model ................................................. 14

 5. Long-Term Goals ................................................................. 16

 6. Employee relations ............................................................ 26 

 7. Customer relations. ........................................................... 42

 8. Supplier relations ............................................................... 58

9.  Investor relations ................................................................ 64

10.  Relationship with government and  

organized civil society .................................................... 72

11. Community relations ................................................... 78

12.  Relationship with the planet .............................. 86

13. External reader ....................................................... 102

14.  Letter from the auditor ................................106

15. GRI and SASB content index .................... 110

1

MESSAGES

Message from the Chairman 
of the Board of Directors

We plant  
THE FUTUREGRI 102-14

Photo: Suzano Image Bank

AS MY FATHER, MAX FEFFER, WOULD 
SAY: THE KIND OF LIFE WE WANT 
DEPENDS ON WHAT WE DO.

4    Suzano Report 2020

T he year 2020 was marked by a 

challenging scenario, unprecedented 
in the past four decades. Our way of 

life, work, and how we relate with others 
were transformed, and in the blink of an 
eye, we were forced to learn and adapt to 
this new reality. If there ever was any doubt, 
now there is none: people, communities, 
the environment, businesses, institutions, 
governments—we are all interconnected. 
We impact and we are impacted.  

In this context, the role played by 
organizations like Suzano was and is even 
more important. We are responsible for 
the changes we want to see in the world, 
and we are part of something bigger. As my 
father, Max Feffer, would say: the kind of life 
we want depends on what we do. 

If, in the past, the main purpose of 
organizations was to generate shareholder 
value, our view is that this is not enough 
anymore. We understand that we need to 
create and share value with the various 
audiences whom which we relate: the 
stakeholder value. We have been adopting this 
vision for almost two decades now, and 2020 
was proof that we are on the right track. 

With strength and kindness, we put our 
Drivers into action and communicated our 
purpose: renewing life inspired by trees.  
It is precisely in these challenging moments 
that we reveal our essence. We take care 
of our 15,000 employees, we work on 
behalf of the environment and society with 
“innovability” (innovation + sustainability), 
while delivering exceptional results and 
making a difference in the lives of billions of 
people with our products. 

In this report, we highlight our main 
achievements and business challenges 
in 2020, as well as the initiatives that 
contributed to health and safety so that we 
could face this pandemic together. 

I would also like to point out our 
contribution to help Brazil assume its 
global leading role on environment and 
bioeconomy. We believe that part of this 
task should be taken on by the private 
sector, and the planted tree sector is one of 
the most relevant on this front. 

At Suzano, we are committed to a series 
of long-term goals, such as replacing 10 
million tons of plastics and petroleum 
products with products from renewable 
sources by 2030. It is with challenging goals 
like this, courage and a robust plan to face 
them, that we will continue working to 
become part of the solution to the great 
challenges of the 21st century. 

I am an optimist and I see every crisis, 
regardless how severe, as an opportunity. 
It's time to review our course, make 
adjustments, and prepare for a different—
and better—future. Waves of growth and 
recession have been around since the 
beginning of time; the world is cyclical, and 
we must be prepared to weather any storm, 
always learning from our experiences and 
guided by our values and purpose. 

After all, we plant the future.

David Feffer
Chairman of the Board  
of Directors of Suzano

Messages   5 

 
Message from the CEO

BEYOND  
our walls

[GRI 102-14]

W hat could have been more challenging in 

2020 than working in a totally uncertain 
scenario, under a constant threat to 

life? At the beginning of the year, none of us 
could measure the impact of COVID-19 on public 
health, economy, and society. And it was in the 
midst of this inhospitable setting that Suzano 
simultaneously had to deal with several issues, 
without knowing for sure what the outcome would 
be. The first and most urgent matter was taking 
care of the people in our organization. How to 
provide them with physical and emotional support 
to keep them healthy? In just a few days, we put 
nearly 4,000 employees in home office and closely 
monitored approximately 11,000 people who 
work every day in our operations, even before the 
government’s restrictive norms.

Once again, our Cultural Drivers were put in place 
and tested. We organized a set of initiatives to help 
society mitigate the problem, since we know that 
Suzano's role is not bound to the company's walls. 
We imported masks and ventilators from China, we 
directly contributed to the local production of 6,500 
ventilators in four months in partnership with other 
companies, we put together emergency actions 
in collaboration with neighboring communities 
and regional governments, we worked in the 
construction of field hospitals, we supported 
suppliers to help them maintain the financial health 
of their businesses, and we created a specific plan 
for our paper customers who, within our business 
environment, were the most affected by the pandemic 
due to the closing of schools and stationery stores, 
along with other factors. We did all of this without 
affecting the services provided to our customers, 
ensuring the supply of our essential products.

6    Relatório Suzano 2020

The pandemic revealed the essential nature of our 
products, such as personal hygiene items, health, 
medical, and food packaging, masks, and other 
products that are necessary to fight the crisis. On 
the other hand, it caused a sudden change on each of 
our operating fronts. We have dealt with a significant 
drop in global demand for printing and writing paper, 
which required a prompt response in redefining 
inventories and production. However, the growing 
global demand for tissue has led our customers to 
operate close to maximum capacity, directly driving 
demand for pulp. Despite the difficulties in 2020, 
forestry, industrial, and logistics operations had 
an exceptional year, benefiting from the synergies 
resulting from the merger, a process that contributed 
to cost reduction for the organization. As a result, 
even in a challenging market environment in which 
pulp prices were below expectations, the company 
obtained significant cash generation. 

OUR PURPOSE IS 
RENEWING LIFE INSPIRED 
BY TREES. THIS PURPOSE 
DRIVES US, TAKES US 
FORWARD, MOVES US, 
AND PLACES US AS PART 
OF THE SOLUTION TO 
THE CHALLENGES FACED 
BY SOCIETY.

 
With the impact on the lives of more than  
2 billion consumers worldwide, we now have  
a responsibility that transcends the role  
of managing businesses and creating jobs. 
Our role is to help society find solutions to its 
structural problems. We are working hard on 
topics of global interest and we announced 
ambitious long-term goals that need to be 
attained by 2030. Through our strategic actions, 
we want (among other goals) to mitigate the 
problem of income distribution, making it 
possible for 200,000 people to rise above the 
poverty line in the areas where we operate; 
replace plastic and oil-based products with the 
supply of 10 million tons of products obtained 
from renewable sources; and become even  
more climate positive, removing 40 million tons 
of CO2 from the atmosphere. 

We were pioneers in the issuance of a 
Sustainability-Linked Bond (SLB) in the Americas, 
raising US$1.25 billion in the market. This 
assurance is unprecedented in the world for 
the forest industry, linking financial resources 
to the company's environmental performance. 
In our case, we linked this issuance to the goal 
of reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) 
intensity by 15% by 2030 in order to directly 
contribute to the fight against climate change. 
This reinforces that we are taking on challenging 
risks to assert our culture and our social and 
environmental role, becoming a reference in the 
market. Another important step linked to this 
aspect was the inclusion of sustainability goals 
for 100% of the Executive Directors in 2021.

Diversity and inclusion is other material topic that 
have gained prominence in the past year. We moved 
forward with the debate and implementation of 
a series of initiatives through affinity groups, and 
we also established short– and long-term goals for 
the company. We are aware of the work required 
to get where we really want to be, and we are 
committed to evolving in this topic at Suzano.

DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION 
IS A PROMINENT TOPIC IN 
2020. WE ADVANCED IN THE 
IMPLEMENTATION OF A SERIES OF 
INITIATIVES AND ESTABLISHED 
SHORT- AND LONG-TERM GOALS 
FOR THE COMPANY. WE STILL HAVE 
A LONG WAY TO GO TO GET WHERE 
WE WANT TO BE, AND WE ARE 
COMMITTED TO EVOLVING THESE 
TOPICS WITHIN SUZANO.

Last, but far from least, we closed the year sharing 
our newly created Corporate Purpose with all our 
employees. After almost two years of listening 
to professionals and several other stakeholders, 
we have come to the conclusion that our reason 
for existing lies in trees. And through trees, their 
preservation, our planted forests, and our work, 
we have a responsibility to lead the movement to 
regenerate and oxygenate our planet. 

Our purpose is Renewing Life inspired 
by Trees. This purpose drives us, 
takes us forward, moves us, and 
places us as part of the solution 
to the challenges facing society. In 
2021, we will continue this journey 
of renewal. I invite you to come with 
us and renew your vision, your 
ideas, and your perspective! 
May it be a year of 
learning and great 
achievements. 

Walter Schalka
CEO of Suzano 

 Photo: Sergio Zacchi

 
SECTION   |  2

About this 
REPORT

   GRI 102-1, 102-40, 102-42, 102-45, 102-46, 102-47, 102-49, 102-53, 
   102-54, 102-56S

T he Annual Report 2020 contains Suzano's 

main financial, social, environmental, and 
governance results, as well as the company's 

obstacles, challenges, and learning experiences 
during this complex year for the world. It was 
prepared following the Global Reporting Initiative 
GRI Standards: Core option, the reporting 
methodology adopted since our first annual report. 
The company is also inspired by the principles of 
the International Integrated Reporting Council 
(IIRC), which promotes the communication of value 
generation, with a focus and conciseness, as well 
as a balance between the positive and negative 
aspects of the report. The document is also 
organized following the Sustainable Development 
Goals (SDG)—17 global goals established by the 
United Nations (UN) in 2015. 

The content of the report was defined considering 
the most relevant topics for the business and 
our stakeholders, in line with the commitments 
assumed by Suzano until 2030. Constantly evolving, 
our report looks to reflect the way the company 
impacts and is impacted by its initiatives and by 
its relationship with the various stakeholders. 
Increasingly, companies are recognized for values 
that go far beyond financial aspects. A reflection 
on this can be found in Section 3 of this document. 
In a letter signed by the Executive Directors 
responsible for the Sustainability and Finance and 
Investor Relations areas, we show how Suzano 
is positioned—and how it has been working 
strategically for many years—in relation to the 
concept of stakeholder value and sustainability 
issues, which are becoming increasingly important. 

Based on this assumption and inspired by our 
purpose—renewing life inspired by trees—
we understand that, more than showing our 

8 

Suzano Report 2020

activities and performance in 2020, we need to 
show our transformation capacity within the 
business environment of which we are a part. 
We want to lead the development of solutions to 
build a more fair and sustainable society and, to 
this end, we discuss these issues in the sections 
according to their relevance and the impacts 
generated for a specific audience: employee, 
customer, supplier, investor, government, and civil 
society and community. Topics that affect more 
than one stakeholder are dealt cross-sectionally 
and may appear in more than one section from the 
perspective of the audience in question. Resources 
such as links and “learn more” are used to guide 
reading, facilitating an integrated approach to 
the information. The material topics and SDGs 
are highlighted throughout the text and are also 
related to the topics of each section. 

Suzano's materiality is the result of navigating 
relevant topics for the business from the standpoint 
of our stakeholders. These topics were identified in 
2019, during an extensive active listening process 
involving all of our stakeholders. The result of this 
work guided the development of our sustainability 
strategy and the structure of this report. 

Suzano understands that the creation 
of long-term value depends on constant 
dialogue. For information on how the 
company's engagement process with its 
stakeholders works, click here.

GRI information is related to the respective 
content throughout the sections and organized 
in our Indicators Center, a digital platform in 
which data are disclosed in accordance with their 
relation to material topics, SDGs, GRI disclosures, 
recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-
Related Financial Disclosure (TCFD)1, and new this 
year, in accordance with the disclosure standards 
of the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board 
(SASB)2 and recommendations of the World 
Economic Forum (WEF). Some of the information 
provided on the platform also meets some 
of the main ESG indexes and ratings, such as 
Sustainalytics, MSCI Index, Dow Jones Sustainability 
Index (DJSI), Corporate Sustainability Index (ISE), 
and Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP).

In this version3, available in a microsite and in pdf for 
download, we also present an infographic containing 
our value generation model, which summarizes the 
main information from 2020 in an informative and 
convenient format. 

The content of this publication was submitted for 
analysis by external readers, invited by the company 
to express impartial opinions on the quality and 
transparency of the information. The document was 
also independently assured by Bureau Veritas. 

Enjoy your reading!

1 Initiative that deals with the availability and quality of financial information 
related to climate change, formally supported by the company.

2 SASB disclosure standards allow companies to identify, manage, and communicate 
sustainability data in a standardized, comparable, and specific manner for each type 
of industry and sector, facilitating communication between companies and investors 
about relevant financial information for decision making.

3 With the exception of financial data, installed capacity, total number of mills and 
energy export data, the other indicators provided throughout this material do not 
include information on Veracel's operations.

Aline Conceição dos Santos, Nursery 
Assistant, Mucuri Unit (Bahia state).
Photo: Márcio Schimming

Material topics for 
Suzano are

     Climate Change

     Ethics, Governance, and Transparency 

     Financial Management 

     Forest Management 

     Human Capital

     Innovation and Technology 

   Operational Excellence and 
Eco-efficiency

     Social Development

   Value Chain (customers and suppliers)

     Water 

The material topics are arranged in alphabetical 
order, not in order of significance.

This reporting process is a central part of Suzano's transparency and 
sustainability strategy and, therefore, we encourage and appreciate 
suggestions, critiques, and comments to help us improve the process. For 
questions or suggestions about our report, please contact us by email at 
relatoriosuzano@suzano.com.br.

About this report 
Sobre o Relatório 

9
9

 
 
Laila dos Santos Carneiro and 
Hermenegildo Angelo dos Santos, 
participants of the Cerâmica Vargem 
do Tanque project, in Cunha (São 
Paulo state). Photo: Márcio Schimming

10    Suzano Report 2020

SECTION  |  3

Suzano and
SHARED VALUE

Sustainability is an essential part 

of Suzano's strategy. The company 

understands that as important as creating 

value for shareholders is creating value 

that is shared with society right from the 

start. In 2020, important steps were taken 

in this direction.

Suzano and shared value  11

 
THE ERA OF CONSCIOUSNESS 

Suzano's sustainability strategy lies at the core 
of our Cultural Drivers. Due to the nature of 
our business, which depends directly on natural 
cycles, and to the positive relationship with 
the communities in the locations we operate, 
this topic has always been essential for us. In 
2019, after our merger process, we began to 
analyze our social, environmental, financial, and 
governance performance in an even more systemic 
manner, leading to a structural change in our 
operating standards, in new product and market 
developments, and in how we engage with our 
stakeholders. Therefore, we aim to consolidate our 
role as a reference in this important movement, 
summarized today through our finances with the 
acronym ESG, meaning Environment, Social, and 
Governance. 

In Suzano's evolutionary journey, we understand 
that sustainability is an essential part of the 
business. How, then, can we progressively 
materialize it in all of our deliverables, processes, 
and relationships? In February 2020, the company 
released its Long-Term Goals, publicly making 

ambitious commitments that must be carried 
out by 2030, in line with the Paris Agreement 
proposals and the United Nations’ Sustainable 
Development Goals (SDGs). The year 2020, 
however, brought an unprecedented crisis, 
accelerating the notion that the role of leading 
companies like Suzano—present in the lives of 
more than 2 billion consumers on the planet—is 
to contribute, through its operations, to the 
construction of a better and more sustainable 
future for all. 

The concept of stakeholder value is based on 
the principle of creating shared value, which 
means that as important as creating value for 
shareholders is creating value that is shared with 
our various stakeholders who are part of the 
ecosystem in which we operate.

All society benefits, for example, when our 
organization works to replace raw materials of 
fossil origin with more sustainable solutions, 
extracted from our renewable forests. 
Society is further strengthened by education 
and income generation programs geared 
toward neighboring communities or through 

12  Suzano Report 2020

Click here to watch the 
Cultural Drivers video.

Mãos que Valem Project, Jacareí (São Paulo state).
Photo: Márcio Schimming

ambitious actions to reduce and capture CO2 
originating from the company's production 
processes. The fronts seeking this convergence 
are many and growing. 

Thus, in 2020, we also continued to expand 
and strengthen our operations in the area of 
sustainable finance. For the first time, Suzano 
issued a Sustainability-Linked Bond (SLB) in 
the capital market, becoming a pioneer in the 
Latin American market and in the pulp & paper 
sector. According to the principles of this 
instrument, the company associated the use of 
these financial resources to achieving the goal 
of reducing the intensity of greenhouse gas 
emissions by 15% by 2030. The total amount 
raised funds for the implementation of the 
company's strategy, allowing us to strengthen 
our operations in the constant and growing 
creation of shared value.

(DJSI Emerging Markets) and the Corporate 
Sustainability Index 2021 (ISE) of B3, Brazil's 
Stock Exchange. These are important messages 
signaling that we are on the right track. But 
we know that we can and need to continue in 
order to advance in our strategy, practices, and 
transparency to improve these and other indexes.

Businesses impact and are impacted. At this point 
of no return, social and environmental concerns 
are becoming increasingly more relevant in our 
forestry, industrial, and logistics operations, in the 
offices, and in the areas of finance, research and 
development, and new products, among other 
sectors that are instrumental to our business. We 
have entered the era of the regenerative economy, 
which, in addition to financial returns, favors the 
recovery of the environment and the perpetuation 
of life, with quality and well-being for society. 

As a result of this dynamic sustainability agenda, 
Suzano's activities have been recognized by 
renowned external evaluators. In 2020, the 
company was chosen to be a part of the Dow 
Jones Sustainability Index - Emerging Markets 

Malu Pinto e Paiva*
Former Suzano's Executive Director of Sustainability  

Marcelo Bacci
Chief Financial, Investor Relations, and Legal Officer

*Malu left Suzano in March 2021. She led the Sustainability area throughout 
2020, a period that comprises the content contained in this report.

Suzano and shared value  13

 
VALUE GENERATION
Model

In accordance with the International Integrated Reporting (IR) Framework, through this infographic 
Suzano intends to demonstrate the value creation process of its business by means of capitals 
(set of resources). The impacts generated on society from the interactions between the production 
process, the stakeholders, and the business model itself over the years are also represented here. 
It also includes the company's main highlights and results for 20201.

Inputs

  FINANCIAL CAPITAL

•  Forest-based investments; expansion 

and maintenance of commercial 
forests and native areas 

•  Industrial investments; expansion and 

maintenance of units, purchase of 
inputs, materials, and services 
•  Logistics investments, such as 

chartering of vessels, acquisitions 
and renovations of terminals, more 
efficient vehicles, road maintenance 
and construction

•  SOCIAL AND 

ENVIRONMENTAL 
INVESTMENTS  

R$ 194.8 

MILLIONS¹ IN 2020

•  INVESTMENTS 
IN RESEARCH & 
DEVELOPMENT  

R$ 163.4  

MILLIONS IN 2020

  MANUFACTURED CAPITAL GRI 102-4 

•  Eucalyptus forest for wood 

production

•  21 distribution centers 
•  Offices (including 5 international 

offices) 
•  Nurseries 
•  Industrial, research, and forestry 

equipment 

•  Logistics modes

•  MILLS: 11 + VERACEL   
(JOINT VENTURE BETWEEN SUZANO  
 AND STORA ENSO)

•  Innovation and Research Centers  
(5 centers, 3 in Brazil, 1 in Canada, 
and 1 in Israel) 

•  Shareholding interest in companies 

focused on developing new 
businesses based on pulp

  INTELLECTUAL CAPITAL
•  Partnerships with Academia 
•  Development of studies and 

patents 

•  Digital transformation 
•  Processes and procedures

• Systems and platforms 

(information organization, 
knowledge management, data 
control) 

•  Tacit knowledge 

  HUMAN CAPITAL
•  Company employees and 

contractors in offices, nurseries, 
forests, mills, logistics terminals, 
distribution, research, and 
technology centers

• 

COMPANY EMPLOYEES: 

• 

CONTRACTORS: 

14,910

21,508

   SOCIAL AND RELATIONSHIP CAPITAL

           GRI 102-40, 102-42

•  Academia and startups 
•  Associations / 

Organized Groups

•  End consumers 
•  Governments
•  Investors and other financial 

•  Certifiers 
 • Civil Society 
•  Communities 
•  Company employees 

and contractors 

•  Companies in general 
•  Customers 

organizations 

•  NGOs
•  Press 
•  Shareholders 
•  Suppliers 
•  Unions

  NATURAL CAPITAL 
•  Water
•  Soil 
•  Native forests and 

restored areas 
•  Biological controls 
•  Climatic conditions, 
biodiversity, and 
natural cycles

1 With the exception of financial data, installed capacity, total number of mills and energy export data, the other indicators provided throughout this 
material do not include information on Veracel's operations.  
2 Both environmental and social investments were considered in the calculation of the indicator. Social investments include investments in social projects 
and initiatives to support society in mitigating the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as donations to different social initiatives, including company, 
raised, or incentive funds. Environmental investments include investments in monitoring and conservation of biodiversity, water monitoring, ecological 
restoration, and CAPEX for environmental projects in the industrial scope.

14  Suzano Report 2020
14    Relatório Suzano 2020

Outputs Results generated in the period + deliveries that 

impact the company's value creation

   FINANCIAL CAPITAL 
•  EBITDA (adjusted): R$15 billion
•  CAPEX: R$4.2 billion 
•  Operating cash generation: R$11.5 billion 
•  Presence in B3's Corporate Sustainability 

Index (ISE) 

•  Presence in the Dow Jones Sustainability 

Index (DJSI Emerging Markets) 
•  Other structured transactions

•    ISSUANCE OF SUSTAINABILITY-LINKED 
BOND US$1.25 BILLION RAISED IN THE 
MARKET 

 US$ 1,25  

BILLION RAISED  
IN THE MARKET

SECTION  |  4

   MANUFACTURED CAPITAL 

•  Vertere: logistics project developed together with a 

partner company at the Port of Santos (São Paulo state) 

•  Production of pulp, paper, and consumer goods 
•  New units in Cachoeiro de Itapemirim (Espírito 

Santo state) and Ribas do Rio Prado (Mato Grosso 
do Sul state) 

•  Improvements in equipment and infrastructure 

with gains in productivity 

•  Provision of protection equipment to tackle COVID-19 

in partnership with other companies and the 
government (R$50 million earmarked for initiatives 
such as the purchase and donation of 159 ventilators 
and 1 million hospital masks)

   INTELLECTUAL CAPITAL 
•  Startups and open innovation (10 projects 

with startups in progress) 

•  Academia 
•  Training of “digital scientists” (37 from 

different business areas)

•  New products from eucalyptus fiber
 • Revealing Suzano's Essence and Purpose 

strengthening reputation and brand 

•  Reputation survey and stakeholder profile 
•  Lines of research focused on innovation in 
forest plantations, in the industry, in new 
products and markets

• 

400 PATENTS  

AND PATENT APPLICATIONS;  
   protected cultivars and nearly 150 

new cultivars in the protection phase; 
51 partnerships with universities and 
research centers.

 • Improvement of methodology for 

quantifying carbon removal 
•  Improvement of forestry and 

industrial techniques and processes

  HUMAN CAPITAL 

•  Evolution of the Diversity and Inclusion 

Program - Plural 

•  HRX, attraction of new talent and 
development and career plans 

•  Structured actions to combat COVID-19 
among employees and family members 

•  Training (e.g. UniverSuzano Platform) 
•  360º assessment and other performance 

•  New initiatives in health, safety, and 

analysis formats for the entire organization 

quality of life  

•  Included in the ranking of the best 

companies to work for

 CAPITAL SOCIAL E DE RELACIONAMENTO
  SOCIAL AND RELATIONSHIP CAPITAL

•  Development, income, and education 

programs 

• 

50,250 PEOPLE   
AND 10,181 FAMILIES
BENEFITING FROM INCOME 
GENERATION PROJECTS IN 2020   
(average income generation of R$944) 

•  Results of investments made to combat 
the pandemic: field hospital in Teixeira de 
Freitas (Bahia state), production of 6,500 
ventilators in partnership with other 
companies, donation of products, etc. 
•  Development of Methodology of resilient 

territories 

•  Creation of the Suzano Education 

program (in place in 29 municipalities 
in six states, assisting 898 schools 
and benefiting 11,713 educators and 
205,504 children and young people) 
•  2 billion+ people impacted by Suzano's 

products 

•  Supplier development programs, such 

as Semear 

•  Collaboration and incentive in the 

creation, advancement and access to 
public policies 

•  121 projects approved by the 

Emergency Call for Proposals and 
53,469 people benefited 

•  Research and extension, works 

published, partnerships established

Value generation model  15

  NATURAL CAPITAL

•  40 CRITICAL BASINS  

MAPPED AND CONSTANTLY MONITORED

•  499 hectares of areas with restoration 

process initiated in 2020 

•  Approximately 960,000 hectares of 

conservation areas, with monitoring of 
fauna and wildlife 

•  Projects in Imperatriz (Maranhão 

state) and Três Lagoas (Mato Grosso 
do Sul state) for waste treatment and 
development of soil acidity correctives 

•  Production of 49 million natural pest 

enemies for biological control and carbon 
stock 

 
16  Suzano Report 2020
16    Relatório Suzano 2020
16    Relatório Suzano 2020

5
SECTION  |  5

LONG TERM
Goals 

GRI 103-2, 103-3

More than just saying that there is a 

commitment to sustainability, we have 

to demonstrate it, take action, and 

engage in it. Suzano's Long-Term Goals 

are commitments that will add value to 

the company and to society as a whole.

Material topics:

 Ethics, Governance & Transparency;  
 Human Capital; 
 Water; Climate Change; 
 Innovation & Technology; 
 Social Development; 
 Operational Excellence & Eco-efficiency; 
 Forest Management.

Valdeci Alves da Silva, R&D Technician, 
Limeira Unit (São Paulo state).
Photo: Márcio Schimming

Long-Term Goals  17

 
GOVERNANCE OF LONG-TERM 
GOALS AND SUSTAINABILITY 
INDEXES 

The process of integrating Suzano's sustainability 
strategy in its business areas accelerated in 2020. 
Shortly after the disclosure of its Long-Term 
Goals (LTG), the company started to mobilize 
the various teams involved in the topics covered 
and to build a governance model for the goals. 
The idea behind this initiative is to allow the 
company to systematically monitor the main 
indicators, risks, and opportunities of the 
commitments made, as well as its performance in 
the sustainability indexes. At the same time, the 
governance model allows the teams involved to 
act in an integrated manner, contributing to the 
dissemination and inclusion of these topics in the 
company's decision-making processes. 

The governance structure has a group composed 
of Directors, responsible for strategic management 
and a critical analysis, and eight working groups, 
composed of representatives from different 

areas who work on the achievement of the  
goals. In this case, the methodology used was 
built taking into account management criteria 
from international standards. 

 In 2020, in a continuous effort to integrate 
the sustainability strategy at all levels of the 
business, Suzano linked the variable pay of 
Directors and Managers (both at the executive 
and functional levels) to the development and 
results of the Long-Term Goals associated with 
their respective areas of operation. This is one of 
the decisions that demonstrate the company's 
commitment to achieving the goals by 2030. As a 
result, the variable pay of 100% of the Managing 
Directors is now linked to at least one of the 
Long-Term Goals.

Stakeholder engagement significantly contributes  
to the evolution of the organization's sustainability  
agenda. In 2020, it contributed to establishing 
a goal related to the topic of biodiversity, which 
had not been directly covered in the set of goals 
previously announced.

Júlia Trevisan Cerignoni, Administrative Assistant, Limeira Unit (São Paulo state). Photo: Márcio Schimming

18  Suzano Report 2020

Long-Term Goals  
- by 2030 

EVEN MORE  
CLIMATE POSITIVE

PRODUCTS FROM 
RENEWABLE 
SOURCES 

MITIGATE 
THE INCOME 
DISTRIBUTION 
PROBLEM 

NET REMOVAL OF 40 MILLION 
TONS OF CARBON FROM THE 
ATMOSPHERE. 

  PERFORMANCE  

In 2020, we removed 15,200,311.6 ton 
of CO2eq from the atmosphere.  
This volume of removals results from 
the expansion of planted and native 
forest areas in our forest base and 
from increased productivity in our 
eucalyptus forests.

Baseline: 0 ( Jan/2020)*.  
Progress in relation to the baseline for 
the goal: 38%. 

* This does not mean that Suzano did not 
remove carbon from the atmosphere prior to 
2020. It only means that, for the purpose of 
the goal, removals will be accounted for as 
of this year.

   OUR PLANS FOR 2021 

Our goal is to once again achieve a 
significant balance in net carbon 
removal, thus maintaining our 
positive balance. To make this 
happen, we will expand conservation 
areas and planted base areas, in 
accordance with actions designed for 
the first years of the goal.

OFFER 10 MILLION TONS OF 
PRODUCTS FROM RENEWABLE 
SOURCES THAT CAN REPLACE 
PLASTIC AND PETROLEUM 
PRODUCTS.

  PERFORMANCE  

We supply the market with products 
from renewable sources that can 
replace plastics and other petroleum 
products, maintaining the level offered 
in 2019 of about 200 thousand tons. 
Despite the fact we have not observed 
representative results towards the 
target, we have advanced in the 
development of food contact paper, 
with the Bluecup Bio® and Loop® lines, 
and flexible packaging for the cosmetics 
and food industries. 

Baseline: 0 (2020)*.  
Progress in relation to the baseline for 
the goal: 0%.

* This does not mean that Suzano did not 
offer products that replace oil products prior 
to 2020. It just means that, for the purposes 
of the goal, this replacement started to be 
calculated and recorded as of that year. 

   OUR PLANS FOR 2021 

We plan to continue investing in the 
development of new possibilities 
using our eucalyptus trees.

LIFT 200,000 PEOPLE OUT  
OF POVERTY IN OUR AREAS  
OF OPERATION.

  PERFORMANCE  

With our job and income generation 
programs in priority municipalities, 
we lifted 2,285 people out of poverty, 
which corresponds to 746 families.

Baseline: 0 ( Jan/2020).
Progress in relation to the baseline for 
the goal: 1.14%*.

* Despite having reported in 2020 that we 
were going to develop the goal using as a 
baseline 32,000 people who had already been 
lifted out of poverty until 2019, we chose to 
start from zero to ensure a more effective 
assessment of our contribution to poverty 
eradication.   

   OUR PLANS FOR 2021 

We will continue to expand our 
actions to generate work, income, 
and social action in order to lift 
another 8,000 people out of poverty 
throughout 2021.

Long-Term Goals  19

  
 
Long-Term Goals - by 2030

EMISSIONS

WATER IN THE 
FOREST

WATER IN THE 
INDUSTRY

15% REDUCTION IN SCOPE 1 
AND 2 EMISSIONS PER TON OF 
PRODUCTION. 

  PERFORMANCE  

In 2020, our specific emissions 
intensity per ton of production 
was 0.1929 tCO2e/t. This number 
was achieved thanks to numerous 
initiatives related to efficiency and 
reduction in the use of fossil fuels.

Baseline: 0.2133 tCO2e/t (2015*). 
Progress in relation to the baseline for 
the goal: 63.9%. 

* Our emissions intensity and goal are in 
line with the Paris Agreement, established in 
2015, and among the lowest in the industry 
according to the Transition Pathway 
Initiative. 

   OUR PLANS FOR 2021 

We will continue working to reduce 
fossil fuel consumption in our 
operations by means of engineering 
and efficiency projects and by 
maximizing self-generation of 
renewable energy.

INCREASE WATER AVAILABILITY 
IN 100% OF CRITICAL 
WATERSHEDS. 

REDUCE BY 15% THE VOLUME 
OF WATER WITHDRAWN IN 
INDUSTRIAL OPERATIONS.

  PERFORMANCE  

  PERFORMANCE  

Our focus in 2020 was the 
characterization of 44 watersheds 
as critical after assessing 100% of 
Suzano's areas.

The volume of water withdrawn 
for our industrial operations was 
28.6 m³/t*, a reduction of 1.2 m³/t 
compared to the baseline for the goal.  

Baseline: 0 ( Jan/2020). 
Progress in relation to the baseline 
for the goal: 0%.

* The assessment and identification of 
critical watersheds was fundamental to 
define the areas that will require specific 
actions to increase water availability 
starting in 2021.  

   OUR PLANS FOR 2021 

Our goal is to implement management 
actions in 5% (4,500 ha) of the forest 
areas included in the watersheds 
deemed critical.

Baseline: 29.8 m³/t (2018).
Progress in relation to the baseline for 
the goal: 26.7%*.

* This value is obtained by dividing the 
volume of water withdrawn for industrial 
operations, in cubic meters (m³), by the 
total production of pulp and paper at the 
units, in tons (t).

   OUR PLANS FOR 2021 

Our goal is to reduce water 
withdrawal, aiming for a result that 
does not exceed the 28.7 m³/t mark 
in our industrial units. To this end, 
we are going to implement actions 
to optimize water use, which include 
changing equipment to improve 
water efficiency and using reclaimed 
water in machinery.  

  
WASTE

ENERGY

EDUCATION

REDUCE THE INDUSTRIAL SOLID 
WASTE SENT TO OUR OWN OR 
THIRD-PARTY LANDFILLS BY 
70%, TRANSFORMING THEM 
INTO BY-PRODUCTS.

  PERFORMANCE  

We reduced to 31.7 kg/t* the total 
volume of solid industrial waste sent 
to landfills. 

INCREASE RENEWABLE  
ENERGY EXPORTS BY 50%.

  PERFORMANCE  

In 2020, despite the generation losses 
we had, we supplied 193 MWm of 
renewable energy to the national 
system. We also implemented projects 
to increase the efficiency of steam 
generation and optimize energy 
efficiency using data science. 

Baseline: 44.3 kg/t (2018).  
Progress in relation to the baseline 
for the goal: 40.6%.

* This value is obtained by dividing the 
volume of solid industrial waste sent to the 
company's own and/or third-party landfills 
in kilograms (kg), by the total production of 
pulp and paper at the units, in tons (t).

   OUR PLANS FOR 2021 

The expected result is to reduce 
waste sent to landfills to 28.05 kg/t. 
To this end, we are going to start 
the operation of the waste center 
in Imperatriz (Maranhão state) and 
develop engineering and technical-
economic feasibility studies at the 
units in Mucuri (Bahia state) and 
Suzano (São Paulo state).

Baseline: 214 MWm (2018).  
Progress in relation to the baseline for 
the goal: 0%*.  

* In 2020, we had losses in power generation 
due to adjustments required by the product 
quality strategy, which resulted in a new 
export plan. 

   OUR PLANS FOR 2021 

Our goal is to export 240 MWm** 
of renewable energy to the national 
system. We will continue to work on 
the development of projects to increase 
the availability of steam for power 
generation. 

** The result of the goal considers 50% 
of the power exported by Veracel, a joint 
venture between Suzano and Stora Enso.

INCREASE THE EDUCATION 
INDEX (IDEB) BY 40% IN ALL 
PRIORITY MUNICIPALITIES.

  PERFORMANCE 

We developed the Suzano 
Education Program methodology 
and 15 additional indicators for 
monitoring the goal. In addition, 
we mapped 32 municipalities that 
will be considered as priorities for 
implementing the goal.

Baseline: to be determined.  
Progress in relation to the baseline for 
the goal: 0%*.

* The definition of the priority scope of the 
activities of the programs was fundamental 
for the actions to achieve the planned results 
as of 2021.

   OUR PLANS FOR 2021 

We will continue to invest in actions 
to improve the quality of basic 
education in the municipalities 
considered to be priorities for our 
operations. We will also expand 
the scope of the program and 
reach approximately 6,700 direct 
beneficiaries.

Long-Term Goals  21

  
 
Long-Term Goals – by 2025

DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION  

ENSURE 100% ACCESSIBILITY 
AND ACHIEVE A 100% 
INCLUSIVE ENVIRONMENT FOR 
PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES.  

HAVE 30% OF WOMEN IN 
LEADERSHIP POSITIONS 
(FUNCTIONAL MANAGERS  
AND ABOVE).

HAVE 30% OF BLACK* 
EMPLOYEES IN LEADERSHIP 
POSITIONS (FUNCTIONAL 
MANAGERS AND ABOVE).

  PERFORMANCE  

  PERFORMANCE  

  PERFORMANCE  

We defined the baseline for 
accessibility in offices and industrial 
units in Brazil, using technical 
standards as a basis.  We also revised 
the methodology that measures an 
inclusive environment in order to 
expand its scope, which now considers 
all of Suzano's affinity groups. 
With this, we set a new baseline 
for the 91.8% goal of a perceived 
inclusive environment, according to 
the survey result* 

Baseline: 38.4% accessibility 
(Dec/2020) and 91.8% inclusive 
environment (Dec/2020). 
Progress in relation to the baseline 
for the goal: 0% accessibility and 0% 
inclusive environment*.

* In 2020, we adopted new methodologies 
for measuring inclusive environment 
and accessibility, which generated a new 
baseline.  

   OUR PLANS FOR 2021 

We are going to intensify our 
actions to improve accessibility, 
taking into consideration studies 
and analyses about the need to 
adapt the existing spaces.

22  Suzano Report 2020

We achieved the goals set for 
2020 of increasing the number of 
women in the organization and in 
supervisory positions and above 
by 10%. This result contributed 
to reaching 19% of women in 
leadership positions.

Baseline: 16% (2019). 
Progress in relation to the baseline 
for the goal: 63.3%.

   OUR PLANS FOR 2021 

Our goal is to have 21% of women 
in leadership positions. To make this 
happen, a mentoring program will be 
put in place to accelerate women's 
careers, among other actions.          

Our goal in 2020 was to increase the 
number of Black employees in non-
operational positions by 6% to expand 
their possibilities for career growth. 
As a result, we achieved a 3% increase 
in the number of Black employees 
in non-operational positions, which, 
however, did not make a significant 
contribution to the long-term goal. 
We ended the year with 21% of Black 
employees in leadership positions 
(management and above). 

Baseline: 22% (2019). 
Progress in relation to the baseline 
for the goal: 0%**.  

** No progress was made against the 
baseline for the Long-Term Goal, but we did 
make progress in designing and executing 
actions to achieve the goal, and increased 
the number of black employees in non-
operational positions.  

   OUR PLANS FOR 2021 

Our goal is to have 23% of Black 
employees in leadership positions 
in 2021. To make this happen, we 
are going to develop new education 
and training fronts and implement 
actions to increase the share of Black 
employees at Suzano. 

* Terminology used by the Brazilian Institute 
of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), including 
Blacks and "Pardos". In Brazil, "Pardo" is 
an ethnic and skin color category used by 
the Brazilian Institute of Geography and 
Statistics (IBGE) in the Brazilian censuses.

  
Long-Term Goals – by 2025

ACHIEVE 100%  
INCLUSIVE ENVIRONMENT  
FOR LGBTI+. *

  PERFORMANCE  

In 2020, we increased our communication 
and engagement regarding this topic, 
seeking to improve its visibility and 
representativeness. We also increased 
the scope of measuring an inclusive 
environment for Suzano's other affinity 
groups. This resulted in a 92.4% 
perception of an inclusive environment by 
LGBTI+ people.  

Baseline: 92.4% (Dec/2020).  
Progress in relation to the baseline for the 
goal: 0%**. 

** In 2020, we adopted a new survey methodology to 
measure inclusive environment, expanding its scope. 
This led us to establish a new baseline, justifying the 
result of the goal. This does not mean that we have 
not advanced in the design and execution of actions 
to achieve the goal.  

   OUR PLANS FOR 2021 

Our goal is to achieve a 93.8% inclusive 
environment in 2021. To make this 
happen, efforts will be made to improve 
the self-reporting process of LGBTI + 
people, among other actions.

*At Suzano, we chose to use the acronym LGBTI+, 
which stands for lesbians, gays, bisexuals, 
transsexuals, intersexuals, and “+” symbolizing all 
other sexual orientations, gender identities and 
expressions.

Vanessa Nascimento Conrado, Forest Machinery Operator, and Fábio Costa 
Rodrigues, Forest Operations Supervisor, Mucuri Unit (Bahia state).
Photo: Suzano Image Bank

Learn more about 
our actions in our 
Indicators Center.

Long-Term Goals  23

 
BIODIVERSITY  

One of the main threats to biodiversity loss in Brazil 
and worldwide is the fragmentation of habitats. 
Changes to ecological interactions in the landscape; 
isolation of species with a consequent reduction 
in genetic variability and reproductive success; 
reduced resilience of species to climate change; 
imbalance among pests, diseases, and natural 
enemies are some of the main impacts caused by 
this fragmentation. 

In view of this and aware that the biomes where 
Suzano operates are facing different levels of 
fragmentation, in 2020, through a collaborative 
process developed in partnership with the 
Ecofuturo Institute and an active listening process 
(50 interviews conducted with approximately 40 
institutions of high relevance in Brazil and abroad, 

representing NGOs, the public and private sectors, 
and academia), we worked to build a long-term 
commitment to biodiversity conservation in 
three of the six biomes in Brazil—considering 
the representativeness of the company's entire 
territorial extension and influence—that will be 
launched in 2021. 

This process also allowed us to identify, based on 
the priority areas for conservation (defined by the 
Ministry of Environment) and on fully protected 
Conservation Units (according to the National System 
of Conservation Units - SNUC - 2010), the main areas 
of fragmented natural remnants in our country. 

The structuring of this commitment will be 
based on three major priorities: connect, engage 
and protect. And, within them, the following 
strategic lines of action: biodiversity corridors 

24  Suzano Report 2020

at the landscape scale, network of conservation 
units; conservation of populations of key 
species; business models that create shared 
value; biodiverse production models; relief of 
anthropic pressures on biodiversity. We also 
believe that, for the success of the strategy we 
are developing, it is important to rely on the 
engagement of strategic players, both internal 
and external, forming a collaborative, diversified 
and continuous movement. 

ECOSYSTEM SERVICES

In 2020, Suzano also worked on the topic of 
Ecosystem Services relating carbon, water, and 
biodiversity. Because they are intrinsic to our 
business, these natural resources are considered 
to be an asset of great value added to the 

company, i. e., these are elements that make up 
our natural capital. 

Expanding and evolving the understanding of this 
topic is part of our sustainability strategy, since the 
integrity of ecosystem services is a key requirement 
for the fulfillment of the commitments we have 
publicly assumed. In order to create and share value 
based on this topic and ensure that it is increasingly 
integrated into the company's daily activities, 
in 2021 we will start the implementation of a 
structured operation strategy. In the short term, we 
will work on the valuation of our natural capital, 
which will give us a better understanding of where 
we are, from a regenerative economy standpoint. In 
the medium term, this will allow us to consistently 
introduce this concept into our key processes so 
that we can monitor and improve their performance 
based on the same methodology.

Area of native vegetation preserved on one of 
Suzano's farms in Mato Grosso do Sul state.  
Photo: Araquém Alcântara

Long-Term Goals  25

 
Franciele Albino, Production 
Assistant, Limeira Unit (São Paulo 
state). Photo: Márcio Schimming

26    Suzano Report 2020

SECTION  |  6

EMPLOYEE
relations  

GRI 103-1, 103-2, 103-3

People play a major role in Suzano's 

achievements. In 2020, they 

exercised their collaborative spirit 

to overcome the challenges posed 

by the COVID-19 pandemic. The 

following pages will show that 

flexibility and commitment were 

the key words of the year.

Associated material topics:

 Human Capital; 

 Ethics, Governance, and Transparency.

Employee relations  27

 
OUR NEW BETTER

When we launched our Cultural Drivers, it was 
impossible to imagine that this set of guidelines 
could be even more relevant in 2020. During times 
of global uncertainty, remote work, and adapting 
operations and routines for those who needed to 
stay in the units, Suzano's organizational culture 
proved to be powerful and capable of expanding 
the dialogue, creating alternatives, and moving 
forward in the midst of an unprecedented and 
volatile scenario for everyone. In this context, we 
understand that flexibility is the key word. 

Our people are an essential part of what Suzano 
is today. Employees are a priority relationship 
audience with whom we share the value created 
by our businesses. For this reason, and despite the 
extra challenges that the pandemic has imposed 
on everyone, we enforced the collaborative spirit 
that unites the company, facing the moment with 
resilience and continuing all projects that aim to 
develop employees in our organization.

Click here to watch the Cultural 
Drivers video. 

PERCENTAGE OF COMPANY EMPLOYEES AND CONTRACTORS

Beatriz David, Facilities Assistant, Limeira Unit 
(São Paulo state). Photo: Márcio Schimming

Total number of 
employees and 
third parties 

Employees1

Third parties

Total

2019

2020

Men

Women

Total

Men

Women

Total

11,133

21,016

32,149

1,907

1,641

3,548

13,040

12,628

22,657

35,697

20,152

32,780

2,282

1,356

3,638

14,910

21,508

36,418

1. Number includes Suzano and Instituto Ecofuturo employees.

28    Suzano Report 2020

         
 
Total number of employees by region in 20201

NORTH 

NORTHEAST 

MIDWEST 

SOUTHEAST 

SOUTH 

ABROAD

TOTAL

981

4,282

2,061

7,299

76

211

14,910

1.  Number includes Suzano and Instituto Ecofuturo employees.

COVID-19 TASK FORCE

Faced with the new and unexpected, we decided 
it was time to use all our ability to work together 
with customers, partners, and governments 
to make a difference in the regions where we 
operate. Thus, we organized two different work 
fronts to face the challenges of COVID-19. One of 
them is much more focused on practical actions 
on a daily basis (short term), and the other 
focuses on analyzing future possibilities (long 
term). The two complementary groups brought 
together representatives and several areas of the 
company with the purpose of finding solutions 
related to the impacts of the pandemic.   

SHORT-TERM VISION  
From the start, this group discussed and 
structured initiatives focused on disease 
prevention protocols. They determined the 
suspension of all non-essential operational 
activities of company employees and 
contractors and the cancellation of trips, events, 
visits to the units, and face-to-face meetings. 

Those who did not need to be in person at the 
units for the continuity of operations started to 
work from home, following the social distancing 
guidelines and, later, they could choose to return 
to the workplace, according to the schedule 
established by the governmental agencies.

Suzano Limeira.  
Photo: Márcio 
Schimming

Nathalia Gracielle da Silva 
Cruz, Production Engineer, 
working from home, 
Mucuri (Bahia state).
Photo: Márcio Schimming

Employee relations  29

         
 
In the case of employees whose presence is essential 
in operations, since our products are essential 
for people's lives and for fighting the pandemic 
itself, the company adopted the priority action of 
measuring body temperature before allowing access 
to our operations; the distribution of individual 
meals and greater spacing between tables and 
chairs in cafeterias; the adoption of greater distance 
between chairs in operational control rooms, with 
visual signage; and the adoption of quarantine if 
an employee or contractor is suspected of being 
infected; among other actions, which continue today.

This front also reevaluated, among other issues, the 
use of the buildings, identifying which floors were 
redundant and which could be shut down. See below 
for other important initiatives:  

•  close follow-up by the medical team of 

individuals and their families;

•  increased sanitation of common areas;
•  application of health self-assessment forms;
•  distribution of masks;
•  provision of virtual psychological support;
•  support channels, webinars on health and 

quality of life, among other topics;

•  tracking of all positive and potential cases, with 

protocols and monitoring of quarantine;

In 2020

SUZANO HAD  

1,688 cases

OF EMPLOYEES 
WITH COVID-19  
AND 2 FATALITIES

•  lending of office chairs for the comfort of 

employees during remote work;

•  implementation of the Preventive 

Interaction Mapping (MPI) app to help 
prevent COVID-19;

•  implementation of “golden rules” to 

guarantee the quality of life of people who 
are working from home, such as meeting-
free days and respecting lunch and work 
hours;

•  communication plan and protocols 

established with third-party service 
providers.

On the short-term front, we are also working 
to transform the situation of the communities 
in our area of influence. In several locations, 
we carried out a series of actions aimed at 
reducing the negative impacts of the pandemic 
on local society. To learn about these initiatives, 
click here.

Efficient communication 

Daily information about the pandemic, in real time whenever possible, was sent 
to Suzano's employees throughout the year to keep them up to date on the 
health and safety measures taken by the company, both internally and in the 
communities. In a survey carried out at the end of 2020 to measure the quality 
of communication, 98% of employees said they felt well informed about the 
issues related to COVID-19.  

30    Suzano Report 2020

In February, even before the 
outbreak of the pandemic in Brazil, 
Suzano was the only Brazilian 
company that donated masks 
to China, aiming to support the 
country in coping with the crisis.

Nedes Alves de Freitas, Panel Operator - Drying, Limeira Unit (São Paulo state).
Photo: Márcio Schimming

LONG-TERM VISION  
This front had a group formed by professionals 
from different areas to discuss the cultural and 
behavioral changes caused by the pandemic 
and which will have effects over time. What are 
these changes and what impacts do they bring 
to Suzano's way of being? To what extent will 
work routines be modified in the long run? How 
will people relate to others? What is the result 
of this in an extensive and complex production 
chain like the pulp and paper industry? These and 
other issues, in addition to being fundamental 
in the development of future scenarios, started 
to determine the advances experienced in people 
management, which were already maturing since 
the year before, with the launch of the HRX 
Program, which puts employees on center stage 
as agents of change. 

To learn about all the other initiatives 
developed for employees and society in 
relation to COVID-19, click here.

Seedling Nursery in 
Mucuri (Bahia state).
Photo: Márcio Schimming. 

Employee relations  31

 
Watch the video of Suzano's 
purpose. See the purpose  
page on the website. 

Therefore, the company understands that it has a 
duty to strengthen this movement of regeneration, 
oxygenation, and renewal of the world, living the 
everyday purpose “Renewing life inspired by trees,” 
the reason of being that connects the company to 
society and the planet. 

Along with the purpose, Suzano launched its new 
corporate tagline, “Suzano: we plant the future,” 
which marks the commitment to regeneration 
that the company wishes to expand, influencing 
and contributing to building a better and more 
sustainable world. 

Seedling Planting, Jacareí Region (São Paulo state). Photo: Márcio Schimming

A COMPANY WITH A PURPOSE
GRI 102-16    

Purpose. A strong and meaningful word. Having a 
purpose is knowing what moves and inspires us, 
what drives us and gives us courage to achieve the 
unimaginable. Knowing our purpose is knowing 
our role in the world. Suzano understands that 
the company's purpose guides its operations 
and legacy and that an authentic purpose is not 
created or invented, but rather revealed, because 
it is an inherent part of a person or organization.

The work to reveal the company's purpose began 
in 2019, and we heard from approximately 
3,500 people, including employees and external 
audiences, through surveys, interviews, and 
workshops. All this resulted in reaching an 
authentic, true purpose that was presented 
to employees in December 2020 at an online 
gathering that also celebrated the achievements 
of this challenging year.

Inspired by trees, Suzano learned that life is 
always renewed. Trees are part of the solution 
to society's challenges, such as climate change, 
scarcity of natural resources, loss of biodiversity, 
and increases in social inequality.

32    Suzano Report 2020

Suzano  
ESSENCE

The dictionary defines the word essence as the most fundamental 
characteristic of a being or thing. For our company, from the revelation of 
its purpose, it was also possible to unveil the Suzano Essence, using the 
Golden Circle methodology, by Simon Sinek, which connects “why,” “how,” 
and “what.”

WHY

Renewing life inspired by trees is our 
purpose, our reason for existing.

The Suzano way is guided by INNOVABILITY (innovation + sustainability) and 
Cultural Drivers: 

HOW

• Create and share value
• People who inspire and transform
• It is only good for us if it’s good for the world.

SUZANO 
ESSENCE

WHAT

Create sustainable and innovative solutions to society's 
challenges from trees.

Commitments and sources of credibility: Strategic Vision and 
Ambitions - Long-Term Goals - Business Model.

EVOLVING JOURNEY

In 2019, when launching the HRX Program, 
Suzano encouraged the exchange of ideas for 
the joint creation of an exceptional employee 
journey in the organization. The project 
involved 250 company professionals, from 
different locations, positions, and areas, and 
in 2020, this work resulted in a new way of 
operating, a new structure, and some new 
People and Management products (described 
below). The area also underwent digital 
transformation and incorporated into its daily 
routine the principles of agility (delivering 
projects in record time with the expected 
quality), experience centered on the employee 
(always listening to internal clients to search for 
solutions that make sense to them), being data-
driven (seeking information and indicators for 
decision making), and change management and 
skills for the future (developing skills that allow 
the areas to deliver projects that will contribute 
to Suzano in the future).

NEW STRUCTURE
To face this new moment, we proposed a hybrid 
model in the structure of the People and Management 
Department. We maintained service to the various areas 
of the company through business partners and added 
a network structure, which integrates professionals 
with agile and more collaborative methodologies for the 
development of People and Management processes and 
programs. The products coming from this new way of 
working are connected in four stages of the employee's 
path within Suzano:

      onboard and enchant - strategy for the evolution 
of the employer brand, talent attraction, and 
onboarding;

     empower and guide - career, performance, 
development, culture and learning;

     care and value - financial and non-financial 
recognition and reward;

      debark and leave a mark  – departures, Alumni 
(groups of former employees who identify with 
Suzano's purpose and culture) and preparation for 
continuing a second career or retirement.

Employee relations  33

 
SUZANO LEADER PROFILE
As part of this movement, we expanded our view 
on leadership and defined the attributes of the 
Suzano Leader Profile, which are connected to our 
Cultural Drivers:

•  inspires - has purpose, mobilizes, engages, 

is a role model (walk the talk), is humble and 
authentic, generates trust and is reliable; 

•  communicates - shares and positions, 

guarantees understanding, aligns expectations, 
is transparent and straightforward, sustains 
difficult conversations; 

•  connects - has a systemic and long-term vision, 

understands the whole and the parts, knows 
how to negotiate, promotes collaboration, 
mobilizes for the best sustainable result of the 
company; 

•   transforms - is curious and agile, innovates, 

stimulates new ideas, values diversity, deals 
constructively with mistakes, has the courage to 
change themselves and to adapt to changes; 

•   delivers - sets challenging goals, is passionate 

about high performance, works together 
with the team to promote excellence, is 
meritocratic, recognizes and celebrates 
everyone's success; 

•  forms people - shows empathy, knows and 

cares about people, aspires to continuous 
growth of each individual and the team, forms 
and develops leaders better than themselves.

360º VISION
In 2020, for the first time, Suzano carried 
out a 360º assessment, which considers, in 
addition to the direct manager's vision, the 
opinions of peers, partners, leaders, and direct 
reports regarding the employee's performance 
(valid for all administrative employees and 
leaders). The company believes that this is 
one of the fundamental tools for employees 

and leaders to build an even more assertive 
development plan. The first assessment cycle 
had the participation of 78% of the company's 
professionals. It should be noted that the 
360º vision, the performance forums (that 
verify the results and potentialities of the 
employee's performance), and other people-
development forums at Suzano now explore, in 
their analyses, the six attributes that make up 
the leader profile and the Cultural Drivers for 
non-leaders.    

THE VALUE OF DIVERSITY 
Suzano believes that a work environment that 
values diversity and where people feel truly 
embraced, are treated with respect and ethics, 
is much more likely to develop the potential of 
professionals and, therefore, of the company 
as a whole. It is through the plurality of our 
team that we can better understand the 
various demands of the market and society. 

This belief has become stronger within the 
company since the creation of Plural, an 
organic and voluntary movement that started 
in 2016 and institutionalized in 2019. The 
group looks to encourage the internal audience 
to create and participate in debates on 
diversity and inclusion, identify opportunities 
for action, and support senior leadership to 
keep important issues on these topics on the 
organization's radar. 

Some of the main issues on the agenda 
regarding diversity and inclusion are part of 
the business strategy and are also expressed 
in the company's Long-Term Goals, as well as 
in Short-Term Goals and in the remuneration 
criteria of our leaders at the supervisory level 
and above. Suzano has advanced in its journey 
of diversity and inclusion in recent years, but 
is aware that there is still a long way to go to 
reach a satisfactory level in terms of equal 
opportunities in its work environment and 
to achieve its goal, which is to ensure a 100% 
inclusive environment.

34    Suzano Report 2020

In 2020 and 2021, the goal of diversity 
and inclusion will have a 20% weight in 
the individual portion of the variable pay 
of the executives.

PERCENTAGE OF EMPLOYEES BY RACE1

IN 2019

IN 2020

51% BLACK2  

(42% "PARDOS" AND 9% BLACK)

54% BLACK2  

(42% "PARDOS" AND 9% BLACK)

46% WHITE

0.3% INDIGENOUS

2% ASIAN

1% NOT PROVIDED

43% WHITE

1% INDIGENOUS

2% ASIAN

1% NOT PROVIDED

PERCENTAGE OF EMPLOYEES BY GENDER1

IN 2019

IN 2020

85% MEN

15% WOMEN

85% MEN

15% WOMEN

PERCENTAGE OF EMPLOYEES

IN  2019

IN  2020

2% LGBTI+ 
2% PEOPLE WITH 
DISABILITIES

2% LGBTI+ 
2% PEOPLE WITH 
DISABILITIES

RETURN/RETENTION RATE AFTER PARENTAL 
LEAVE IN 2020

PERCENTAGE OF EMPLOYEES IN 2020 
BY AGE RANGE1

RATE OF RETURN3
 MEN
 WOMEN

RETENTION RATE4
 MEN
 WOMEN

1.00

1.15

0.92
0.95

22% UNDER 30

66% BETWEEN 30 AND 50

12% OVER 50

1. Numbers for 2019 include Suzano and Instituto Ecofuturo employees. In 2020, Facepa was fully incorporated 
by Suzano, so that as of this year, its data began to be included in the company's numbers.
2. Terminology used by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), including Blacks and "Pardos". 
In Brazil, "Pardo" is an ethnic and skin color category used by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics 
(IBGE) in the Brazilian censuses.
3. Calculated by dividing the total number of employees who actually returned from parental leave in the 
reporting period (or who are expected to return next year, after the reporting cycle) by the total number of 
employees who took their leave.
4. Calculated by dividing the total number of employees who were still working at the company 12 months after 
returning from parental leave by the total number of employees who returned from leave.
5. At Suzano, we chose to use the acronym LGBTI+, which includes lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender intersex, and 
"+" symbolizing all other sexual orientations, identities and gender expressions.

Employee relations  35

 
OUR COMMITMENTS  

GOALS FOR 2021

      Women (gender inclusion)

      LGBTI+ (LGBTI+ inclusion)

      Increase the share of Blacks in leadership 
positions (supervision and above) by 3 p.p.

      Blacks (ethnic-racial inclusion)

      Increase. the share of women in 
leadership positions (supervision and 
above) by 3 p.p

      Increase the share of people with 
disabilities in the organization by 1 p.p.

      Increase the perception of an inclusive 
environment for LGBTI+ by 1.4 p.p.

See the four Long-Term 
Goals for this topic here. 

AWARENESS-RAISING PROCESS
To achieve our goals, we structured, among other 
initiatives, four awareness-raising areas for our 
professionals, implemented in 2020.

•  Training on unconscious biases - mandatory 

course for 100% of the organization. 
This course teaches how to identify 
unconscious aspects related to prejudice and 
discrimination. 

•  Training for executives - all senior 

management and other executives of great 
influence in the company are prepared to 
learn how to properly address topics of 
diversity and inclusion.

•  Affinity groups - leaders and other 

employees with a high capacity to influence 
are invited to actively participate in one or 
more of the company's five affinity groups, 
organized in all units, and each group has one 
or more sponsors who are Executive Board 
members. The groups are:  

     Generations (inclusion and synergy 
between different age groups)

      PWD (inclusion of people with 

disabilities).

•  Diversity and inclusion for the People and 

Management team - since 2020, Suzano 
has offered training on this topic to People 
and Management professionals, with the 
support of a specialized consulting firm. 

DIVERSITY IN THE HIRING PROCESSES
Suzano's selection processes underwent 
several changes in 2020. In addition to 
developing new positioning for employer 
branding to communicate our commitment to 
diversity and inclusion to the market, we have 
established partnerships and have the support 
of consultants specializing in this area to 
attract a more diverse audience. From there, 
we built a talent pool for each affinity group 
and, in order to encourage the hiring of people 
who are part of these groups, we have raised 
awareness among the company's managers on 
diversity and inclusion.

The Internship Program has also changed: an 
assessment of positions has been carried out, 
we have reviewed the selection criteria, such 
as easing the requirement for English as a 
second language, and we have expanded the 
list of colleges considered in our dissemination 
plan. As a result of these changes, we hired 
60% women and 38% Blacks—2% more than 
in the previous edition of the program. We 
know that it is possible to reach even higher 
levels and, therefore, we will continue to 
invest in the work of attracting an increasingly 
diverse audience. 

36    Suzano Report 2020

Vithor Lucas Dionísio, Production Assistant, and Raphael dos Santos Caffeu, Panel Operator - Wood Preparation, Mucuri Unit (Bahia state).  
Photo: Márcio Schimming

The Young Engineers Program was also 
reformulated and was named Trainee Suzano.  
We expanded our opportunities to attract more 
diverse profiles, from different backgrounds 
and universities, and to recognize the existing 
talent in the company. The selection process 
was 100% online, without the need for fluent 
English, and was also open to our employees 
who matched the requirements. 

Some of the results:

      we received applications from 205 people 
with disabilities—almost four times more 
than in the previous year

      32% increase in women’s applications and 
43% increase in Black applications compared 
with 2019

      among the 30 employees hired, 53% are 
women and 43% are Black. 

LGBTI+ Survey

At the end of 2019, a survey in our units revealed that 60% of the company's LGBTI+ group 
considers Suzano to be an inclusive company. Our goal is to reach 100% by 2025 and, based 
on that, our short-term goal in 2020 was to increase this index by 10 percentage points, 
from 60% to 70%. In January 2021, a new survey revealed that not only did we achieve 
our goal, but we exceeded it, reaching a 77% positive perception regarding the inclusive 
environment for people in the LGBTI+ group. However, after the survey, we reformulated 
the methodology used to measure inclusive environment with the support of a supplier 
specializing in the subject. Based on this reformulation, we began to survey not only the 
perception of the LGBTI+ audience, but also of all Suzano employees in relation to this 
topic, and to measure the degree of inclusive environment for all affinity groups with which 
we work. Learn more in Long-Term Goals.  

Employee relations  37

 
Paulo Vidigal, Paper Production Manager, and David Pereira de Souza, Paper Machine Assistant, Limeira Unit (São Paulo state).  
Photo: Márcio Schimming

HEALTH AND SAFETY  
GRI 103-1, 103-2, 103-3 (HUMAN CAPITAL)

The safety of our employees has always been a 
priority at Suzano. In 2020, even in the midst 
of a terrible pandemic, we achieved significant 
results in reducing accidents (see the table on 
the side). These results are due to a proactive 
and coordinated team effort. The company has 
a Health, Safety, and Quality of Life team of 
275 professionals. Each of Suzano's ten mills 
has Safety Committees structured and divided 
into subcommittees. In these groups, employees 
participate in discussions and evaluate and 
implement initiatives related to the topic.

In addition, since 2019, the company has been 
investing in the development of actions that 
lead to safe behavior through Programa Cuidar 
(Care Program), which is considered to be the 
backbone of the transformation plan for Suzano's 
safety culture. Aimed at all Suzano professionals, 
the program's strategy was adapted to include 
preventive measures against the coronavirus, 
and it adopted remote training and distance 
education approaches. More than 550 actions 
were carried out for audiences at industrial and 
forestry units, ports, distribution centers, and 
offices, which impacted Suzano's nearly 15,000 

employees and most of the contractors. In 2021, 
we want to expand the scope of this group. This is 
possible thanks to our safety tools that are part 
of day-to-day operations, such as the Daily Safety 
Dialogue (DDS), Behavioral Approach, Positive 
Activity Observation (OPA), and the Eye on the 
Area (DNA, a system that records deviations in the 
area and that can be easily accessed by a mobile 
app), among many others. 

Programa Cuidar follows the Hearts & Minds 
methodology, developed by the Energy Institute, 
which indicates 18 dimensions in the aspects 
of work safety and action formats. Following 
this methodology, we performed diagnostics to 
assess the company's maturity in terms of the 
safety culture in all operations and established 
a baseline. Since the beginning of this work, we 
have managed to improve our safety culture by 
17%. We are at a point where the organization 
has a strict control system to manage risks in 
the workplace, with actions aimed at quantifying 
risks and generating monitoring metrics. Now we 
must move toward a systemic health and safety 
vision. With this diagnosis, we are designing more 
assertive action plans to act directly on the points 
that require greater attention in order to achieve 
the desired culture of excellence in safety. 

38    Suzano Report 2020

Numbers for 2020 (COMPARED WITH 2019)

GENERAL INDEXES

     68% 
REDUCTION 
 IN THE SEVERITY 
RATE OF 
INCIDENTS

   17% 
REDUCTION  
IN THE 
FREQUENCY  
RATE WITH  
AND WITHOUT 
LOST TIME  

      25% 
REDUCTION  
IN TOTAL 
ACCIDENTS 

FORESTRY 
OPERATIONS 
INDEXES

     79% 
REDUCTION  
IN THE SEVERITY 
RATE OF 
INCIDENTS

     41% 
REDUCTION  
IN THE 
FREQUENCY 
RATE WITH  
AND WITHOUT 
LOST TIME  

      46% 
REDUCTION  
IN TOTAL 
ACCIDENTS 

PULP OPERATIONS 
INDEXES

PAPER OPERATION 
INDEXES

      38% 
REDUCTION  
IN THE SEVERITY 
RATE OF 
INCIDENTS

       41% 
REDUCTION  
IN THE 
FREQUENCY  
RATE WITH  
AND WITHOUT 
LOST TIME

      21% 
REDUCTION  
IN TOTAL 
ACCIDENTS 

   57% 
REDUCTION  
IN THE SEVERITY 
RATE OF 
INCIDENTS

      8% REDUCTION   
IN THE 
FREQUENCY  
RATE WITH  
AND WITHOUT 
LOST TIME 

      11% 
REDUCTION  
IN TOTAL 
ACCIDENTS 

To learn more about the safety 
structure and governance, visit 
the Indicators Center. 

Health and safety rates for company employees 
and service providers

2019

2020

Results

Results

Severity rate1

Lost time injury rate2

Cumulative frequency rate/accident rate3

104

0.49

2.18

33

0.52

1.80

1. Rate calculation: (lost days) x 1000000 / (number of hours worked). 
2. Rate calculation: (lost time cases) x 1000000 / (number of hours worked). 
3. Rate calculation: (lost time + no lost time cases) x 1000000 / (number of hours worked).

Baseline 
Goal

24

0.44

1.96

2021

Baseline 
Goal

29

0.47

1.62

Employee relations  39

 
QUALITY OF LIFE
The physical and mental well-being of our 
employees contributes to healthier and happier 
working conditions. In a year when people needed 
to be more attentive to emotional balance, 
given the feeling of fragility and anxiety caused 
by the pandemic, this topic gained even more 
prominence at Suzano. Among the proposed 
initiatives in 2020, several online events were 
held, with programs and special guests to explore 
the matter, including Dr. Drauzio Varella, Leandro 
Karnal, and Mário Sérgio Cortella. In 2021, the 
company plans to intensify this agenda. Visit the 
Indicator Center for more information. 

CHALLENGES OVERCOME IN THE INDUSTRY
Throughout Suzano and in the mills, the priority 
in 2020 was to keep the largest number of 
employees possible apart, maintaining physically 
present only those who were essential in the 
units, and establishing a series of protocols 
to protect them from COVID-19. In this 
regard, dozens of measures were taken to 
keep people healthy, noting that some roles 
in the industry are extremely specialized and, 
therefore, performed by few professionals. We 
had to guarantee the safety of the teams in an 
environment where most of our products, mainly 
pulp, were considered essential by the World 
Health Organization (WHO). Implementing major 
changes in our routine, with new practices and 
procedures and keeping production at a normal 
pace, was our biggest challenge this year.

In order to prioritize the health of our employees, 
service providers, and the local community, 
Suzano completely changed the general shutdown 
schedule of the plants in order to reduce the 
number of people in operations during the critical 
period of the pandemic. The decision was to 
postpone events that were to take place in March 
and April and resume them from August onward. 
This gave us the time and confidence to perform 
maintenance without risk of contagion and to 
ensure proper planning of protocols for handling 
general shutdown activities. 

General shutdowns are mill maintenance events, 
governed by specific legislation and technical 
standards. Shutting down activities for ten days a 
year means putting an extra 3,000 people in each 
unit, dedicated to risk monitoring, equipment 
and personnel safety and, consequently, to 
the excellence of our operation. Therefore, it is 
imperative that the shutdowns are enforced. 

We reorganized tasks in order to have a smaller 
number of professionals during shutdowns 
and created special protocols for that period. 
We established, for example, individual 
accommodations and meals in apartments 
for technicians from other cities, preventing 
the circulation of people as much as possible. 
Maintenance activities take place every 15 
months in the production units.

IN REAL TIME
Launched at the end of July, the new collaborative 
online platform Workplace Suzano connected 
all of the company's professionals wherever 
they were—at home, in the office, in the mills, in 
forestry operations, in laboratories, at logistics 
distribution centers, or airport terminals—in 
Brazil and around the world. The new tool 

Workplace Results

One month after the implementation, 58% 
of the direct employees were already on 
the platform, a significant result according 
to market benchmarks. Adherence to the 
platform was voluntary. One month after 
implementation, 58% of the direct employees 
were already on the platform, a significant 
result according to the industry benchmark. 
In January 2021, active users of the platform 
totaled more than 74%. This number rises 
to 95% among leadership. For 2021, the goal 
is to make Suzano even more connected, 
with an increasingly constant presence of 
leadership on the platform through posts in 
texts, video, and live streaming.

40    Suzano Report 2020

has become a work instrument that provides 
more fluid communication, greater integration 
between employees and units, and greater 
autonomy and dissemination of content through 
the network, in addition to enabling widespread 
communication. All professionals can now access 
the content and post activities and comments 
on the platform via cell phone or computer. 
Adherence to the platform was voluntary.

VOLUNTARIAR PROGRAM
Voluntariar was created more than 20 years 
ago to bring the company closer to neighboring 
communities through the mobilization of 
employees, service providers, family members, 
and partners in voluntary actions that strengthen 
social empowerment and promote positive 
changes in society. 

In a year of pandemic, the big challenge was to 
continue with the volunteering initiatives online, 
thus protecting the health of volunteers and 
beneficiaries of the actions. Consequently, the 
results were less robust compared to previous 
years. This, however, did not impact the quality of 
volunteer engagement. 

Vanessa Nascimento, Communication Analyst, and Bruna Letícia de Souza Vieira, Participant in 
the Cerâmica Vargem do Tanque Project, Cunha (São Paulo state). Photo: Márcio Schimming

Voluntariar in numbers 
in 2020

948 

VOLUNTEERS

3,345 

HOURS CONTRIBUTED

20,075 

BENEFICIARIES

43 

LOCATIONS 
COVERED 
(INCLUDING 
INDUSTRIAL 
AND FORESTRY 
UNITS, 
DISTRIBUTION 
CENTERS, AND 
OFFICES)

21% 

LEADERSHIP 
ENGAGEMENT   
(FROM FUNCTIONAL 
AND EXECUTIVE 
MANAGEMENT TO  
THE EXECUTIVE BOARD)

To learn 
more about 
Voluntariar, visit 
the Indicators 
Center.

Employee relations  41

 
Danielle de Paula, Communication 
Coordinator, and her children Lorena 
and Felipe, Mucuri (Bahia state).  
Photo: Márcio Schimming

42    Suzano Report 2020

SECTION  |  7

CUSTOMER    
relations 

Suzano impacts the lives of more than 

2 billion people worldwide. A significant 

part of its products reach consumers 

through customers spread over the 

various continents. Our approach tailored 

to their needs and to the development 

of biosolutions has led to important 

advances for the company in customer 

relations and in the development of new 

partnerships and products.

Associated material topics:

  Innovation and Technology; 
  Value Chain; 
  Financial Management.

Customer relations  43

 
PULP

DYNAMISM AND FLEXIBILITY
GRI 103-1, 103-2, 103-3 (VALUE CHAIN [CUSTOMERS AND 

SUPPLIERS])

Suzano started 2020 with excellent prospects 
from a market standpoint after a very 
challenging period marked by rising inventories 
and falling prices. However, the pandemic 
brought new uncertainties to the pulp and paper 
sector, in varying proportions for each market 
segment and region. 

The increase in tissue consumption in countries 
in the Northern Hemisphere and Asia, where we 
do a significant volume of business, driven by 
consumers stocking the product and emptying 
the shelves in retail chains, especially during the 
first half of the year, generated a demand beyond 
that expected for market pulp. 

On the other hand, given the expansion of social 
distancing and the economic downturn, the 
negative impact on printing and writing paper 
and specialty segments gradually increased, 
mainly in Europe. Due to this difficult scenario, 
some integrated pulp producers in the Northern 
Hemisphere stopped producing paper to produce 
more pulp. Soluble cellulose producers did the 
same, affected by the drop in production in the 
textile industry. The imbalance between market 
fundamentals, therefore, put additional pressure 
on prices. Despite all adversities, our focus has 
remained the same: serve all our customers, 
seeking to continue supplying our pulp.

SIGNS OF RECOVERY
After a tough period, experienced mainly in the third 
quarter, the company observed the rebound of all 
pulp markets. In China, it is worth remembering, the 
scenario was a little different, as the country quickly 
recovered and has been growing, generating the 
opportunity to increase prices.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, Suzano has 
intensified the dialogue with its customers and 

between its internal teams. This is because we 
understand the relevance of being prepared to 
implement, at any time and as soon as possible, 
the contingency plans to avoid disruption in 
production and logistics. Consequently, we 
managed to deal with the fluctuations in the 
period and successfully meet all production 
demands. 

EUCAFLUFF®
Major partnerships consolidated the entry 
of Eucafluff® into major global customers, 
strengthening its position in Europe, Asia, and 
the United States in 2019. The result of more 
than a decade of research by Suzano, this is 
the world's first bleached eucalyptus kraft 
fluff pulp, which can be applied in absorbent 
and personal hygiene products, in addition 
to disposable items, such as adult and baby 
diapers and sanitary pads. The year 2020 was 
about consolidating what had been started in 
2019. However, the prospects for expanding the 
business were affected by the developments of 
the pandemic, since the product qualification 
process is long, interactive, and in-person. As 
a result, Suzano's plans to open new accounts 
during this period were compromised.

EU ECOLABEL SEAL
Suzano's Eucafluff® became 
part of the list of raw materials 
authorized for use in disposable 
hygiene products certified with 
the EU Ecolabel seal. Recognition 
is granted by the European Union 
to final producers who meet high environmental 
standards throughout their cycle, from the 
extraction of raw materials, through production 
and distribution, to disposal. The seal certifies to 
consumers that they are using a product that is 
sustainable from start to finish.

To be part of this select list, Suzano 
demonstrated its excellence based on strict 
environmental criteria, which analyze energy 
consumption, greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) 

44    Suzano Report 2020

Felipe, son of employee Danielle de Paula, Communication Coordinator, Mucuri Unit (Bahia state).  
Photo: Márcio Schimming

during production, and release of pollutants 
into the air and water, among other aspects. 
Such differentiators were also pointed out in 
the Life Cycle Assessment study conducted 
by ACV Brasil, in which Eucafluff® showed 
favorable environmental performance results in 
categories such as the use of land, water, and GHG 
emissions when compared to the environmental 
performance of the pine fluff produced in the 
Southeastern United States. 

PAPER AND PACKAGING

FLEXIBILITY TO FACE THE CRISIS
GRI 103-1, 103-2, 103-3 (VALUE CHAIN [CUSTOMERS AND 

SUPPLIERS])

Paper was the business unit most affected by 
COVID-19. Social distancing led to the closure 
of offices, schools, and universities, and most 
commercial activities. In this context, these 
segments of society have significantly reduced 
the consumption of one of our main products: 
printing and writing paper. This market was already 
suffering in developed countries, due to the 

disruption caused by digital alternatives. However, 
in developing markets, mainly in Asia (especially 
China), there was still an increase in demand for 
this product. 

By 2020, during the most critical period of the 
pandemic, consulting firms covering the industry 
estimated a decline of 15% - 25% in the printing 
and writing market. However, by the end of 2020, 
the Pulp and Paper Products Council (PPPC), for 
example, reported a 29% decline in this segment 
in Latin America. In other words, from March to 
December, the decline in this market represented 
a 1/4 reduction in total demand for 2019.

To face this scenario, the company put an 
action plan in place, made possible thanks to 
the combination of some factors that give 
us agility in decision making: we have about 
300 salespeople in Brazil and a differentiated 
distribution model that keeps us close to our 
35,000 customers in the country. With this 
reach, we managed to act quickly to serve other 
markets and support our partners. Below are 
two of our main initiatives.

Customer relations  45

 
E-commerce sales 

In the second half of 2020, more 
than 50% of the sales on the 
Suzano + Platform to micro and 
small customers were made via 
e-commerce.

Renato Gonçalves Pereira, Cutting Machine Operator, and Raricka Moreira Santos, 
Production Assistant, Mucuri Unit (Bahia state). Photo: Márcio Schimming

1.  Tamo Junto (We're in it together): A 

financial support program for printing 
companies, stationery stores, and publishers 
in the country, offering credit and debt 
renegotiation, in addition to the donation 
of communication materials and prevention 
kits for daily use at points of sale. The project 
benefited more than 1,000 partners through 
four fronts. The first, focused on supporting 
the business, offered differentiated credit, 
debt renegotiation, and flexibility of charges. 
The second donated essential materials to 
reduce the spread of the coronavirus, such 
as face shields, adhesive signs with distancing 
information for points of sale and hand 
sanitizer dispensers. The third included a 

communication package with information on 
hygiene and cleanliness, social distancing, cash 
flow, flexibilization and credit by the National 
Economic and Social Development Bank 
(BNDES). The fourth front is an online channel 
where our partners can access specific content.

2.  Papers for specific segments: Some 

sectors became more demanding during 
social distancing and the pandemic. In this 
sense, we directed our efforts to paper and 
packaging in the food, pharmaceutical, and 
hospital segments. In addition, we developed 
alternatives to paper for drug instruction 
inserts, special paper bags (replacing plastic 
bags), and other packaging.  

About the Loop®

Paper produced from renewable raw material (trees planted 
specifically for that purpose) offers a better paper straw 
experience due to its high performance and resistance to liquids, 
ensuring that the product remains intact for up to two hours of 
use, with an excellent feel for the user. Its production process 
results in fewer losses and has greater versatility to create 
more compelling products, in addition to being lightweight and 
sustainable.

46    Suzano Report 2020

Paper donations

In 2020, a large mobilization was seen in the paper industry to meet the demands 
arising from the new coronavirus. In this respect, in partnership with other producers, 
Suzano coordinated the donation of 5 million paper cups produced with our Bluecup®, 
the first Brazilian card stock developed for cups and made from a renewable source. 
The donation was made to public hospitals and municipal administrations in the 
states of São Paulo, Santa Catarina, and Paraná. 

In addition, Suzano contributed to the production of face shields made using card 
stock, conceived by Brasilgrafica S.A. The product was donated to the Ministry 
of Health. We also donated 8 tons of card stock to make 350,000 hand sanitizer 
containers, geared for Natura's consultants and truck drivers.

LOOP PAPER® AND DO BEMZINHO
One of Suzano's Long-Term Goals is related 
to the replacement of plastics (learn 
more here). In 2019, we launched  Loop 
Paper®, a specially designed paper for the 
production of drinking straws as 
an alternative to plastic straws. 
In 2020, Suzano and beverage 
maker Do Bem™ joined forces to 
replace plastic straws in the 'Do 
Bemzinho' products, a line of 
juices for children, which will now 
use straws made with our paper. 
In Brazil, Loop® is present in 
almost every fast-food chain. 

WITH A NEW LOOK
After eight years, the Report® paper portfolio, 
with its complete line of printing and writing 
paper, gained new positioning and packaging. 
Based on an understanding of consumer 
desires, the new visual identity showcases the 
main qualities of the product: performance 
and sustainability. The new 
packaging, with a more modern 
and clean design, highlights the 
differences and usability of each 
product in the line, reinforcing 
the attributes: sustainable, more 
resistant, does not smear, and does 
not jam the printer.

In 2020, Suzano invested in the restructuring 
of its platform called Positive Suas Ideias 
(Materialize Your Ideas), a movement created 
to rethink production and consumption 
through creative and sustainable packaging. 
It is worth mentioning the Innovation Day, 
held together with PepsiCo and L'Oréal, to 
share our capabilities in terms of packaging 
and looking to find possible synergies. 

Customer relations  47

 
Robson de Souza, Packaging Line Operator, Limeira Unit (São Paulo state). Photo: Márcio Schimming

CIRCULAR ECONOMY
GRI 103-1, 103-2, 103-3 (VALUE CHAIN [CUSTOMERS AND 

SUPPLIERS], INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY)

A major concern for Suzano has always been 
to develop products with the least possible 
environmental impact and provide solutions to the 
market based on a systemic vision, driven by facts 
and data. That is why, in the world of paper, we use 
tools such as Life Cycle Analysis in our evaluations 
and product development. Internationally recognized, 
this approach offers a careful assessment of the 
potential impact of products. It considers the entire 
production process, from the extraction of raw 
materials to the disposal of products, allowing for 
an extensive assessment of cause and consequence. 
With this information, we can support our 
innovation processes on the best alternative.

Thus, we have sought in-depth knowledge in order 
to understand how we can be relevant players in 
this transition movement, which values, among 
other things, a more circular economy (which 
proposes a shift from the linear model of obtaining 
resources, producing, and disposing of products), 
while generating the least possible impact. As a 
company based on renewable resources, when we 

think about closing the cycle, we know that we 
have many opportunities to explore a biological 
route (which itself is regenerative and zero waste 
when the components of the product can return 
to natural biological cycles), focused mainly on 
biodegradation processes.

Within a possible technical route that also leads 
us to circularity, we have sought to increase our 
active participation in the recycling chain, knowing 
that this is one of many important attributes 
that need to be addressed. Since our priority is to 
ensure that each solution is, in fact, better from 
a social, environmental, and systemic standpoint, 
we use Life Cycle Analysis to validate all possible 
alternatives. We understand that there is no point 
in addressing the issue of solid waste, for example, 
while adopting processes that demand more 
natural resources or result in greater emission of 
greenhouse gases (GHGs). We live in a time when 
it is no longer enough to think of one or the other, 
but rather one and the other.

Throughout this year, we have worked on the 
development of TP Cycle, a new card stock that 
uses post-consumer fibers in its composition, 

48    Suzano Report 2020

mainly coming from 
packaging. For the 
development of this 
project, we entered into a 
partnership with Eureciclo, a 
B corporation specializing in reverse logistics, 
which mapped the supply of paper trimmings to 
guarantee the best technical performance of the 
product. They also approved the labor conditions 
behind each supplier, thus helping us to secure a 
solution that promotes a more positive chain. 

In a form of complementing TP Cycle, we 
reinserted post-consumer card stock fibers into 
the production of our suppliers of cardboard 
boxes, which are now used to pack our reams 
of cut size. This alternative has two main 
advantages: the first is its scalability since, in this 
case, the production potential of the cardboard 
chain after absorbing post-consumer material 
is substantially greater than that of card stock. 
The second is the mitigation of environmental 
impacts: since cardboard can now be produced 
using this type of input without major changes 
to the process, the reinsertion impacts caused by 
technical losses in the final product are minimal 
when compared to the production of card stock 
of a comparable category. 

Scala paper towels at the point of sale. Photo: Suzano Image Bank

CONSUMER GOODS
POSITIVE BALANCE
GRI 103-1, 103-2, 103-3 (VALUE CHAIN [CUSTOMERS 

AND SUPPLIERS])

Suzano's biggest challenge in 2020 was 
to keep the operation running smoothly, 
ensuring the safest conditions for its 
employees and their families. This level 
of safety was maintained in consumer 
goods, which brings together around 1,200 
professionals across the country. Trips and 
visits were postponed, and processes were 
adapted to the new reality. Fortunately, all 
projects were maintained.

PRODUCTION AND SALES RECORDS
Suzano operates in the consumer goods 
market with a focus on the tissue segment, 
composed mainly of products such as and 
papers for sanitary purposes (toilet paper), 
paper towels, and napkins. Across Brazil, 
demand for this paper line has skyrocketed 
since March 2020, requiring high execution 
capacity for the company to quickly redirect 
mills and its business model in order to 
respond well to the new needs of customers. 
As a result, Suzano reached an 8.3% share in 
value in the toilet paper market in the last 
year, making it the fifth largest company in 
this category in Brazil.

We consolidated our leadership in Brazil's 
North and Northeast regions, expanding the 
gap with the runner-up, and reinforced our 
presence in the Southeast and Midwest, where 
we had a smaller share in 2019. In 2020, we 
increased our relevance, especially in the 
states of Espírito Santo, Rio de Janeiro, and 
Minas Gerais. In the state of Espírito Santo, 
we are a leader in tissue. The data obtained by 
Nielsen show in 2020 that the Mimmo® brand 
is a leader in two-ply tissue, with 28% market 
share. In 2021, we are looking to expand 
participation to other states in the Southeast 
and Midwest.

Customer relations  49

 
Débora Rocha Laranja, Sales Promoter in Espírito Santo state. Photo: Suzano Image Bank

BELÉM AND FORTALEZA UNITS
Completion of the integration of units and 
processes between Suzano Papel e Celulose and 
Fibria, which was one of the main priorities for 
2020. All incorporation processes were applied 
at the former Fábrica de Papel da Amazônia 
SA - Facepa, the largest producer in the tissue 
segment in the North and Northeast regions. Its 
installed capacity is nearly 50,000 tons per year.

In addition to absorbing the new company 
from a tax and IT standpoint, we worked on 
cultural awareness in our two mills, which 
became Suzano units: Belém (Pará state) and 
Fortaleza (Ceará state) units. It is also important 
to highlight the actions related to work safety, 
which significantly reduced the number of 
accidents in both locations. 

NEW MILL IN CACHOEIRO DE ITAPEMIRIM  
When the pandemic arrived in Brazil, Suzano 
was starting to build its new tissue mill, 

located in Cachoeiro de Itapemirim (Espírito 
Santo state). We interrupted work on 
construction for a few weeks to understand 
the new scenario, analyzed the healthcare 
conditions in the municipality, revised our 
schedules, and adopted a series of measures 
until the work could be carried out safely. 
As a result, on March 2021, we started-up a 
new plant, which will increase our production 
capacity by 30%. 

The three-ply toilet paper will be the unit’s 
product highlight, following a trend of a higher 
quality product. The toilet paper segment is 
in the process of migrating to higher quality 
products, from one-ply to two- and three-ply 
tissues. According to data from Nielsen from 
2018 to 2020, the share of two ply and three 
ply tissue in the Brazilian market grew by 6 
percentage points. As the category matures, it 
is natural that consumers will migrate to more 
sophisticated items.

50    Suzano Report 2020

the model for selecting areas of greatest potential, 
based on technical premises; we designed the forest 
quality control in two phases; and we innovated with 
the anticipation of regrowth clearing, which already 
occurs in all forest units with higher quality and 
production potential.

This type of management is very much in 
line with the idea of producing more with 
less natural resources, since a series of field 
operations now take place every 14 years, and no 
longer every 7 years. 

Currently, nearly 14% of our forest base is 
managed through regrowth management. There 
are economic benefits associated with the 
system, which can cost up to 55% less than a 
complete new cycle. 

In addition, we use digital parameters to optimize 
clonal allocation and developed a new system, 
Tetrys, which allows us to make a careful 
allocation of eucalyptus clones per area, assessing 
productivity and risk-related aspects due to 
climate variations, among other possibilities. The 
tool offers so many competitive advantages that 
Suzano decided to protect it as an industrial secret. 

Forest Logistics, Mucuri Unit (Bahia state). Photo: Suzano Image Bank

RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT

LEADING EDGE KNOWLEDGE
Suzano increasingly works on initiatives with 
enormous disruptive potential. These are projects 
that focus on what we call innovability; in other 
words, innovation at the service of sustainability. 

In a year of pandemic, our challenge increased. 
How could we proceed with dozens of innovative 
programs that depend on travel and international 
partnerships? How do we find alternatives for a 
job that, as a result of the health crisis, needed 
to be done at a distance? Sending samples, 
monitoring tests, and on-site evaluation of 
results—all procedures that involve a technical 
validation of performance and costs, which 
would normally take place in the facilities of our 
customer and prospects—have been altered, 
becoming much more time consuming. Even so, 
Suzano managed to advance with all projects, 
obtaining better than expected results. 

Suzano's innovability and research portfolio 
of innovation and research is based on three 
pillars: Sustainment, Transformation, and 
Diversification. See below for the company’s 
main projects on each front and the respective 
results achieved in 2020. 

SUSTAINMENT
This explores solutions to the challenges of the 
current business, centered on planted eucalyptus 
forests and on the production and trading of pulp. 
Below, we highlight three examples of projects 
geared to this purpose. 

  MORE PRECISION IN FORESTS, TRANSPORT, 

AND INDUSTRY
Regrowth management (regrowth of the eucalyptus 
tree after it has been cut from one or more sprouts 
left at the bottom of the trunk close to the ground) 
is the main alternative for reducing forest formation 
costs; however, in order to generate productive 
forests, several different technologies are needed 
across the entire process. In 2020, we consolidated 

Customer relations  51

 
In addition, for the integration of the harvest 
and transport phases, a new digital tool, called 
iGroot, processes about 25 million variables 
to understand at what stage of growth the 
wood should be harvested, where to take 
it, and which is the correct transport mode, 
depending on the destination unit. In the 
industry, a machine learning solution, Thor, 
helps recover the heat released from the 
boilers for the operation of the turbines, 
maximizing the energy generated for the 
industrial unit. 

TRANSFORMATION
This front is intended to generate a 
competitive advantage for the business 
through different uses and applications for 
pulp, in line with the needs of our customers. 
Next, see the main projects in this area.

  MOLECULAR MARKER

The development of a high-precision molecular 
marker gave Suzano the opportunity to make 
an early selection of young seedlings adjusted 
to the climate and soil characteristics of 
each type of region. With 80% accuracy, we 
can avoid physiological disturbances due 
to poor adaptation of the plant to the site, 
a phenomenon that often takes time to 
manifest, causing complications and losses in 
the field.   

  SPECIALTY PULP PORTFOLIO

We started 2020 with huge demand to service 
our customers in China. This is because there 
have been changes in the Chinese legislation 
regarding the production of paper, forcing 
Suzano to develop a new pulp portfolio. To 
meet these demands, we offered two new 
pulp products to the market—one designed 
specifically for tissue, called EucaTissue, and 
the other, a high-quality unbleached pulp 
that satisfies the most demanding markets 
in terms of sustainability and can be used for 
the production of any type of paper, from the 
tissue to the packaging segment.  

Both cases are in line with the practice of using 
fewer chemicals in the industrial process and 
delivering very high-quality pulp for paper 
production, including tissue. Both projects also 
required testing. But how do we carry out tests 
in the mills without being able to be there? The 
way to do this was to increase dialogue and 
intensify partnerships on the various fronts. 
The Pulp team formed a collaborative network 
between Suzano's customers and professionals 
in the areas of Research and Development 
and Industrial Operation so that tests could 
be carried out by the customer in partnership 
with Suzano.  

DIVERSIFICATION
What is the potential of eucalyptus and how 
can it be widely utilized? Bio-strategy projects 
are being developed to expand our portfolio 
of sustainable solutions in different niche 
markets. These are the main ones. 

  LIGNIN

For lignin, 2020 was dedicated to reorganizing 
the strategy and overcoming problems with 
drying, which occurred at the Limeira (São 
Paulo state) plant in 2019. We started the 
process and began commissioning the plant, 
having already managed to produce lignin 
within the specifications desired by customers.

In addition to the priority market  
segments—elastomers and phenolic resins—we 
started to develop the second wave of lignin 
applications, contributing to the increased use 
of raw materials from renewable sources in 
other value chains. Learn more about Ecolig.

  MFC
GRI 102-10

The agreement with the Finnish company 
Spinnova, in which Suzano now has a 50% 
of the shares, continues to evolve year after 
year. In 2020, we entered into a global joint 
venture for the exclusive production and 
trading of textile fiber from microfibrillated 

52    Suzano Report 2020

 
cellulose (MFC), which represents a leap 
in production from 100 to 1,000 tons/
year and will require an investment 
of approximately €22 million for the 
construction of a new plant in Finland in 
2021 and 2022. 

The goal is to reinvent the textile industry 
using a fiber produced without any type 
of solvent and with the same amount of 
water already used in the process, saving 
from 54% to 100% of water and chemicals 
and giving us a sustainable product to 
compete with fossil-based fibers, such 
as polyester. In addition, CO2 emissions 
are up to 60% lower when compared to 
viscose and cotton. It is estimated that 
the new unit will enter into operation 
in 2022. It will be the first step toward 
having a large-scale plant with our partner 
in the future.

Geraldo de Almeida, R&D Technician, Limeira Unit (São Paulo state). 
Photo: Márcio Schimming

New applications for MFC

Microfibrillated cellulose, or MFC, is a super-refined 
cellulose that can be used in several different 
applications, with good prospects for scaling in the 
coming years. For this reason, in addition to advancing 
the production of textile fiber with Spinnova, Suzano 
has plans to produce MFC at its Limeira unit (São Paulo 
state) for internal and external application (to the 
market).  Suzano has advanced in the application of 
MFC to replace fossil raw materials in cleaning products 
(detergents, softeners, liquid laundry detergents) and 
in the production of paints and fibre cement shingles 
(fibrous cement sheet), which were previously using 
asbestos, a proven carcinogen. 

Customer relations  53

 
 
with Ensyn, a company based in the U.S., in 
which Suzano has had a 25% ownership stake 
since 2012.

REPLACEMENT OF PLASTIC WITH PAPER
In the search for sustainable alternatives to 
replace the plastic used in the drinking straw, 
cup, and flexible packaging sector, Suzano has 
been developing innovative solutions based 
on improving the physical and mechanical 
properties of the base paper and the application 
of recyclable and biodegradable barriers on 
the surface of the paper. These barriers give 
the paper properties to resist water, fat, water 
vapor, and oxygen, and are also heat-sealable 
(heat-sealing machines). These are important 
characteristics, for example, for food packaging 
such as for cookies and non-perishable foods. 
This substitution represents a major technical 
and economic challenge. In 2020, laboratory 
and industrial tests were conducted in order 
to approve the technology in different players 
in the market. Significant advances have been 
made, not only in validating the performance and 
machinability of the products—that is, whether 
or not they perform well on filling machines—
but also in complying with the strict standards 
established by regulatory agencies. 

We hope to continue advancing 
with the tests in order to offer a 
high quality product that meets 
the technical requirements and 
offers a competitive price to the 
market, allowing us to migrate 
to alternatives coming from 
renewable sources and become 
more sustainable.

Bárbara Cristina Pamphilo, R&D Technician, Limeira Unit (São Paulo state). 
Photo: Márcio Schimming

  BIOCOMPOSITES

Biocomposites are also on the path of 
innovability, resulting from the mixture of 
eucalyptus pulp and fossil resins, such as 
polypropylene and polyethylene. Suzano 
holds the patent for this process, which has 
been improved in order to reduce the carbon 
footprint in the plastic chain, especially in 
durable goods (roof linings, external decks, 
vases, garbage bins, etc.). In the composition, 
we managed to replace up to 60% of the fossil 
component with pulp fiber.   

  BIOPETROLEUM

Large oil companies showed interest in our 
product in 2020. In the last few months, we have 
been conducting tests with two major global oil 
companies in the U.S. and are approaching final 
approval for biopetroleum, which includes all the 
engineering and logistics solutions defined. 

Final industrial tests involve the co-processing 
of biopetroleum, albeit in a reduced proportion, 
with oil. We are working side by side with the 
oil companies to raise this proportion to much 
higher levels. All this is developed in partnership 

54    Suzano Report 2020

Carolina Cleto and Rafael Pereira, FuturaGene, Itapetininga Unit (São Paulo state). Photo: Fotocontexto

FUTURAGENE
FuturaGene, Suzano's subsidiary and a leader 
in forestry biotechnology, produced significant 
advances in its projects in 2020. Despite the 
limitations imposed by the pandemic, we adapted 
to the new reality and managed to maintain 
activities in laboratories, greenhouses, and fields, 
whilst implementing stringent all protocols for 
sanitation and distancing between researchers, 
allowing important projects to follow their 
normal course. 

It is worth highlighting the progression of 
studies for the completion of the regulatory 
package aimed at submitting the application for 
commercial use of herbicide-tolerant eucalyptus. 
The submission of the regulatory dossier for this 
technology to the Brazilian Technical Commission 
for Biosafety (CTNBio) is planned for 2021. In 

Seedlings in the Nursery, Mucuri Unit (Bahia state). Photo: Márcio Schimming

addition, we advanced with our biosafety studies 
of insect-resistant eucalyptus, which will continue 
in 2021 and will be part of the regulatory package 
for this technology.

In addition to these advances in the crop 
protection platform, our platform to increase 
forest productivity continues to evolve. On this 
front, we expanded field tests with derivatives 
of our genetically modified eucalyptus approved 
by CTNBio in 2015. Experiments with this 
technology, planted in the different regions 
where Suzano operates, have shown promising 
results after more than three years in the field, 
when compared to the best conventional clones. 

Other technologies in FuturaGene's pipeline have 
also made significant progress, including those 
focused on wood quality, in addition to advances 
in the areas of Bioinformatics and Genomics.

Teams from Suzano and FuturaGene maintained 
an open dialogue with several stakeholders to 
share information about the safety and potential 
benefits of biotechnology in trees, elucidating 
how these tools may contribute to achieving 
global sustainability. Learn more on the website.

Suzano and its subsidiaries currently perform 
activities with genetically modified organisms 
(GMOs) only for research purposes and in areas 
outside the scope of certification. Learn more 
about this topic by visiting our Indicators Center.

Customer relations  55

 
DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION

AN INCREASINGLY MORE DIGITAL 
SUZANO
GRI 103-1, 103-2, 103-3

Digital transformation has become an important 
movement at Suzano. In 2020 alone, more than 
30 projects developed for this purpose impacted 
more than 4,000 employees and produced cash 
generation of approximately R$50 million for the 
company (see some of the highlights on page 
55). In addition, digital training initiatives in 2020 
qualified 37 data scientists from different areas 
of the business. 

Since this movement aims to disseminate 
digital skills throughout the company, several 
forums were created to enable collaborative 
decisions. As an example, we cite the 
governance process, which involves several 
Functional Directors who convene quarterly to 
discuss the digital future of the company and a 
panel formed by representatives from different 
areas of the business to define the priorities 
for the year. 

This new work format is less bureaucratic and 
hierarchical. The work becomes collaborative, 
deliveries are made in less time, there are gains 
in productivity, and the results appear much 
faster. Digital initiatives take place on four work 
fronts, which are analyzed from a strategic and 
governance perspective. These include:

1.  Digital Center

The Digital Center evaluates the strategic projects 
for the evolution of the company. It then 
internally organizes processes that associate IT, 
digital transformation, and business areas to 
implement these digital technology solutions, 
such as machine learning and optimization, 
which stem from artificial intelligence using agile 
methodology and design thinking techniques 
associated with digital technology.

56    Suzano Report 2020

Adriana Damasceno, Bridge Crane Operator, employee of the company DPWorld, who 
works at Vertere, in the Port of Santos (São Paulo state). Photo: Márcio Schimming

2. Open Innovation

In order to make innovation accessible, the Open 
Innovation front operates on a collaborative 
solution model, in which Suzano's process 
improvements, suggested by any employee, are 
presented as a business case to partners of the 
company's innovation ecosystem in Brazil (Endeavor, 
Plug and Play, and Agtech) and in countries such as 
China, Germany, Israel, and the U.S. With curatorship 
by these partner companies, seven to ten startups 
are invited to present their solutions to the problem. 
Suzano chooses the proposal to be tested, with 
the prospect of the startup becoming a partner if 
the solution works. We are currently developing ten 
projects with startups. One of them, called Sara, 
tests artificial intelligence in the Procurement area 
(see more on page 64).

3. Design Thinking  

User-centered and focused on expanding the 
mindset and providing more solution tools, this 
front uses design-thinking methodologies so the 
organization can work as a collaborative creation 
environment, co-creating and prototyping in order 
to find solutions faster. 

4. Agility

Collaborative work format in which 
multidisciplinary groups, called squads, through 
various methodologies and analysis of indicators, 
can deliver solutions every 15 days. 

Digital Academy

Decentralizing knowledge requires 
trained professionals in all company 
areas. The purpose of the Digital 
Academy is to train data scientists in 
the company for the various business 
segments. In addition to the desire to 
learn data science, participants develop 
a case and utilize project-based learning, 
which is associated with one of Suzano's 
Long-Term Goals.  

LOGISTICS

FLEXIBILITY AND AGILITY IN 
OPERATION

Suzano's logistics model, which today has 11 
mills in four Brazilian regions and operates in 
three different ports in the country, gave the 
company flexibility to deal with the impacts 
of COVID-19, which peaked in March, April, 
and May 2020, months characterized by high 
consumption of tissue in the countries of the 
Northern Hemisphere and Asia, where the 
company's largest customers are concentrated. 

Our strategy to avoid a shortage in pulp supply 
to our customers was to lower the stock in 
Brazil, transferring about 300,000 tons of pulp 
to supply centers abroad. We replicated the 
same model in the domestic market, and we 
managed to minimize logistics risks related to 
problems or disruptions in the road, rail, and 
maritime systems resulting from the pandemic.  

AT HIGH PRESSURE
Other challenges that have nothing to do 
with the health crisis were also faced by the 
Logistics team in 2020, making the period even 
more complex. An interruption on a stretch of 

the railway in Três Lagoas (Mato Grosso do Sul 
state) blocked the operation on this route for 
six months, which led Suzano to transfer the 
transport of 450,000 tons of pulp to trucks 
and to another railway in activity in the region, 
a move that required enormous efforts from all 
teams involved. 

The increase in the transportation cost of 
pulp by ship, due to fuel-switching, was also 
challenging for Suzano. The ships started to 
operate on low sulfur fuel oil, which led to an 
increase in cost of approximately US$100 per ton. 

At the Port of Itaqui, located in the city of 
São Luís (Maranhão state), the construction 
works for a mooring berth—whose purpose 
is to facilitate the logistics flow in that 
terminal, which is under great pressure due to 
the increase in the volume of competition—
started in October 2020. This was six months 
after the initial schedule due to the difficulty 
in mobilizing people and equipment at the 
beginning of the pandemic. At the Port of 
Santos (São Paulo state), the challenge was to 
learn and adapt with the start of the Vertere 
Project. In April 2020, four months ahead of 
schedule, Suzano's loading in Santos began 
to take place in a private terminal owned by 
a partner company, in which Suzano made 
investments. The new structure has a 35,000 
sqm warehouse with a capacity for more than 
150,000 tons of pulp. The facilities also include 
an overpass, the extension of the terminal's pier 
section, and a railway branch that integrates 
with warehouse operations. Cargo is handled 
by overhead cranes, controlled remotely by the 
operators. The launch of Vertere also provided 
environmental benefits by reusing water and 
energy, which are expected to be accounted for 
throughout 2021.

Customer relations  57

 
Daniel Paulo Mattos 
Ferreira Barro, participant in 
the Hand Sanitizer Production 
Suzano Limeira.  
Project, a partnership with FATEC 
Photo: Márcio 
Capão Bonito (São Paulo state) - 
Schimming
action to fight the pandemic.  
Photo: Márcio Schimming

58    Suzano Report 2020

SECTION  |  8

SUPPLIERS
relations  

Suppliers are key to the business.  

In 2020, Suzano expanded its dialogue 

with this audience, seeking to strengthen 

the partnership in a win-win relationship.  

In addition, in order to be closer to  

them, the company invested in innovation 

and technology.

Material topic : 

  Value Chain.

Supplier relations  59

 
ATTENTION TO MICRO- AND SMALL-
SIZED ENTERPRISES 
In this case, the approach was to provide support 
in a moment of crisis. Based on the analysis of 
the supply chain management, Suzano defined 
that it would support micro and small enterprises 
(with annual revenues of up to R$5 million), 
as per the definition of size established by 
Serasa, and largely dependent on revenue from 
agreements with the company. Approximately 
700 suppliers were identified in the states of 
Bahia, Mato Grosso do Sul, Espírito Santo, and 
Maranhão. To help these suppliers, the company 
decided to advance payments of invoices due up 
to 90 days. 

Another important measure was to increase 
our inventories of inputs in order to keep our 
operation stable. We advanced up to 20% of 
the balance in outstanding purchase orders, i.e., 
contracted, but not delivered. As a result, the 
company transferred approximately R$15 million 
to these partners after April. These were some of 
the ways found for micro and small suppliers to 
maintain their working capital and thus survive 
the most critical phase of the pandemic. In 
return, we asked them to avoid termination of 
employees as much as possible. 

As part of the initiative, the company also 
put together a Consultancy Plan to provide 
training and contribute to the development of 
suppliers that have more than 50% of their 
business dependent on contracts with Suzano. 
Approximately 70 suppliers joined the program 
and can be trained to make their businesses even 
more prosperous. 

STRENGTHENED  
PARTNERSHIP 

Currently, we have 30,015 active suppliers in  
our base and do business with 11,358 suppliers. 
They are critical stakeholders for our operations. 
For this reason, the impacts of COVID-19 on  
the supply chain were analyzed with great care 
and depth. 

One of the initial measures established by the 
Procurement team was to expand the dialogue 
with this audience in order to reinforce the 
partnership bond. The main concern was to 
avoid any risk of disruption in supply, which 
would affect forestry, industrial, and/or logistics 
activities, causing unpredictable ramifications 
throughout our supply chain. We also conducted 
Covid-19 health and safety training for our 
suppliers and extended all prevention protocols to 
Suzano's professionals as well.

  IN 2020, WE TRANSFERRED 

APPROXIMATELY R$15 MILLION  
SO THAT MICRO AND SMALL SUPPLIERS 
COULD MAKE IT THROUGH THE MOST 
CRITICAL PHASE OF THE PANDEMIC

Technology in Procurement 

Waves of transformation will change 
the procurement management model 
within Suzano. The idea is to provide 
technology in order to allow much more 
intelligence and strategy for all activities 
in the area. In 2020, we implemented 
an artificial intelligence robot for 
purchases and renewed the portal to 
interact with our partners. For 2021, we 
are looking for systems that support 
our complete procurement operation 
and the optimization of inventories and 
warehouses.

60    Suzano Report 2020

Cost reduction 

In addition to the challenge faced because of 
the impacts caused by Covid-19, we needed to 
guarantee the continuity of our operations while 
also reducing the cost in Suzano's supply chain. To 
this end, we began to renegotiate with the main 
suppliers, with the support of the technical areas. 
The result of this joint effort was a reduction of 
nearly R$230 million spent during the year, which 
was invested to improve operational efficiency.

To learn about all the other initiatives 
developed for society in relation to 
COVID-19, click here.

Lucas Saiter Bichara, Operator in the Wood Preparation 
Area, Aracruz Unit (Espírito Santo state).
Photo: Márcio Schimming

Partnership with suppliers to make a 
difference in society

Actions with larger suppliers were developed in order to find solutions that 
would help them better navigate the crisis without harming their neighboring 
communities. We further decided to guarantee, for a period of 90 days, a transfer 
of 100% of the payroll costs of their employees, whose activities were suspended 
due to the pandemic. 

With large suppliers, Suzano established partnerships that impacted society as a 
whole. One of the most important involved Magnamed, the largest manufacturer 
of ventilators in Brazil, which delivered 6,500 units in four months to the Ministry 
of Health. In order to deliver this volume of ventilators, Magnamed had to change 
its manufacturing process. Suzano assisted the project in engineering matters and 
in the search to find global suppliers of inputs, in addition to providing working 
capital for the acquisition of components. Magnamed was also supported by 
other companies, such as Positivo Tecnologia, Klabin, Flex e Embraer, Fiat Chrysler 
Automóveis, and White Martins.

Supplier relations  61
Relacionamento com os fornecedores  61

 
 
NEW SUPPLIER PORTAL

In November 2020, Suzano launched the 
Supplier Relations Portal, a platform with 
relevant information for those who are already 
partners of Suzano and for those who aspire 
to be. The tool contains the principles, rules, 
and processes to hire this critical stakeholder 
in the business, including our legal, social, and 
environmental commitments, with which this 
audience needs to be in agreement for the 
hiring to take place. In addition to registering 
and showing their ESG credentials, suppliers 
have the opportunity to leave comments, 
questions, and suggestions for the company 
regarding the procurement process. 

This new tool represents a significant advance 
in the company's way of hiring, with more 
comprehensive and controlled requirements and 
clauses. Soon, Suzano expects to see a major 
change in mentality in its Procurement area. In 
2020, the company approved the Responsible 
Supplier Management (RSM) Program, which 

will be 100% implemented within up to four 
years. The expectation is that the social, 
environmental, and governance topic will be 
considered a decisive aspect in the supplier 
assessment and selection matrix. This means 
that in the case of suppliers on equal terms, 
the one who is best positioned in terms of 
social, environmental, health, safety, and 
governance aspects will have the preference of 
the organization.

CHALLENGES FOR 2021

In 2021, in addition to the challenge of 
expanding the social, environmental, and 
governance approach to procurement, we will 
be committed to the organic growth of the 
company with the construction of a unit in 
Ribas do Rio Pardo (Mato Grosso do Sul state). 
To this end, the development of suppliers will 
be crucial to the progress of the expansion, 
which will add 2.3 million tons of pulp per year 
to the company's current total capacity. 

62    Suzano Report 2020

Josefa Conceição de Oliveira, Nursery Assistant, Mucuri (Bahia state).
Photo: Suzano Image Bank

To learn more, visit the 
Indicators Center.

SEMEAR PROGRAM

Semear is a training project for Suzano's micro and small suppliers. 
Through this project, we select companies from various segments, 
which receive guidance on how to ensure structured growth 
through best management practices, methods, innovation, and 
principles of legal, social, and environmental responsibility.  
In 2020, we formed the first group in Mucuri (Bahia state), with 
about 60 micro-companies in the transportation industry in the 
region. The program is also being carried out in the states of 
Mato Grosso do Sul, Espírito Santo, and Maranhão, for companies 
in the fields of transport and forest maintenance.

Supplier relations  63
Relacionamento com os fornecedores  63

 
 
SECTION  |  9

INVESTOR
relations

GRI 103-1, 103-2, 103-3

Suzano is recognized by the Market for 

its solid and robust governance and clear 

and transparent communication with its 

investors. In 2020, the company advanced 

the ESG agenda, and led important 

movements in sustainable finance.

Associated material topics:

 Ethics, Governance and Transparency; 

 Financial Management; 

 Climate Change.

64    Suzano Report 2020

     
   
Ana Cecília Gomes Silva Malanski, 
Biologist, employee of the 
company Equilíbrio, Aracruz  
Unit (Espírito Santo state).  
Photo: Márcio Schimming

Investor relations  65

     
   
 
ADVANCES IN GOVERNANCE

Suzano's high standards of corporate governance 
is a determining factor for a company that seeks 
to lead the movements towards the future of 
the forestry industry, the sector, and society. In 
2020, the ethical, upstanding, and transparent 
performance of our Board of Directors, guided 
by consistent policies and the vast knowledge of 
supporting committees, allowed the company 
to successfully endure one of humanity's most 
challenging periods. 

We started the year committed to completing 
the integration of the operations of former 
Fibria and Suzano Papel e Celulose, which 
contributed to the company achieving excellent 
cost reduction, despite the enormous pressure 
in an atypical year for business. The combination 
of high volumes and controlled costs, coupled 
with the depreciation of the Brazilian currency 
(BRL), led Suzano to achieve a very positive 
performance in terms of cash generation. We 
managed to reduce our net debt by more than 
US$1 billion over the year.

The advances in 2020 are also reflected in 
some unprecedented initiatives, such as the 
launch of our first Sustainability-Linked 
Bond, with which Suzano obtained the lowest 
rates in its history in external funding. Also, 
we were recognized by the prestigious Dow 
Jones Sustainability Index - Emerging Markets 
(DJSI Emerging Markets) and B3's Corporate 
Sustainability Index 2021 (ISE).

OUR GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE
GRI 102-18

In 2020, despite the pandemic, Suzano continued 
to evolve and improve its corporate governance. 
In this sense, the company's governance structure 
maintained its structure with a Board of Directors, 
supported by an Audit Committee, the Executive 
Board, and five other advisory committees. 
The Board of Directors has seven independent 
members, including two women. To learn more 
about the composition of these bodies and their 
respective roles, visit the Indicators Center or the 
Investor Relations website. 

66    Relatório Suzano 2020

RISK MANAGEMENT
GRI 102-30

High levels of governance require careful risk 
management. At Suzano, this management is 
supported by three complementary fronts, committed 
to avoiding or reducing the likelihood of risks occurring 
in the different areas of the business. We have an 
Integrated Risk Management policy that applies to all 
areas. This policy defines the criteria for identifying, 
analyzing, treating, and monitoring these risks, taking 
into account the internal and external contexts when 
assessing risks. Those risks defined as priority and their 
respective action plans are monitored by the Executive 
Board, the Statutory Audit Committee, and the Board 
of Directors. For 2021, our priority is to launch our 
New Compliance Program, based on the nine elements 
(tone at the top, risk assessment, regulatory follow-up, 
policies and procedures, training and communications, 
third-party management, monitoring, consequence 
management, and reporting) and on our Compliance 
Guardian Program. To learn more about the company's 
risk management structure and initiatives to fight 
corruption, visit the Investor Relations website and 
the Indicators Center. 

ETHICAL CONDUCT AND 
MANAGEMENT
Suzano has instruments in place that guide the 
ethical management of its business. Among 
them, we have the Code of Conduct, the 
Ombudsman Policy, the Disciplinary Measures 
Policy, and the Rules of the Conduct Committee, 
which establish the guidelines of the company's 
governance process. All of these documents 
deal with compliance with legal and normative 
provisions applicable to the area and to the 
Ombudsman's Channel, as well as with the 
corresponding regulations, including specific 
procedures and confidentiality of information. 
These rules are intended to protect the person 
who, in good faith, files reports in order to 
preserve the company's ethical principles, 
ensuring non-retaliation.

      CODE OF CONDUCT

Inspired by the Cultural Drivers, the Code of 
Conduct brings together the six ethical principles 
that guide our daily actions, focusing on the 
quality of our relationships, products, and services. 
The document is a tool that guides and improves 
our actions and decisions on a daily basis, ensuring 
that activities with employees, shareholders, 
customers, suppliers, government officials, and 
the community are in line with ethical conduct 
and with the respect that we nurture in our 
relationships with the different audiences.

      COMPLIANCE

The purpose of Suzano's Compliance Program 
is to harmonize policies and the main internal 
controls related to this topic. The program 
prioritizes the integrity of the corporate 
environment, whether internally or externally. 
To this end, it explores the concept of the first 
line of defense through standards of conduct, 
worked on and disseminated in the business 
areas in order to identify and mitigate possible 
risks in our operations.

Imperatriz Unit (Maranhão state).
Photo: Márcio Schimming

Investor relations  67

 
OMBUDSMAN'S OFFICE
GRI 102-17

The Ombudsman Channel is a confidential, 
independent channel offered to internal and 
external audiences to answer questions and 
forward reports and complaints about issues 
that may violate our Code of Conduct. 

Activity is conducted by an independent 
contractor and guarantees confidentiality, if 
requested by the whistleblower. Receipt and 
control of the claims, via internet, are available 
24/7, and access can be obtained through any 
computer, tablet, or cellphone (with internet), 
by clicking here. 

The channel is valid for the company's 
operations in Brazil and in all other regions 
worldwide where we have offices.

The information is collected by competent persons 
and areas in an autonomous and impartial manner 
in order to identify the validity and applicability of 
the necessary measures, and no form of retaliation 
against the whistleblower is allowed or condoned. 
To find out more about the indicators associated 
with Suzano's Ombudsman Channel, access the 
Indicators Center.

Ombudsman in numbers

COMPLAINTS RECEIVED  
AND ADDRESSED IN 2020:

912

COMPLAINTS ALREADY  
RESOLVED  
DURING THIS PERIOD:

870

Ian Pires de Almeida (left), Sergio Roberto Garcia Filho (center) and 
Kryus Mirandola Longo (right), Operators of the Wood Preparation Area, 
Mucuri Unit (Bahia state). Photo: Márcio Schimming

68    Relatório Suzano 2020

 
SUSTAINABLE FINANCES, TRAIL 
OF NO RETURN
GRI 103-1, 103-2, 103-3

In 2020, Suzano released its Long-Term Goals and 
took them a step further: Suzano became the 
second company in the world, and the first in the 
Americas, to link one of its public commitments 
to the company's debt management. In a record 
3-week time period, the company put together the 
issuance of its first Sustainability-Linked Bond 
(SLB), a security in which the cost of financial 
resources is tied to one (or more) environmental 
and/or social goals. In the case of Suzano, the 
issuance of the security was linked to the goal of 
reducing the intensity of greenhouse gas emissions 
(GHGs) by 15% by 2030, which is equivalent 
to 0.181 tCO2e/t of product. To materialize its 
SLB, however, the company needed to set an 
intermediate target: 0.190 tCO2e/t of product (pulp 
and paper, -10.9%) by 2025, when the company 
will be halfway toward achieving the original goal, 
with the debt maturing on January 15, 2031. 

Suzano went to the market twice: on September 10, 
when it raised US$750 million, and on November 16, 
when it reopened negotiations and raised another 
US$500 million. In both instances, it obtained the 
lowest interest rates in its history in foreign loans 
of 3.95% and 3.1%, respectively, and a current 
coupon rate of 3.75%. In practice, this means that 
the sustainability component has reduced Suzano's 
cost of money. Combined with the fact that there 
was a demand of US$7 billion in the first funding, 
equivalent to nine times the offering, and US$2 
billion in the second funding, equivalent to four times 
the offering, these are signs of the soundness and 
credibility achieved by the company over the years. 

If the company fails to reach the intermediate 
target, the interest rate will increase 25 base points 
as of the second half of 2025, which will raise the 
total rate to 4% per year. The average intensity of 
emission obtained in 2024 and 2025 will indicate 
whether the company has reached its target and, 
therefore, whether it will be financially penalized in 
this transaction.

Learn more about 
Sustainability-Linked 
Bond here. 

Sustainability-Linked Loan

In February 2021, we carried out another action that combines business and 
sustainability. We signed an export prepayment agreement in the form of a Sustainability 
Linked Loan (SLL) in the amount of US$1.57 billion. The credit operation has 
environmental performance indicators associated with targets for reducing the intensity 
of greenhouse gas emissions and reducing industrial water withdrawal, by 9.7% and 
2.1%, respectively, by 2025. Both goals are aligned with the roadmap of the Long-Term 
Goal for Emissions: reduce specific emissions by 15% (Scope 1 and 2 emissions) by 2030. 

The financing interest rate is equivalent to the Libor (London Interbank Offered Rate) 
+1.15% per year. The average term will be 60 months, with maturity in March 2027. If 
the company reaches the agreed upon goals, there will be a reduction of up to 0.02% per 
year in the contracted cost. The funds raised will be used for the early settlement of the 
US$1.67 billion principal of the export prepayment contract formalized as part of the 
funding structure for the payment of the merger with Fibria, completed in January 2019.

Investor relations  69

 
 
TRANSPARENCY AND PIONEERING 
SPIRIT
SLB has voluntary principles, which indicate the 
best practices for this type of structure. They are 
as follows: a suitable selection of performance 
indicators, their material relevance to the issuer's 
business, adjustments to the goals, transparency, 
and reporting of operations. In addition to 
selecting a challenging goal related to climate 
change and meeting the instrument's accounting, 
legal, and compliance demands, Suzano was a 
pioneer in developing a SLB framework: a unique 
and detailed document on sustainability issues 
related to the structure of the transaction. The 
framework was also submitted voluntarily for a 
second party opinion, made by ISS ESG. 

The third-party opinion of ISS ESG gives issuers 
of green and social sustainability bonds a 
reliable and independent assessment of quality, 
in terms of the sustainability of their bonds. 
Suzano's experience in issuing its first SLB is 
sound evidence of the trust investors have in the 
company's ability to reduce its specific emission 
of greenhouse gases. It is also an incentive for the 
company to seek new opportunities in the field 
of sustainable finance. It is worth mentioning 
that some companies in Brazil followed the path 
pioneered by Suzano and also issued their first 
SLBs. This is proof that, in fact, sustainable 
finance is a trail of no return.

See the ISS ESG report, 
available in English only, 
by clicking here. 

70    Suzano Report 2020

BNDES SELLS SUZANO'S 
SHARES

In October 2020, the National Economic and 
Social Development Bank (BNDES) sold its 
150.2 million Suzano shares, equivalent to 
11% of the company's capital. Individual shares 
sold for R$46.00, totaling approximately 
R$6.9 billion. Most of those who bought the 
shares were not our shareholders, allowing for 
greater dispersion of our capital and a future 
increase in the liquidity of the shares, both on 
B3 and of our ADRs on the NYSE. 

In 2020, we joined the Carbon 
Disclosure Project (CDP) platform, 
which provides support to investors 
and governments in their decision-
making process based on important 
information on risk management, 
opportunities, and social and 
environmental impacts. It is an 
initiative created to mobilize these 
parties in order to build and accelerate 
collaborative actions for viable 
development for current and future 
generations. The good news is that, in 
our first year, due to the methodology 
adopted by the organization, we 
scored a B in the three questionnaires 
answered on climate, water, and forests. 

WE ARE IN THE DJSI AND ISE

Our commitments to sustainability and the 
creation of long-term value are starting to be 
recognized by prestigious external evaluators, 
with relevant influence on the global ESG 
agenda. In 2020, Suzano was chosen to integrate 
the 2020-2021 portfolio of the Dow Jones 
Sustainability Index - Emerging Markets (DJSI 
Emerging Markets) and B3's 2021 Corporate 
Sustainability Index (ISE). 

The DJSI is composed of the top 10% of companies 
in each sector, among the 800 largest companies 
assessed in the 23 countries characterized as 
emerging markets. In addition to Suzano, only ten 
Brazilian companies are part of the new portfolios 
that integrate the DJSI family of indexes. 

B3's ISE, on the other hand, is a tool that 
analyzes the performance of companies listed 
on the stock exchange from a corporate 
sustainability, social justice, environmental 
balance, and corporate governance standpoint. 
Suzano is part of the current portfolio, effective 
until December 30, 2021, which is composed of 
46 shares of 39 companies. 

Willian Rodrigo Victorio, Paper Machine Assistant, Limeira Unit (São Paulo state).
Photo: Márcio Schimming

Suzano’s case on TCFD

Suzano was the first company in the pulp and paper sector and the first 
non-financial company in Latin America to be featured in a case study by the 
Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosure. Launched in 2015, the TCFD 
Knowledge Hub, a page where initiatives related to TCFD recommendations are 
disclosed, has already posted 14 case studies, developed mainly by companies in 
the financial and non-financial sectors. In the case of Suzano, the highlight is the 
Indicators Center, a digital platform with information about the company, including 
financial data related to climate change, in line with the recommendations for 
measurement and transparency of results proposed by the TCFD. 

Investor relations  71

 
72    Suzano Report 2020

SECTION  |  10

Relationship with   
GOVERNMENT 
AND ORGANIZED 
CIVIL SOCIETY

Frequent dialogue with society through 

institutions, organizations, and governments 

has always been a common practice at Suzano. 

In 2020, the company further expanded its 

communication with the public authorities, in 

all spheres, to support the fight against the 

coronavirus. The results of these actions prove 

that companies play a key role in mobilizing and 

transforming society. 

Material topic in the section:

 Social development.  

Alande Bernardo Santos, Participant 
in the Community Garden for Women 
project, in Prado (Bahia state).
Photo: Márcio Schimming

Relationship with government and organized civil society  73

 
RELEVANCE IN SOLUTIONS
GRI 103-1, 103-2, 103-3

Suzano's operation has perhaps never been more 
relevant than in 2020. During a complex time for 
the world, our pulp was the raw material for toilet 
paper, medical packaging, food packaging, gowns, 
surgical masks, and tissues, among other essential 
products for society. How can we continue ensuring 
that our products reach their destinations, 
benefiting 2 billion end users? Once again, the 
company opted for a constant, active, and 
transparent dialogue with all stakeholders. After all, 
lockdowns and interruptions in our chain were not 
an option since our business is essential to people's 
lives. We were successful in several initiatives and, 
above all, we operated at a level that Suzano has 
always aspired to— mobilization, in which we join 
efforts with society to find solutions.

BRAZILIAN GOVERNMENTS
In Brazil, as soon as COVID-19 was confirmed, 
the Supreme Federal Court (STF) delegated the 
decision on how to face the pandemic to states 
and municipalities. Suzano then took action and 
dialogued with the federal government and other 
government officials in its areas of influence, 
16 states and 88 municipalities. One of the 
goals was to ensure the company's readiness to 
contribute to the initiatives aimed at protecting 
the health of the population. It was also an 
opportunity to share prevention protocols, 
implement actions, and provide information 
about plans and events, giving full transparency 
about the company's actions and the situation 
of its employees and contractors, all coordinated 
with the state and municipal governments, 
health departments, and health surveillance 
agencies, among others. Thus, we prepared to 
answer possible questions from government 
officials and supported the municipalities in 
putting together their own protocols

Suzano in the fight against COVID-19

SUPPORT IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF A FIELD HOSPITAL 
IN THE CITY OF TEIXEIRA DE FREITAS (BAHIA STATE)

A 450-SQM  

TO SUPPORT THE MUNICIPAL  
HOSPITAL AND THAT SERVES  
THE ENTIRE SOUTHERNMOST  
PART OF THE STATE

74    Suzano Report 2020

20 ICU BEDS WERE 

PROVIDED IN THIS 
ACTION IN SUPPORT OF 
THE STATE GOVERNMENT 
OF BAHIA

The investments to combat COVID-19, 
which were made in 2021, will be covered in 
the next report.

COMMUNICATION AND ACTION
In its direct relationship with Brazilian state 
governments, Suzano identified shortages in 
hospitals, personal protective equipment (PPE), 
and ventilators. One of the most troubling 
scenarios was in the far south of the state of 
Bahia and in northern Espírito Santo, given the 
number of available beds in the Intensive Care Unit 
(ICU) to cater to COVID-19 cases. This warning sign 
led Suzano to begin negotiations with the Bahia 
state government for the joint construction of a 
field hospital in Teixeira de Freitas, a municipality 
neighboring Mucuri, which would serve the entire 
far south of the state.

Opened in June 2020, the unit has 20 ICU beds 
in an area of 450 sqm adjacent to the Teixeira 
de Freitas Municipal Hospital. The project was 
made possible thanks to the partnership between 
Suzano, Veracel Celulose, and the government 
of Bahia. The private sector contributed a sum 
of money to build and assemble the structure, 

and the state government was responsible for 
maintaining the health unit. Its deactivation was 
scheduled for December 2020, but activities at the 
site were extended until March 2021 to meet the 
needs of the region. 

Suzano also allocated approximately R$50 million 
to initiatives such as the purchase and donation of 
159 ventilators and 1 million hospital masks, and 
it distributed 70% alcohol hand sanitizer, toilet 
paper, diapers, and napkins to public hospitals and 
governments at federal, state, and municipal levels. 
The equipment was donated by the company to 
the federal government and to the governments 
of the states of Bahia, Espírito Santo, Mato Grosso 
do Sul, Maranhão, Pará, Paraná, and São Paulo, 
and also distributed to some municipalities in the 
regions where the company operates. At the same 
time, Suzano supported the production of 6,500 
ventilators in four months in a project carried out 
in partnership with Magnamed.

SUPPORT FOR ACTIONS AT MUNICIPAL, 
STATE, AND FEDERAL LEVELS

To learn more 
about these 
actions by Suzano, 
click here.

APPROXIMATELY R$50* 

MILLION ALLOCATED FOR THE  
PURCHASE AND DONATION OF:  

     159 VENTILATORS 

     1 MILLION HOSPITAL MASKS

     AND DISTRIBUTION OF 70% 
ALCOHOL HAND SANITIZER, TOILET 
PAPER, DIAPERS, AND NAPKINS 

6,500 

VENTILATORS PRODUCED IN 
FOUR MONTHS BY MAGNAMED 
WITH SUPPORT FROM SUZANO

* The R$50 million figure refers to investments made to combat the pandemic in 2020.  
Our actions remain strong in 2021. The updated total, as well as all the actions performed, 
are available at: https://www.suzanoagainstcoronavirus.com

Relationship with government and organized civil society  75

 
PARTICIPATION IN FORUMS 
AND ORGANIZATIONS
GRI 102-13

In 2020, Suzano joined the collective initiative 
Call to Action, organized by Business for Nature, 
a global community that brings together 
organizations and 30 companies from 11 
countries that contribute to nature conservation. 
The purpose of the initiative is to mobilize 
companies worldwide to advance their practices 
promoting biological diversity, in addition to 
encouraging governments to create public policies 
that contribute to reversing the degradation of 
biodiversity during this decade, called the Decade 
on Ecosystem Restoration (2021-2030) according 
to the UN, and promote sustainable development.

To support this agenda, the World Economic 
Forum promotes 1t.org, of which Suzano is a 

CHINA-UNITED ARAB EMIRATES-
BRAZIL CONNECTION

Who would have imagined the complexity 
involved in importing ventilators and 
hospital masks from China, a country 
where Suzano has operations? There 
are no direct flights from China to 
Brazil. This distance requires a layover 
in another country, in regions where 
confiscation of this type of merchandise 
occurs frequently. A safe route to Brazil 
and within the national territory needed 
to be established. This was all made 
possible through an agreement with 
the United Arab Emirates, in addition 
to coordination with the federal 
government and the seven states to 
which medical items were donated, which 
guaranteed the safe arrival of these 
products at their destinations.

76    Suzano Report 2020

member of the Advisory Council. The goal of the 
platform is to connect leaders in reforestation 
with leaders in science, technology, business, 
politics, and finance to reforest biomes in Asia, 
Africa, and the Americas. 

In Brazil, one of the ways Suzano reinforces 
the importance of biodiversity in its business 
strategies is through the Brazilian Business 
Commitment to Biodiversity, launched by 
the Brazilian Business Council for Sustainable 
Development (CEBDS). As part of the Business 
for Nature movement, the commitment contains 
nine goals to be achieved by 2030 with a 
focus on the pillars of prevention, mitigation, 
compensation, and generation, in addition to 
information sharing.

FOR A SUSTAINABLE AGENDA IN 
BRAZIL
Suzano is one of the 40 signatories to the 
Comunicado do Setor Empresarial Brasileiro 
(Communication from the Brazilian Business 
Sector), a document that defends the sustainable 
development agenda and the fight against 
deforestation in the Amazon. In addition to 
companies from different sectors of the economy, 
the movement, headed by CEBDS, brings together 
entities from the various sectors of the economy. 
The letter was addressed to the Vice Presidency of 
the Republic and to the National Council of the 
Legal Amazon, chaired by Vice President Hamilton 
Mourão, and subsequently filed with the Federal 
Supreme Court (STF), the Senate, the House 
of Representatives, and the Attorney General's 
Office (PGR).

The document highlights the possible impacts 
on business caused by Brazil's negative image 
abroad on social and environmental issues. It also 
indicates immediate actions to be taken to allay 
the negative perceptions of foreign investors 
and consumers and defend the necessity of 
redirecting investments to address Brazil’s 
economic recovery in an inclusive, circular, and 
low carbon economic model.

The six-banded armadillo is an animal frequently spotted in Suzano's forests in Mato Grosso do Sul state . Photo: Araquém Alcântara

ZERO DEFORESTATION
Suzano categorically does not practice 
deforestation. In addition to preserving important 
fragments of native forest and restoring previously 
degraded areas, the company uses its vast 
knowledge in forest management and the most 
advanced technology to increase production 

capacity of eucalyptus clones, occupying exactly 
the same area that it has for the cultivation 
of its trees. In 2020, as a way of expanding its 
area of influence in this important topic, we 
developed a Wood Supply Policy and started to 
publish the company's annual reports specifically 
on the subject. 

Carbon, a strategic issue

GRI 103-1, 103-2, 103

Suzano believes that one of the main incentives for the recovery and conservation of native 
forests is the creation of a regulated, global, coordinated, and large-scale carbon market. 
Brazil can take a leading role in environmental debates for a low-carbon economy. We believe 
that, in order to achieve a new role in global geopolitics, the country needs, as a nation, to 
demonstrate its commitment to zero illegal deforestation. This is essential for advancement 
in the process of creating a global carbon market, an effective instrument for protection 
against deforestation and a source of resources that could be converted into benefits for the 
population and the Brazilian territory as a whole. 

Suzano continues to dialogue with the production sector, civil society, the Ministry of 
Economy, and Itamaraty (Foreign Affairs) with the expectation of forming an internal 
commission and developing a legal framework for the Brazilian carbon market to move 
forward in 2021. The company also intensified communication with international authorities, 
looking to support the process until a balance is found in final discussions on the Paris 
Agreement. We are working on all these fronts and hope that the alignment between 
countries will materialize in November 2021 at the United Nations Conference on Climate 
Change (COP 26) in Glasgow, Scotland. 

Relationship with government and organized civil society  77

 
78    Suzano Report 2020

SECTION  |  11

COMMUNITY
relations 

Suzano believes that companies are 

important agents of transformation in 

society. Faced with such a challenging 

scenario caused by COVID-19, 

the company responded quickly 

and focused on supporting the 

communities, without neglecting its 

social strategy and existing projects.

Associated material topic :

  Associated material topic.

Claudia Pavaneti dos Santos, participant 
in the Rural Land Development Program 
(PDRT), in Nova Viçosa (Bahia state).  
Photo: Márcio Schimming

Community relations  79

 
CLOSER TO COMMUNITIES
GRI 103-1, 103-2, 103-3

At the beginning of 2020, Suzano's expectation 
was to dedicate efforts to the evolution of social 
strategies and processes and proceed with its existing 
projects and programs related to this topic. The 
COVID-19 pandemic, however, created complex and 
urgent needs regarding the company's relationship 
with communities. The first major challenge was to 
understand how the company should deal with the 
problem. Based on analyses of the global scenario 
and the hundreds of commitments that we have 
with neighboring communities, we decided to 
preserve resources and retain our capacity to serve 
the communities, considering the possibility of an 
extended crisis. 

We continued with our programs and projects 
and concentrated our efforts on developing new 
methodologies and new ways of operating. At the same 
time, based on partnerships and engagement with 
communities, we studied as many ideas as possible, in 
order to face the social and economic impacts of the 
pandemic in the most vulnerable regions where we 
operate. This task force resulted in a set of initiatives 
called Emergency Actions, which benefited 55,028 
people in 8 states (Bahia, Espírito Santo, Minas Gerais, 
Mato Grosso do Sul, São Paulo, Maranhão, Pará, and 
Tocantins), and in the construction of a field hospital 
in extreme southern Bahia and hundreds of donations 
of items and equipment used to prevent the disease 
(see table on the side). The materials were distributed 
by Suzano, together with the governments, including 
regions where the company operates. To this end, the 
needs of each state and municipality were taken into 
account, as well as the strategy established by health 
authorities to combat COVID-19.

We know that in 2021 the scenario imposed by the 
pandemic will continue to be challenging. Approximately 
2.9 million people in the country are below the poverty 
line, according to the 2020 estimated population study 
conducted by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and 
Statistics (IBGE). Suzano is fully aware of its role in the 
joint construction of transformational solutions in society. 

80    Suzano Report 2020

Emergency 
actions

In 2020, we launched a set of emergency 
actions aimed at three main targets: 
priority municipalities; groups and 
institutions with reduced income 
alternatives at the moment; and 
neighboring communities (urban and 
rural) with a high degree of socioeconomic 
vulnerability. The initiatives were planned 
to generate jobs and income, fight 
contagion by the virus and facilitate 
families' access to aid from the federal 
government and states. The communities 
remained engaged and participated 
throughout the process in a climate of 
positive cooperation.

See the results of each action and the 
states benefited: 

PROTECTIVE MASKS   
(in partnership with other 
companies)

      498,000 MASKS 
MANUFACTURED  
BY THE COMMUNITY 
FOR SALE

      R$900,000 IN 
INCOME GENERATED 

      30 COMMUNITIES  
INVOLVED IN 7 STATES 
(BA, ES, SP, MS, MA, 
TO, AND PA)

     332 SEAMSTRESSES 
INVOLVED 

EMERGENCY CALL FOR PROPOSALS

      R$600,000 INVESTED IN PROJECTS 
FOR RAPID RESPONSE TO THE IMPACTS 
CAUSED BY THE PANDEMIC OVER A 
THREE-MONTH PERIOD

      70 LOCATIONS SERVED IN 5 STATES 
(BA, ES, MG, MA, AND PA)

      SUPPORT FOR SMALL BUSINESSES 
AND LOCAL AND REGIONAL 
ORGANIZATIONS

      PARTNERSHIP WITH THE BRAZILIAN 
FUND FOR BIODIVERSITY (FUNBIO)

     469 PROJECTS RECEIVED

      53,469 PEOPLE AFFECTED BY 
THE 121 PROJECTS APPROVED AND 
COMPLETED BY DECEMBER 2020 

DELIVERY OF FOOD 
STAPLES BASKETS

      37,564 BASKETS 
SOLD AND DELIVERED 
BY FARMERS TO LOCAL 
RESIDENTS

      MORE THAN  
R$1.1 MILLION  
IN TOTAL INCOME 
GENERATED

      310 FARMERS FROM 39 
COMMUNITIES MOBILIZED 
IN 5 STATES (BA, ES, MA, 
MS, AND SP)

     308 TONS OF FOOD 
SOLD

ACCESS TO PUBLIC POLICIES

During the pandemic, most of the families who benefit through 
our programs were directly affected, either by the reduction of 
consumer market options for their products or by the difficulty in 
receiving reliable information on benefits offered by municipalities, 
states, and the federal government. Thus, the technical teams of our 
programs established a plan to provide continuous guidance to these 
families, thereby securing their access to emergency assistance and to 
guidebooks with preventive measures focused on specific audiences, 
such as farmers, fishermen, quilombolas, and Indigenous people. We 
also support the development of projects by associations submitted 
in response to emergency calls for proposal issued by governments, 
such as Bahia Produtiva (Bahia state government) and the federal 
government, Food Acquisition Program (PAA - Programa de Aquisição 
de Alimentos).

     THOUSAND OF FAMILIES ASSISTED

     90 ASSOCIATIONS IN 5 STATES (BA, ES, MA, PA AND TO)

      R$400,000 RAISED AND 8 PROJECTS APPROVED IN 
THE BAHIA PRODUTIVA CALL FOR PROPOSALS

      R$1 MILLION RAISED, 65 FAMILIES BENEFITED, 
AND 16 PROJECTS APPROVED THROUGH THE FOOD 
ACQUISITION PROGRAM

Community relations  81

 
RESILIENT TERRITORIES
GRI 103-1, 103-2, 103-3

Since Suzano defined its social strategy, the 
qualified income generation process has been 
strengthening year after year. Now, with its 
Long-Term Goals disclosed in February 2020, 
the company has established a new level of 
social performance to be achieved, requiring 
gains in scale and scope. This is because two 
of the commitments are directly linked to 
income generation and education, important 
aspects for which, hand in hand with 
communities, we want to build innovative and 
sustainable solutions. 

To learn about the two long-term 
social goals, click here. 

In line with these commitments, we prepared 
to build and debate the evolution of the 
Resilient Territories strategy. The goal of 
this strategy is to use all the knowledge 
developed by Suzano and other players in 
the regions where the company operates and 
has maintained community relations over 
the years to influence public processes and 
policies that benefit an increasing number of 
people and regions.

   THE MEANING OF TERRITORY FOR 

SUZANO

The group of municipalities with which 
Suzano maintain close relation and has 
economic, social, political, environmental, 
and/or cultural influence.

      WHAT ARE RESILIENT TERRITORIES?
They are socioeconomically diverse territories 
that are less vulnerable and better prepared 
to deal with changes, complexities, crises, 
and multiple disruptions (of an economic, 
environmental, technological, social, or political 
nature), avoiding economic collapse and 
preserving their resource base, which is why 
they are more sustainable in the long run.

      HOW DOES A TERRITORY DEVELOP 

RESILIENCE?

It is critical that Suzano has a systemic approach 
that considers not only all of its operational, 
institutional, environmental, and social influence 
and impact, but also its ability to connect with 
other relevant social players through strategic 
partnerships that leverage local potential and 
create environments for mutual cooperation. 
A company, in this case, can act as process 
coordinator, but never as the leader. Leadership 
has to come from the territory.

The development of a region is not limited 
to social and environmental programs. The 
company has to understand the extent of its 
impact upon the territory, which goes beyond 
the positive return of these projects. Factors 
such as training of skilled labor, tax collection, 
and proper supplier relationship management 
contribute to the resilience of the territory and 
to pulling people up from the poverty line. In 
this sense, Suzano plans to take advantage of 
all the experience acquired through projects 
such as income generation programs, which 
today benefit around 4,000 families, to influence 
the state and, thus, establish partnerships 
to provide greater reach and coverage of the 
initiatives in the territories. 

The Aracruz (Espírito Santo state) and Mucuri 
(Bahia state) units implemented a pilot project 
for Resilient Territories in December 2020, 
as they are very challenging from a social 
standpoint. The other units are expected to 
implement the project throughout 2021.

82    Suzano Report 2020

A new index

Another concept that Suzano put a lot of effort in 2020, and which complements 
the resilient territory strategy, is related to the Multidimensional Poverty 
Index. The purpose of this indicator is to understand which aspects influence or 
reinforce people's vulnerability, such as education, access to public services, and 
housing conditions. 

Our public commitment to pulling 200k people up from the poverty line is related 
to economic poverty: household per capita monetary poverty. However, the idea is 
that Suzano will expand this view in the coming years, based on the multidimensional 
poverty indicator. The concept is already used by the World Bank, but there are no 
references of companies that have developed this instrument. Therefore, we are 
going to establish the parameters and all governance rules, traceability, and audit 
processes in order to give maximum consistency and transparency in measuring the 
progress of the goal of pulling people up from the poverty line.

Domingas Rodrigues, participant in the Rural Land Development Program (PDRT), in the Córrego do 
Macuco Community, in Conceição da Barra (Espírito Santo state). Photo: Márcio Schimming

Community relations  83

 
Jussara Aparecida Veloso, participant in the Colmeias Program - COAPIS Sorocaba (São Paulo state).
Photo: Márcio Schimming

COLLECTIVE CONSTRUCTION 
IN COMMUNITIES

Social organization and autonomy are key for 
communities to address their socioeconomic 
demands and evolve in the long run. The 
company shares knowledge and information 
with the parties involved and, based on this 
data, establishes a common vision for the 
development of a given community and 
region, based on prioritizing initiatives and 
defining roles and responsibilities. 

Suzano understands that community 
engagement implies collective construction 
and, therefore, invests in groups rather 
than individuals. Thus, in partnership with 
our neighbors and guided by dialogue and 
transparency, we put in place action plans for 
communities and monitor them annually, in 

addition to having a short-, medium-, and 
long-term transition plan, which expresses 
where families and communities want to be in 
five years. It should be noted that all actions 
result from an agreement, in which Suzano 
makes direct investments or assumes an 
advocacy role, depending on each situation. 

Also, as the groups we work with become 
more prominent and self-sufficient, 
the company can reduce investments in 
structures and equipment. Thus, at the end 
of the process, we hope to have established a 
productive relationship between Suzano and 
the community, with learning and benefits 
for all those involved. 

Suzano's community relations methodologies 
follow guidelines that can be found in the 
Indicators Center.

84    Suzano Report 2020

     
SUZANO EDUCATION 
PROGRAM

The Suzano Education Program (PSE - Programa 
Suzano de Educação) was launched in 2020. It 
is an initiative that invests in the improvement 
of public education through the professional 
development of Board of Education teams, school 
administrators, and teachers, as well as through 
the engagement of families and communities in 
the education project for the territory. 

In its first year, the PSE managed to be present 
in 29 municipalities in 6 Brazilian states (Bahia, 
Espírito Santo, Maranhão, Mato Grosso do 
Sul, Pará, and São Paulo), serving 898 schools 
and benefiting 11,713 educators and 205,504 
children and young people. With these positive 
results, the idea is to expand the program in 
the coming years. See more information in the 
Indicators Center. 

RELATIONSHIP WITH 
QUILOMBOLAS AND 
INDIGENOUS PEOPLE

Suzano's relationship with quilombola communities 
is more intense in the states of Espírito Santo and 
Bahia. In addition, the company has a series of 
initiatives in place and maintains an open dialogue 
with more than 12 Indigenous tribes. To learn more 
about this topic, go to the Indicators Center.

ECOFUTURO: ENVIRONMENTAL 
KNOWLEDGE AND 
CONSERVATION

In line with Suzano's sustainability strategy and 
reinforcing Suzano's social and environmental 
commitments, Instituto Ecofuturo—an 
organization founded by the company in 1999—
develops actions focused on environmental 
conservation and promotion of knowledge. As the 
manager of Parque das Neblinas, our reserve with 
7,000 hectares of Atlantic Forest, the Institute 
gave support to two on-site surveys in 2020, in 
partnership with the Luiz de Queiroz School of 
Agriculture, of the University of São Paulo (Esalq/
USP), and with USP's Biosciences Institute. It also 
launched the mini-documentary Onde a Natureza 
Faz História to disseminate the work carried 
out with rural landowners and, adapting to the 
changed scenario, provided a distance learning 
platform with free courses on environmental 
education and incentives for reading. More 
information is available on Ecofuturo's website.

To learn about the main company 
initiatives in social and land 
development, such as PDRT, go  
to the Indicators Center.

Carlimar Souza Santos, maker of 
Farinha Gentil and participant in the 
2020 Emergency Call for Proposals, 
in Alcobaça (Bahia state).  
Photo: Márcio Schimming

Community relations  85

     
 
SECTION  |  12

Relationship  
with the 

PLANET

Suzano has one of the largest forest 

bases in the world and its activities 

are directly linked to the cycles of 

nature. Topics such as climate change, 

forest management, and innovation to 

achieve better practices and results are 

some of Suzano's highlights in 2020.

Associated material topics:

 Operational Excellence and Eco-efficiency

 Forest Management

 Climate Change.

86    Suzano Report 2020

Relationship  

with the 

PLANET

Grace Kelly Mendes de Almeida, 
participant in the Pencil of the 
Atlantic Forest Project, in Capão 
Bonito (São Paulo state).
Photo: Márcio Schimming

Relationship with the planet   87
87    Relatório Suzano 2020

 
EFFICIENCY AND 
SUSTAINABILITY IN FOREST 
MANAGEMENT
GRI 103-1, 103-2, 103-3

Suzano's view of forest efficiency is increasingly 
based on the innovability concept, i.e., having 
innovation at the service of sustainability, seeking 
to harmonize operational and environmental 
gains in production processes. The company has 
sought innovations to ensure greater efficiency in 
forest management processes, aiming at greater 
productivity per planted area and cost reduction, 
while trying to reduce the use of natural 
resources in this operation. 

In order to achieve greater efficiency, in 2020 the 
company's entire forest base was reclassified 
based on environmental parameters and 
climate risk. This reclassification of production 
environments is key to ensuring sustainable 
performance. With the new environmental 
classification, it will be possible to generate 
recommendations on management, clonal 
allocation, and forest-based repositioning with 
important gains in productivity and optimized 

use of resources. A good example in 2020 
was the project to revise the principles of soil 
preparation, aiming at greater savings in this 
process. These improvements consider, among 
other aspects, reduced use of machines in 
the field and/or adoption of equipment that 
requires less power. This means that, in addition 
to lower costs, the operation now emits less CO2 
into the atmosphere. 

A similar approach is applied when we 
demobilize areas and concentrate our forests in 
regions with the greatest potential and minimal 
risk in production. Instead of having forests 
in a larger area, but with low productivity, 
the company opts for smaller areas with high 
productivity, that are lower risk and close to 
the mills, thus optimizing the transportation 
of wood and the use of natural resources. In 
addition, considering the new classification 
and environmental risk, all forests are planned 
following specific technical recommendations, 
in which planting density, fertilization, and 
type of management are defined, among other 
recommendations to reduce costs and use of 
resources and to boost forest productivity. 

TOTAL AREAS MAINTAINED BY SUZANO BY TYPE OF LAND USE
IN HECTARES (HA)

2019

2020

Company 
areas

Leased areas and 
partnerships

Total

Company 
areas

Leased areas and 
partnerships

Total

Forest and available

699,128.50 

576,187.11 

1,275,315.61 

 754,465.00 

 591,688.00 

 1,346,153.00 

Areas for conservation

481,042.86 

405,757.96 

886,800.82 

 527,224.00 

 433,634.00 

 960,858.00 

Infrastructure

57,066.40 

47,331.71 

104,398.11 

 51,982.00 

 38,586.00 

 90,568.00 

Total

1,237,237.76 

1,029,276.78 

2,266,514.54 

 1,333,671.00 

 1,063,908.00 

 2,397,579.00 

88    Suzano Report 2020

Marcelly Florêncio Francisco (at the back) and Vanusa Ferreira da Silva de Oliveira, Research Assistants, 
employees of the company Equilíbrio, Unidade Aracruz (Espírito Santo state). Photo: Márcio Schimming

In our forest scope, three work fronts particularly 
stood out in 2020:

1. WATER RESOURCES
The risk of water shortage is one of the highest 
priority subjects for Suzano. This is because, in 
addition to having a public goal related to the 
use of water, cultivation of eucalyptus requires a 
series of precautions concerning the proper use of 
this resource. By 2030, the company will manage 
100% of the watersheds identified as critical in 
its studies, i.e., those that are most demanded 
by the company and by its neighbors and, 
therefore, require the most attention. Currently, 
40 watersheds are classified as critical, in a total 
of 2,006 where the company has forests, i.e., 2% 
of the total. Suzano has the technology to make 
recommendations for reducing the use of water 
resources in critical areas and, mainly, to certify 
(based on remote sensing) the effectiveness of 
these recommendations in the regions where the 
company operates.

2. BIOLOGICAL PEST CONTROL  
A pioneer in the use of biological control 
techniques, Suzano is one of the companies that 
most invest in this area. Currently, the company 
has two laboratories for the production of 
natural enemies: one in Aracruz (Espírito 
Santo state) and the other in the municipality 
of Alambari (São Paulo state). In 2020, our 
production reached 49 million natural pest 
enemies, which were released in 56,376 hectares, 
exceeding R$14 million in net cost avoided in 
the 2019/2020 period. With this, not only do 
we avoid damage caused by pests, but we also 
use a much more interesting alternative from 
an environmental standpoint: without using 
agrochemicals, we reestablish a balance between 
groups of pests in these areas. Again, we 
have good examples of shared, economic, and 
environmental gains in managing our forests. 
In 2021, with the installation of laboratories in 
Mato Grosso do Sul and Maranhão states, we will 
have new resources to expand biological control.

Relationship with the planet  89

 
3. DISEASE CONTROL
Suzano does not apply fungicides to control 
the vast majority of diseases. As part of our 
integrated management strategy, we assess 
the level of resistance of genetic materials, 
which allows us to select only those clones 
resistant to the most common diseases for 
large-scale planting. In 2020, we defined the 
guidelines and strategies of the FenomicS 
program, which aims to intensify resistance 
assessments, making them more mature, 
robust, and large scale, and expanding the 
scope for characteristics of resistance and 
tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses.

Drought in Mato Grosso do Sul

The severe drought, associated with large-scale 
fires, was one of the main difficulties experienced 
by Suzano in 2020, mainly in Mato Grosso do Sul 
state. The drought alone affected productivity 
in this region and, as a result, we had to deal 
with forest fires. However, through our fire 
prevention and fire fighting network, we managed 
to minimize the impacts on our forests. From a 
management and improvement standpoint, based 
on the most severe drought conditions, valuable 
information was collected and adjustments 
were made to reduce future risk. The two main 
examples were the revision of the planting spacing 
and the adjustment in the recommendation of 
clones, respectively. For these, the climate risk, the 
distribution and intensity of damage in the forest, 
and the differentiated response of eucalyptus 
clones were considered. Based on studies of 
climate anomalies, we have also redefined the risk 
of new events of future drought and the possible 
impacts on forest productivity. This measure is key 
for greater assertiveness in the future planning of 
wood supply.

90    Suzano Report 2020

Lucimar Kosanke, Research Technician, Aracruz Unit (Espírito Santo state).
Photo: Márcio Schimming

NUMBER OF FIRES IN SUZANO'S 
AREAS BY STATE

2019

2020

Bahia

Espírito-Santo

Maranhão

Mato Grosso do Sul

Minas Gerais

Pará

Rio de Janeiro

São Paulo

Tocantins

Total

1,037

1,143

1,860

62

0

369

4

322

107

1,121

3,105

2,453

137

3

169

15

788

39

4,904

7,830

REAL-TIME MONITORING

Our environmental monitoring relies on 
sophisticated equipment capable of assessing, 
at a high frequency and totally remotely, climatic 
conditions, carbon sequestration, use of natural 
resources in our forests, forest health, and the 
occurrence of weeds. With this information, 
our teams identify when, where, and whether 
there will be positive or negative impacts on our 
future productivity so we can propose actions in 
the short term and mitigate risks. Below are the 
main initiatives in the use of these technologies.

1. WEATHER STATIONS AND RADAR
Suzano has a network of weather stations 
dedicated to monitoring the weather across 
all forest areas managed by the company. 
Approximately 70,000 daily records are generated 
by 167 stations, of which 71 are company-
owned and 96 belong to the National Institute 
of Meteorology (INMET), a federal government 
agency. In addition to this monitoring network, 
we have developed a specific climate forecasting 
system for the company's operations, which, 
in addition to forecasting rainfall, gives us 

predictions about the ideal conditions for 
forestry operations, including soil preparation, 
application of herbicides, and planting. The 
climate monitoring and forecasting system allows 
us to reduce uncertainty in forestry operations 
and to evaluate different scenarios on the impact 
of climate change in our production. 

In 2021, Suzano plans to implement an 
integrated climate and fire monitoring solution in 
Três Lagoas (Mato Grosso do Sul state) by issuing 
alerts based on the use of weather radar.

2.  OUTDOOR LABORATORIES AND EDDY 

FLUX TOWERS

Suzano closely monitors the growth of its 
forests. The environmental sensors installed 
in its six eddy flux towers, in addition to the 
experimental micro-watersheds, enable a daily 
assessment of carbon, energy, and water use. 
Eddy flux towers are considered to be the most 
advanced technology in the world for this type 
of study. Currently, the outdoor laboratory 
project includes 11 experimental micro-basins, 
located in the states of Maranhão, Espírito 
Santo, and Mato Grosso do Sul.  

Barão de Santa Branca Farm (São Paulo state). Photo: Adriano Gambarini (WWF)

Gilson Fraga Vicente, farmer participating in the Rural Land Development Program (PDRT), and Gerson Peixoto, Program Consultant by the company Cedrago, in the 
Community of Cachoeiro do Riacho, in Aracruz (Espírito Santo state). Photo: Márcio Schimming

3. REMOTE SENSING OF FORESTS
Suzano has become a pioneer investor in 
remote sensing technologies in order to 
expand sample monitoring for census, which 
will guarantee higher quality and savings 
of resources. In 2020, we consolidated the 
monthly monitoring of forests through the 
Leaf Area Index (LAI). This index accurately 
measures the density of leaves on a tree and 
is an important indicator of forest quality. 
The periodic monitoring the LAI allows for the 

detection of changes in the upper forest cover 
and helps identify necessary adjustments.

We have also developed an indicator and 
alerts for areas competing with weeds. This 
technology allows us to prioritize critical 
locations that require intervention and helps 
us optimize the use of resources. In 2020, we 
monitored more than 1.24 million hectares of 
forests using satellite imagery, consolidating 
remote and near real-time monitoring.

Triple partnership

Suzano, the WWF, and Procter & Gamble (P&G) joined efforts to establish cooperation for 
the recovery of degraded environments and greater autonomy for farming families in the 
state of Espírito Santo. Started in late 2020, the project began by mapping vulnerable areas 
in the state that are under pressure from deforestation and reduced water availability. The 
project also relied on local partnerships to gain scale. After prioritizing the areas, cooperation 
advanced in 2021 with the strengthening of local crops through agroecological techniques and 
transfer of knowledge to farming families in favor of conservation. With this, our company, 
the WWF, and P&G will jointly promote more resilient territories, generators of financial wealth 
and increasingly larger and better ecosystem services.

92    Suzano Report 2020

Among the best 
in the world 

Our environmental restoration model 
was considered by the UN to be one of 
the 15 most transformative projects in 
Brazil in terms of economic, social, and 
environmental sustainability worldwide. 
The selection was made by specialists 
in sustainable development from the 
Economic Commission for Latin America 
and the Caribbean (ECLAC), linked 
to the UN, the Institute for Applied 
Economic Research (IPEA), and the federal 
government. In total, the group evaluated 
131 studies, from which 66 cases were 
chosen to compose a publication called 
Big Push for Sustainability. Among these 
studies, emphasis was given to Suzano's 
Rural Land Development Program (PDRT). 

ENVIRONMENTAL 
GOVERNANCE

Important advances marked Suzano's 
environmental governance in 2020, such 
as the operational integration of the units 
into a corporate operating model and 
the establishment of a joint vision of the 
company's environmental and social agendas. 
In addition, in a company that owns 1.3 million 
hectares of plantations and nearly 960,000 
hectares set aside for conservation of native 
forests, biodiversity is an asset with high 
strategic value for business sustainability. 
With this belief, in early 2021 we publicly 
launched our Long-Term Biodiversity Goal and 
were recognized by our stakeholders as an 
actual contributor to reducing or not losing 
the biodiversity of Brazilian ecosystems. This 
positioning strengthens the global ambitions of 
the United Nations to improve biodiversity and 
legitimizes Suzano's leading role in this area.

With an up-to-date plan, the company intends 
to maintain the excellence of what has been 
developed in-house while expanding multisector 
partnerships to gain greater relevance in Brazil. 
With this, we expected to become a reference 
in the preservation of our natural capital and in 
other topics of greater impact for the country.  

Suzano's Environmental Restoration Program 
was also recognized as best practice in line with 
UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 
became part of the select publication Inspiring 
Examples to Drive Change, which contains 16 
success stories from around the world. The 
program has one of the most efficient strategies 
for biodiversity conservation and environmental 
restoration in the country and, with the use 
of customized techniques and methodologies, 
resulted in the planting of approximately 11 
million native seedlings over a period of ten years. 
The seedlings were planted on more than 39,000 
hectares of degraded areas in three Brazilian 
biomes: Amazon, Cerrado, and Atlantic Forest.

GREATER PROTECTION FOR THE 
ATLANTIC FOREST

Just as there are master plans for cities, 
the Brazilian legal framework provides 
master plans for biomes such as the 
Atlantic Forest. In partnership with 
SOS Mata Atlântica, Suzano will develop 
30 municipal plans for this biome, 
which is recognized as one of the most 
biodiverse in the world. Thus, in the next 
two years, the company's role within 
the project will be mainly to share its 
knowledge in environmental planning 
and management with NGOs and the 30 
municipal governments located in the 
Atlantic Forest region.

Relationship with the planet  93

 
MUCURI SPRINGS PROJECT  
Created in 2017, the purpose of this initiative is to 
promote environmental conservation and water 
security through the empowerment of families 
toward more sustainable agriculture and actions to 
recover degraded areas. The river originates in the 
northeast of Minas Gerais, one of the poorest regions 
in the state, and flows into southern Bahia, covering 
a total of 446 kilometers in an area of approximately 
15,400 square kilometers with a population of 
537,000. We believe that the recovery of degraded 
areas for greater water security is only possible if 
the planning takes into account both natural and 
productive areas. Therefore, Nascentes do Mucuri's 
methodology is to promote the agroecological 
transition in existing agricultural and livestock farming 
in the region, promoting greater autonomy for 
farming families and encouraging them to preserve 
their natural areas and water springs.

At the end of 2019, this was a booming initiative. 
However, in 2020, with the pandemic, and to protect 
the health of farming families, we reduced the 
intensity of work in the field. 

2020 Results
76 

RURAL PROPERTIES  
VISITED

72

SPRINGS BEING 
RECOVERED

489

PEOPLE
INVOLVED

94    Suzano Report 2020

Learn about our aggregate 
results throughout the program 
in the Indicators Center. 

1,464

HOURS DEDICATED  
TO SOCIAL AND 
ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION

Mucuri River (Bahia state). Photo: Ricardo Teles

ENVIRONMENTAL COMMITMENTS

One of the goals assumed by Suzano for 2030 
is to reduce the volume of industrial waste 
sent to landfills by 70%, transforming it into 
by-products. To achieve this, the company now 
has important reinforcements in its industrial 
operation. As an example, in 2020 we invested 
approximately R$40 million in the construction 
of two waste treatment and composting plants, 
which will enter into operation in early 2021. 

At Três Lagoas unit (Mato Grosso do Sul state), 
the company will have a soil correction center in 
which industrial waste is enriched and applied to 
forests as nutrients, helping to balance the pH 
of the soil and, consequently, the development 
of plants. There is a similar system in Imperatriz 
(Maranhão state). The surplus will be sold to 
producers of varied crops in the region.

Regarding the use of water in industrial 
operations, in 2020 projects were mapped in 

order to optimize water use at each unit. These 
projects should be implemented by 2030 to 
achieve the Long-Term Goal: reduce the water 
withdrawn by the industrial area by 15%. To 
prepare this mapping, Suzano researched best 
practices, water balance, and management tools, 
and analyzed possible innovation projects through 
the i9 Foco em Água (i9 Focus on Water) program. 
I9 is an innovation program that encourages 
employees to share ideas for improvements 
related to specific topics. At i9 Foco em Água, 
the operational team was encouraged to make 
suggestions that could lead to a reduction in 
water consumption at the units.

In addition, considering the expected water 
reduction curve by 2030, annual targets were 
defined for each industrial unit, with monthly 
monitoring of results. Any deviations are dealt 
with according to the management tools adopted 
in the Suzano Operational Excellence model. The 
results are released monthly to the employees of 
the units, ensuring commitment to this topic. 

Relationship with the planet  95

 
ENERGY EFFICIENCY
Two projects related to increased energy 
exports stood out in 2020. The first, 
Thor, is a tool that recommends, through 
algorithms and in real time, the best 
allocation of steam available for each 
turbine, optimizing energy generation. 
The project was jointly developed with the 
Digital team for the Três Lagoas mill and 
subsequently replicated in other Suzano 
plants. Once fully operational, the project 
should generate a gain of 7.75 MW of 
average power in 2021. 

The second project was developed to 
increase the specific production of steam 
by the boilers in the industrial units 
per amount of fuel consumed, enabling 
higher generation of electric energy. 
The opportunities found and the gains 
captured vary according to each facility, 
i.e., they are specific to each unit. To learn 
about the main challenges faced by the 
units and the prospects for 2021, go to 
the Indicators Center.

Imperatriz Unit (Maranhão state). Photo: Márcio Schimming

Energy exports

In 2020, Suzano exported, on average, 193 MWe of energy from 
renewable sources to the grid, approximately 10% more than in 2019 
(including 50% of the energy exported by Veracel, a joint venture 
between Suzano and Stora Enso). With this, the company advances in 
its goal of increasing the export of renewable energy by 50% by 2030, 
contributing to the expansion of the Brazilian renewable energy mix. 
Learn more in the section "Long-Term Goals." 

96    Suzano Report 2020

OUR CERTIFICATIONS 
Management of the company's 
certifications is broken down into 
forestry and industrial operations, 
attesting to our responsible social and 
environmental conduct through the 
whole production chain. 

Our forestry certifications ensure 
better use of natural resources and 
quality human relations, respecting the 
environmental, social, and economic 
aspects in the regions where we operate. 
Currently, 83% of the company's planted 
areas are certified*. 

Our industrial certifications showcase 
the use of best practices in process 
management in our production units, 
ensuring a balanced creation of value, 
innovation, and efficiency. To learn more 
about how the company manages this 
topic, visit our Indicators Center.

FOREST CERTIFICATIONS:

  FSC® (Forest Stewardship Council®)** - forest 
management

  PEFC/Cerflor (Brazilian Forest Certification 
Program) - forest management

INDUSTRIAL CERTIFICATIONS:

  FSC® (Forest Stewardship Council®)*** - chain of 
custody

  PEFC/Cerflor (Brazilian Forest Certification 
Program) - chain of custody

  ISO 9001 - quality

  ISO 14001 - environmental management

  OHSAS 18001 - health and safety

* The calculation of the percentage of certified forest areas 
considers only operational areas, where eucalyptus is 
planted under Suzano's management, and excludes areas for 
development, areas transferred to investment funds, and 
areas not considered by procurement planning for supplying 
the industrial units (such as the areas located in Piauí and 
Urbano Santos).

** Forest management licenses codes FSC-C110130, 
FSC-C118283, FSC-C100704, FSC-C009927, and FSC-C155943.

*** Chain of custody license code FSC-C010014.

Crab-eating fox or bushdog, in Mato Grosso do Sul state. Photo: Araquém Alcântara

Relationship with the planet  97

 
Cocoi heron and capybaras in the pond on Barra da Moeda farm, in Mato Grosso do Sul state. Photo: Araquém Alcântara

CLIMATE CHANGE: MATURITY 
AND COMMITMENT

The topic of climate change is equally complex and 
strategic for Suzano. It is complex because, despite 
being a major challenge for society, companies and 
organizations are still studying and developing 
methodologies and systems to quantify emissions 
and removals in a more accurate way. It is strategic 
because the company has one of the largest forest 
bases in the world, including eucalyptus forests 
and preserved areas, and therefore wants to be part 
of the solution to the problem of climate change 
and lead, among other initiatives, the creation of a 
carbon market.

At Suzano, according to the Enterprise Risk 
Management (ERM) methodology, climate 
change is also one of our main risks. From a 
forestry technology standpoint, for example, 
after a comprehensive review with this focus, 
a technological roadmap will be prepared with 
actions to quantify the risks and impacts on 
forest productivity, focusing on actions for the 
development of resilient forests and repositioning 
of the forest base.

Also in this regard, 2020 was marked by reinforcing 
the topic of climate change after the disclosure 
of the Long-Term Goals. Among the initiatives 
carried out in the company for this subject to 
gain even more relevance and scope, we highlight 
the proximity of the Sustainability area to key 
areas in the company through forums, meetings, 
training sessions, and participation in workshops. 
In these meetings, Suzano's professionals had the 
opportunity to learn more about technical aspects, 
understand the company's role in this movement, 
better understand its performance, and identify 
opportunities to contribute to the topic, internally 
and externally, so that the subject of climate 
change becomes a theme that goes beyond the 
environmental area to permeate the routine of the 
entire company. 

Another initiative worth mentioning is the 
creation of a working group (WG) formed by 
representatives from the areas of Sustainability, 
Corporate Relations, New Business, Finance, and 
Technology & Innovation to discuss Suzano's role 
in this topic, internally and externally. Depending 
on the agenda, other areas are also invited to 
participate in the discussions and action fronts. 

98    Suzano Report 2020

One of the great opportunities being analyzed 
by this WG is the company's participation in the 
voluntary carbon market, offering credits that 
provide benefits beyond removal of greenhouse 
gases (GHGs) to other organizations that have 
commitments to reduce their emissions. We want 
to share our goals and the gains already achieved 
with companies that are also committed to 
developing a less carbon-intensive economy. 

In line with Suzano's objective of being recognized 
as a leader and agent of transformation in 
the joint development of innovative and 
sustainable solutions, the CEO and the Industrial, 
Sustainability, and Corporate Relations Directors 
now have on their list of goals (linked to their 
variable pay) the ones related to the company's 
climate change strategy. This will be cascaded, 
in 2021, across the organizational structure, 
reaching, for example, the executive areas of Risks 
and New Businesses and Forest Inventory.

Another important advance is the development 
of a Multidisciplinary Climate Change Strategy, 
which is still being prepared. This strategy takes 
into account the recommendations of the Task 
Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosure 
(TCFD) as well as our role in the face of climate 
mitigation and adaptation needs, future 
regulatory scenarios, and our commitment to 
this topic. 

We act to create a business model that is resilient 
(working with adaptation, which involves practical 
responses to current and potential impacts of 
temperature change, aiming to minimize any 
losses and damages) and catalyzes opportunities 
(incorporating carbon as a critical variable in 
our operations). The goal of this model is the 
creation of shared value, since we work to offer 
real solutions, focused on the transition to 
a low-carbon economy. Our goals, which are 
consistent with scientific precepts, have been 
structured in a more substantive way than the 
goals of the Paris Agreement.

Incorporate climate change into our business model, driving our vision and the 
transition to a low-carbon economy

Create a business 
model that is resilient 
(adaptation) and an 
opportunity catalyst

Incorporate Carbon as 
an aspect in operations 
(risks and opportunities)

Create shared value 
based on solutions 
for the transition to a 
low-carbon economy

Our goals, which are science based, have also been more substantively structured compared to 
the goals of the Paris Agreement.

Relationship with the planet  99

 
2020 Suzano worked on a data collection system 
for the company's emissions calculations, a 
project that involved around 170 people. 

In addition to simplifying the day-to-day 
collection of information, the goal is to have 
data management that contributes to a critical 
analysis of emissions and, thereby, generate more 
robust indicators for the areas to monitor and 
adjust their strategies. Thus, in a global view, it is 
expected that each part of the business involved 
can contribute to the achievement of the goals. 

If on one side we manage carbon emissions, on 
the other we manage carbon removal. In this case, 
another company initiative resulted in an update 
in the model for calculating carbon sequestration 
(which considers the characteristics and indicators 
of Suzano's eucalyptus forests and the 
classifications of native forest areas) and revised 
removal factors applied to the calculations. The 
most commonly known data and indicators 
for removal per hectare do not include the 
specificities of productivity in Brazilian soil or 
factors of tropical forests, whose sequestration 
volumes are higher than those of temperate 
forests. The removal calculation methodology 
was verified by a third party, and its results can 
be seen in the Indicators Center. 

Burrowing owl in Mato Grosso do Sul state. Photo: Araquém Alcântara

INTERNAL CHALLENGES

Performance indicators related to GHG emissions 
are well established. A major challenge, however, 
is to internalize the entire methodology in 
the company, so that the areas not only take 
ownership of the measurement systems 
and data analysis, but also understand the 
dimension of the achievement of the goals by 
2030. Given the relevance of this aspect, in 

ADVANCES IN WATER MANAGEMENT  
IN 2021

Suzano has been investing in a portfolio of projects 
for reducing water consumption in all industrial 
units. This year, we will prioritize engineering, 
technical and economic feasibility studies for each 
initiative, considering the strategic importance for 
reaching the Long-Term Goal. 

100    Suzano Report 2020

Forwarder machine stacking eucalyptus logs after harvest, in Mato Grosso do Sul state. Photo: Araquém Alcântara

See the results of our Greenhouse 
Gas Inventory - base 2020 in our 
Indicators Center.

Our partnerships

Suzano has collaborated in different forums. In Brazil, it maintains partnerships with the 
Brazilian Business Council for Sustainable Development (CEBDS), the Global Compact, the 
Brazil Climate Forestry and Agriculture Coalition, and the Brazilian Tree Association (IBÁ). 
The company also integrates a WG of the GHG Protocol, which has been working to propose 
new methodologies for calculating emissions and removals related to land use in order to 
monitor and contribute to the development of this global reference.

In 2020, Suzano also joined the Climate Action 100+. A global initiative by investors who 
represent more than US$52 trillion combined assets under management and express an 
interest in engaging companies in building sound climate change governance, including an 
action plan towards carbon neutrality by 2050 and transparency of indicators related to 
this topic.

Prêmios e reconhecimentos  101

    
 
Laila dos Santos Carneiro,  
participant of the Cerâmica  
Vargem do Tanque Project, in Cunha  
(São Paulo state).
Photo: Márcio Schimming

102    Suzano Report 2020

   
SECTION  |  13

External
READER

Suzano invited an external reader 

to analyze the content of this 

publication and express his opinions 

on the quality and transparency 

of the information. Check the 

statement of Tasso Azevedo.

External reader  103

 
TASSO AZEVEDO

Forest engineer, consultant, advisor, and social 
entrepreneur in sustainability, forest and climate. 
Coordinator of the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Estimation 
System of the Climate Observatory (SEEG) and of 
the Annual Mapping of Land Cover and Use in Brazil 
(MapBiomas), columnist for O Globo newspaper. Visiting 
scholar at the Brasil Lab at Princeton University. He was 
General Director of the Brazilian Forest Service, Executive 
Director of Imaflora and curator of Blog do Clima. He 
received the Bright Award from Stanford University. 

104    Suzano Report 2020

Another highlight is the goal to replace 10 
million tons of petroleum-based plastics with 
substitutes from renewable sources by 2030. 
This volume is equal to almost one year of the 
current production of plastics in Brazil. The 
substitution of oil and gas products is one 
of the great challenges in transitioning to a 
low-carbon economy. The initiative to develop 
bio-oil to replace oil by leveraging the existing 
refinery infrastructure is especially interesting.

Also worthy of note is the disclosure policy 
on the commitment to zero deforestation. 
The company published a report containing 
an analysis of all the deforestation events 
identified in its areas by independent analyses 
(MapBiomas and SOS Mata Atlântica) and 
describing the actions taken in relation to each 
event. All cases identified are the result of 
squatting in the states of Bahia, Espírito Santo 
(6 ha), and Maranhão (114 ha). This level of 
transparency and clarity is a benchmark for the 
entire Brazilian rural sector.

T he year 2020 was an immense challenge 

for everyone: governments, companies, 
and civil society. The COVID-19 
pandemic has imposed a profound and radical 
change in how organizations plan and operate.

In a year with a massive loss of human lives, 
Suzano fulfilled the role that is expected of 
the largest Brazilian agribusiness company by 
acting to adapt to the conditions imposed 
by the pandemic while showing solidarity and 
taking action to support the most vulnerable 
groups in society. 

Nevertheless, it is commendable that even in 
the midst of this turmoil, the company has 
maintained its long-term vision by launching 
ambitious goals regarding the climate agenda, 
the conservation of water resources, and the 
expansion of diversity. An important highlight 
is the net removal of 40 million tons of CO2 by 
2030, including direct and indirect emissions 
(Scopes 1, 2, and 3), which goes far beyond the 
increasingly common commitments to zero 
emissions by the middle of the century.

If this commitment inspires the entire 
agricultural sector, it is possible that Brazil 
will no longer be among the largest emitters 
of greenhouse gases and will become a net 
contributor to removals long before 2050.

External reader  105

 
SECTION  |  14

GRI 102-56

ASSURANCE STATEMENT  
BUREAU VERITAS

INTRODUCTION
Bureau Veritas Certification Brazil (‘Bureau 
Veritas’) was engaged by Suzano S.A. (‘Suzano’) to 
conduct an independent assurance of its Annual 
Report for the year 2020 (hereinafter referred to 
as the Report).

This assessment was conducted by a 
multidisciplinary staff with expertise in 
non-financial data.

SCOPE OF WORK
The scope of this verification encompassed: 

1.  The Standards1 of the Global Reporting 

InitiativeTMGRI for Sustainability Reports, for 
the period from 1 January to 31 December 
2020;

2.  The Verification of Long-Term Goals, 

3.  Verification of the 2018 and 2019 Long-Term 
Goal data of (1) lifting 200 thousand people 
over the poverty threshold and (2) the 
data obtained in 2019 of the participation 
(percentage) of women in leadership 
positions within the company, related to the 
Diversity & Inclusion Long-Term Goal.

SUZANO´S AND BUREAU VERITAS 
RESPONSIBILITIES
The collection, calculation and presentation of 
the data published in the report are Suzano’s 
management sole responsibility. Bureau Veritas is 
responsible for providing an independent opinion 
to the Stakeholders, pursuant to the scope of 
work defined in this declaration.

METHODOLOGY
The Assurance covered the following activities:

regarding the correct parameter settings 
of the associated indicators and analysis 
regarding the accuracy of the data obtained;

1.  Interviews with the personnel responsible 

for material issues and involved in the Report 
content;

1. Materiality, Stakeholder Inclusiveness, Sustainability Context, Completeness, Balance, Comparability, Accuracy, Periodicity, Clarity, and Reliability

106    Suzano Report 2020

2.  Remote interviews on corporate processes 
(Central Administration office located in 
São Paulo – SP) and processes regarding the 
following operational sites: ; Mucuri - BA; 
Suzano – SP and Três Lagoas – MS;

3.  Review of documentary evidence provided 

by Suzano in relation to the reporting period 
(2020);

4.  Evaluation of the systems used for data 

compilation;

5.  Analysis of Suzano’s stakeholder engagement 

activities;

6.  Evaluation of the method used to define 

material topics included in the Report, taking 
into account the sustainability context and the 
scope of the information published.

The level of verification adopted was Limited, 
according to the requirements of the ISAE 3000 
Standard2, which were incorporated to the 
internal assessment protocols of Bureau Veritas, 
except for the data verification of the poverty 
threshold Goal and data on Diversity & Inclusion, 
both mentioned in item 3 of the Scope of Work. 
For this assessment we use the Limited Scope, 
which brings certain restrictions regarding the 
accuracy of the data.

LIMITATIONS AND EXCLUSIONS
Excluded from the scope of this work was any 
assessment of information related to:

•  Activities outside the defined assessment 

period;

•  Statements of position (expressions of opinion, 
beliefs, goals, or future intentions) on the part 
of Suzano;

•  Economic and financial accuracy of information 

contained in this Report which has been 
taken from financial statements verified by 
independent financial auditors.

The following limitations apply for this assurance 
engagement:

•  The Accuracy and Reliability of data were 

assessed on sampling basis, related to material 
aspects published within the Report;

•  The specific data and indicators of the 
Task Force on Climate-Related Financial 
Disclosure (TCFD) and Sustainability Accouting 
Standards Board (SASB) were not subject to 
our verification, except when these data and 
indicators were common to those of the GRI;

•  Economic and financial data presented within 
the report were assessed against the GRI 
reporting principle of Balance and Completeness;

•  Suzano's Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions 

Inventory was verified by us in a distinct process 
in accordance with the criteria of ISO 14.064-1 
/ 07 and GHG Protocol. A Verification statement 
was issued exclusively regarding the verification 
of the GHG inventory.

2. International Standard on Assurance Engagements 3000 – Assurance Engagements other than Audits or Reviews of Historical Financial Information

Letter from the auditor  107

 
TECHNICAL OPINION
•  Suzano's Report consists of a complete edition 
and an Indicators Center, both available on the 
company's website. The scope of our verification 
covered the 2020 data and indicators on the 
material topics presented in these publications, 
with the exception of the specific indicators of 
TCFD and SASB;

•  The Indicators Center presents detailed 

information of the main operational impacts 
of Suzano's activities (GRI indicator 413-2), on 
surrounding communities, using data available 
in the SISPART system. These social impact 
performance data meets a recommendation 
from Bureau Veritas from the previous 
Verification cycle;

•  The Report is based on 10 material topics 

defined in a materiality assessment carried out 
in 2019. In our understanding, the topics remain 
reflecting the impacts of Suzano's activities in a 
balanced way;

•  During our Verification we found that Suzano's 
Long-Term Goals were structured in an objective 
and challenging way;

•  We verified the results obtained in 2018 and 
2019 in relation to the Goal of lifting 200 
thousand people over the poverty threshold by 
2030. We found a reliable system for obtaining 
the income data of the participants of projects 
regarding income generation, supported by 
Suzano. However, we noted that the company 
is still looking for a consolidated procedure for 
monitoring the poverty threshold target, with 
data analysis capacity compatible with the 
target scale;

•  We verified the results obtained in 2019 linked 
to the Diversity and Inclusion target, specifically 
related to the increase in the participation 
(percentage) of women in leadership positions 
within the company. We found a robust 
calculation system with accurate data;

•  Suzano systematized the processes for 

collecting and consolidating performance data 
for social projects supported by the company, 
adherent to a recommendation from the 
previous Verification cycle;

•  Regarding the GRI 403-7 Indicator (Prevention 
and mitigation of occupational health and 
safety impacts directly linked by business 
relationships), we evidenced that Suzano 
presents the health and safety actions and tools 
used in the company's processes and not those 
related to the products and services;

•  Related to the proportion of spending on local 
suppliers (GRI 204-1 indicator), although we 
have seen progress in internal procurement 
practices, we noted that Suzano is still looking 
for effective procedures to improve its 
performance in this field;

•  Regarding the material topic “Forest 

Management”, we noted progress in the 
definition of biodiversity strategies and a 
promise to establish, in 2021, a long-term 
commitment to biodiversity conservation;

•  We evidenced appropriate actions in relation to 
the recommendations issued in our previous 
Verification Statement. In the actual Statement 
we launch new challenges for the company;

• 

It is our understanding that sufficient indicators 
have been reported, to achieve the Core option 
of the GRI Standard for Sustainability Reports.

108    Suzano Report 2020

RECOMMENDATIONS
•  Define strategic actions to increase the 

proportion of spending on local suppliers, in 
accordance with GRI indicator 204-1;

•  Obtain data and information on Prevention and 
mitigation of occupational health and safety 
impacts directly linked by business relationships 
(related to products and services);

•  Regarding the Goal of lifting 200 thousand 

people over the poverty threshold: Implement 
a consolidated procedure for monitoring the 
poverty threshold target, with data analysis 
capacity compatible with the target scale.

CONCLUSION
As a result of our assurance we concluded that:

•  The information presented in the Report is 

balanced, consistent and reliable;

•  Suzano established appropriate systems for 
the collection, aggregation and analysis of 
quantitative and qualitative data used in the 
Report;

•  The Report adheres to the Principles for defining 
report content and quality of the GRI Standards 
and meet its Core level;

•  The Long-Term Goals were established in a 

structured and challenging way.

DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE 
AND IMPARTIALITY
Bureau Veritas Certification is an independent 
professional services firm specializing in 
Quality, Health, Safety, Socialand Environmental 
Management, with more than 185 years’ experience 
in independent assessment.

Bureau Veritas has a quality management system 
that is certified by a third party, according to 
which policies and documented procedures 
are maintained for the compliance with ethic, 
professional and legal requirements.

The assessment team has no links with Suzano and 
the assessment is performed independently.

Bureau Veritas implemented and follows a Code 
of Ethics throughout its business, in order to 
assure that its staff preserve high ethical, integrity, 
objectivity, confidentiality and competence/ 
professional attitude standards in the performance 
of their activities. At the end of the assessment, a 
detailed report was drawn up, ensuring traceability 
of the process. This Report is kept as a Bureau 
Veritas management system record.

CONTACT
Bureau Veritas Certification is available for further 
clarification on www.bureauveritascertification.
com.br/faleconosco.asp or by telephone (55 11) 
2655-9000.

São Paulo, Brazil, April 2021.

Alexander Vervuurt

Lead Auditor; Assurance Sustainability Reports (ASR)

Bureau Veritas Certification – Brazil

Letter from the auditor  109

 
SECTION |  15

GRI AND SASB 

Content Index

GRI 102-55

110    Suzano Report 2020

GRI Standards  Disclosure title

GRI 101: Foundation 2016

GRI 102: General Disclosures 2016

PDF Page/Link to the Indicators Center 
or Direct disclosure

Omission

Principles 
of the Global 
Compact

SDG

102-1 Name of the organization

8

102-2

Activities, brands, 
products, and services

Indicators Center

102-3 Location of headquarters

Headquarters: 
Av. Professor Magalhães Neto, 1752 
– 10th floor, rooms 1010 and 1011 
Salvador - BA - Brazil 
Zip Code: 41.810-012 
Central Office: 
Avenida Brigadeiro Faria Lima, 1355 
– 8th floor São Paulo - SP - Brazil 
Zip Code: 01.452-919

102-4 Location of operations

14

102-5

Nature of ownership and 
legal form

Suzano S.A. is a publicly traded, forest-based 
company controlled by Suzano Holding, with 
shares traded on B3 (Brasil, Bolsa, Balcão) 
and NYSE (New York Stock Index).

102-6 Markets served

Indicators Center

102-7 Scale of the organization

Indicators Center

102-8

Information on employees 
and other workers

Indicators Center

102-9 Supply chain

Indicators Center

GRI 102: 
General 
Disclosures 
2016s

102-10

Significant changes to the 
organization and its supply 
chain

52

102-11

Precautionary Principle or 
approach

Indicators Center

102-12 External initiatives

76, Indicators Center

102-13

Membership of 
associations

Indicators Center

102-14

Statement from senior 
decision-maker

4

102-15

Key impacts, risks, and 
opportunities

Indicators Center

102-16

Values, principles, 
standards, and norms of 
behavior

32, Indicators Center

102-17

Mechanisms for advice and 
concerns about ethics 

68, Indicators Center

102-18 Governance structure

66, Indicators Center

102-22

Composition of the highest 
governance body and its 
committees 

Indicators Center

102-23

Chair of the highest 
governance body 

Indicators Center

GRI ans SASB Content Index  111

 
GRI Standards  Disclosure title

PDF Page/Link to the Indicators Center 
or Direct disclosure

Omission

Principles 
of the Global 
Compact

SDG

GRI 102: General Disclosures 2016 (cont.)

8

8

8

8, 10

8, 10

102-24

Selection criteria and 
nomination processes for 
the highest governance 
body and its committees

Indicators Center

102-25 Conflicts of Interest

Indicators Center

102-35 Remuneration policies

Indicators Center

102-36

Process for determining 
remuneration

Indicators Center

102-37

Stakeholders’ involvement 
in remuneration

Indicators Center

102-38

Annual total compensation 
ratio

Indicators Center

102-39

Percentage increase in 
annual total compensation 
ratio

Indicators Center

102-40 List of stakeholder groups

14, Indicators Center

102-41

Collective bargaining 
agreements

Indicators Center

102-42

Identifying and selecting 
stakeholders

14, Indicators Center

General 
Disclosures 
2016s

102-43

Approach to stakeholder 
engagement

Indicators Center

102-44

Key topics and concerns 
raised

Indicators Center

102-45

Entities included in the 
organization’s consolidated 
financial statements or 
equivalent documents

8

102-46

Defining report content 
and topic Boundaries

8, Indicators Center

102-47 List of material topics

8, Indicators Center

102-48

Restatements of 
information

Restatements  of information, if available, 
are presented throughout the Report and 
the Indicators Center.

102-49 Changes in reporting

During the reporting period, there were no 
significant changes in the limit and scope of 
material issues.

102-50 Reporting period

January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020.

102-51

Data do relatório mais 
recente

2019 Annual Report, covering the period 
from January to December of the reference 
year

102-52

Periodicidade dos ciclos de 
relato

Anual.

112    Suzano Report 2020

GRI Standards  Disclosure title

PDF Page/Link to the Indicators Center 
or Direct disclosure

Omission

Principles 
of the Global 
Compact

SDG

GRI 102: General Disclosures 2016 (cont.)

GRI 102: 
General 
Disclosures 
2016

102-53

Contact point for 
questions regarding the 
report

102-54

Claims of reporting in 
accordance with the GRI 
Standards

8

8

102-55 GRI content index

102-56 External assurance

110

8, 106

Material topic: Water

103-1

Explanation of the material 
topic and its Boundary

GRI 103: 
Management 
Approach 2016

103-2

The management approach 
and its components 

17, 88, Indicators Center

103-3

Evaluation of the 
management approach

303-1

Interactions with water as 
a shared resource

Indicators Center

303-3 Water withdrawal

Indicators Center

303-4 Water discharge

Indicators Center

303-5 Water consumption

Indicators Center

GRI 303: Water 
and effluents 
2018

Material topic: Value Chain (suppliers and customers)

103-1

Explanation of the material 
topic and its Boundary

103-2

The management approach 
and its components 

17, 44, 45, 48, 49, Indicators Center

103-3

Evaluation of the 
management approach

204-1

Proportion of spending on 
local suppliers

Indicators Center

GRI 103: 
Management 
Approach 2016

GRI 204: 
Procurement 
Practices 2016

GRI 308: 
Supplier 
Environmental 
Assessment 
2016

GRI 414: 
Supplier Social 
Assessment 
2016

308-1

New suppliers that 
were screened using 
environmental criteria

Indicators Center

7, 8, 9 

12

308-2

Negative environmental 
impacts in the supply chain 
and actions taken

Indicators Center

414-1

New suppliers that were 
screened using social 
criteria

414-2

Negative social impacts 
in the supply chain and 
actions taken

Indicators Center

Indicators Center

7, 8, 9 

12

8, 10, 
16

8, 12

GRI ans SASB Content Index  113

8, 12

8, 9 

8, 12

8, 9 

8, 9 

8, 9 

8, 12

8, 12

8, 12

8

8, 12

 
GRI Standards  Disclosure title

PDF Page/Link to the Indicators Center 
or Direct disclosure

Omission

Principles 
of the Global 
Compact

SDG

Material topic: Human Capital

103-1

Explanation of the material 
topic and its Boundary

GRI 103: 
Management 
Approach 2016

103-2

The management approach 
and its components 

17, 27, 38, Indicators Center

103-3

Evaluation of the 
management approach

202-1

Ratios of standard entry 
level wage by gender 
compared to local 
minimum wage  

202-2

Proportion of senior 
management hired from 
the local community

Indicators Center

Indicators Center

GRI 202: Market 
Presence 2016

401-1

New employee hires and 
employee turnover

Indicators Center

 6

GRI 401: 
Employment 
2016

401-2

Benefits provided to 
full-time employees 
that are not provided to 
temporary or part-time 
employees

Indicators Center

3, 5, 
8, 10, 
16

8 

8 

8 

8

401-3 Parental leave

Indicators Center

 6

5, 8

GRI 402: Labor/
Management 
Relations 2016

402-1

Minimum notice periods 
regarding operational 
changes 

Indicators Center

GRI 403: 
Occupational 
Health and 
Safety 2016

403-1

Occupational health and 
safety management 
system

Indicators Center

403-4

403-7

Worker participation, 
consultation, and 
communication on 
occupational health and 
safety

Prevention and mitigation 
of occupational health 
and safety impacts 
directly linked by business 
relationships

403-8

Workers covered by an 
occupational health and 
safety management 
system

Indicators Center

Indicators Center

Indicators Center

403-9 Work-related injuries

Indicators Center

403-10 Work-related ill health

Indicators Center

8

3, 8

3, 8, 
16

3, 8

3, 8

3, 8

3, 8

114    Suzano Report 2020

GRI Standards  Disclosure title

PDF Page/Link to the Indicators Center 
or Direct disclosure

Omission

Material topic: Human Capital (cont.)

404-1

Average hours of training 
per year per employee

Indicators Center

Principles 
of the Global 
Compact

SDG

1, 6 

8

GRI 404: 
Training and 
Education 2016

404-3

Percentage of employees 
receiving regular 
performance and career 
development reviews

Indicators Center

1, 6 

5, 8

GRI 405: 
Diversity 
and Equal 
Opportunity 
2016

405-1

Diversity of governance 
bodies and employees

Indicators Center

405-2

Ratio of basic salary and 
remuneration of women 
to men

Indicators Center

GRI 406: Non- 
discrimination 
2016

406-1

Incidents of discrimination 
and corrective actions 
taken

Indicators Center

GRI 407: 
Freedom of 
Association 
and Collective 
Bargaining 2016

407-1

Operations and suppliers 
where the right to 
freedom of association and 
collective bargaining may 
be at risk

Indicators Center

GRI 408: Child 
Labor 2016

408-1

Operations and suppliers 
with significant risk of 
incidents of child labor

Indicators Center

5, 8, 
10

5, 8, 
10

1, 2, 3,  
4, 5, 6

5, 8, 
10, 16

1, 2, 3,  
4, 5, 6

8, 16 

1, 2, 6

8, 16 

GRI 409: Forced 
or Compulsory 
Labor 2016

409-1

Operations and suppliers 
at significant risk for 
incidents of forced or 
compulsory labor

Indicators Center

1, 2, 3

8, 16 

GRI 410: 
Security 
Practices 2016

410-1

Security personnel trained 
in human rights policies or 
procedures

Indicators Center

GRI 412: 
Human Rights 
Assessment 
2016

412-2

Employee training on 
human rights policies or 
procedures 

Indicators Center

1, 2, 5 

8, 16

1, 2, 3,  
4, 5, 6

8, 16

GRI ans SASB Content Index  115

 
GRI Standards  Disclosure title

PDF Page/Link to the Indicators Center 
or Direct disclosure

Omission

Principles 
of the Global 
Compact

SDG

Material topic: Social Development

103-1

Explanation of the material 
topic and its Boundary

GRI 103: 
Management 
Approach 2016

103-2

The management approach 
and its components 

74, 80, 82, Indicators Center

103-3

Evaluation of the 
management approach

GRI 203: 
Indirect 
Economic 
Impacts 2016

203-1

Infrastructure investments 
and services supported

Indicators Center

203-2

Significant indirect 
economic impacts

Indicators Center

1, 2, 4, 
8, 10, 
11, 16

1, 4, 
9, 11, 
12

2, 4, 8, 
9, 10, 
11, 12

GRI 411: Rights 
of Indigenous 
and Traditional 
Peoples 2016

411-1

Incidents of violations 
involving rights of 
indigenous peoples

Indicators Center

 1, 2, 4

10, 16

1, 2, 4, 
10, 11, 
16

8, 16

8, 16

10 

16

10 

16

Indicators Center

10 

16

Indicators Center

1, 5 

16 

GRI 413: Local 
communities 
2016

413-1

Operations with local 
community engagement, 
impact assessments, and 
development programs

413-2

Operations with significant 
actual and potential 
negative impacts on local 
communities

Indicators Center

Indicators Center

Material topic: Ethics, Governance, and Transparency

103-1

Explanation of the material 
topic and its Boundary

GRI 103: 
Management 
Approach 2016

103-2

The management approach 
and its components 

 64, Indicators Center

103-3

Evaluation of the 
management approach

205-1

Operations assessed for 
risks related to corruption

Indicators Center

Indicators Center

GRI 205: Anti-
corruption 
2016

205-2

Communication and 
training about anti-
corruption policies and 
procedures

205-3

Confirmed incidents of 
corruption and actions 
taken

GRI 206: Anti-
competitive 
Behavior 2016

206-1

Legal actions for anti-
competitive behavior, 
antitrust, and monopoly 
practices

116    Suzano Report 2020

Principles 
of the Global 
Compact

SDG

16

16

7, 8, 9 

16

GRI Standards  Disclosure title

PDF Page/Link to the Indicators Center 
or Direct disclosure

Omission

Material topic: Ethics, Governance, and Transparency (cont.)

207-1 Approach to tax

Indicators Center

207-2

Tax governance, control 
and risk management

Indicators Center

307-1

Non-compliance with 
environmental laws and 
regulations

Indicators Center

GRI 207: Tax 
2019

GRI 307: 
Environmental 
Compliance 
2016

GRI 415: Public 
Policies 2016

GRI 419: 
Socioeconomic 
Compliance 
2016

415-1 Political contributions

Indicators Center

10 

8, 9

419-1

Non-compliance with laws 
and regulations in the 
social and economic area

Indicators Center

 10

8, 16

Material topic: Operational Excellence and Eco-efficiency

103-1

Explanation of the material 
topic and its Boundary

GRI 103: 
Management 
Approach 2016

103-2

The management approach 
and its components 

17, 88, Indicators Center

103-3

Evaluation of the 
management approach

306-3 Waste generated

Indicators Center

GRI 306: 
Effluents and 
Waste 2016

306-4

Waste diverted from 
disposal

Indicators Center

306-5 Waste directed to disposal

Indicators Center

Material topic: Financial Management

103-1

Explanation of the material 
topic and its Boundary

GRI 103: 
Management 
Approach 2016

103-2

The management approach 
and its components 

64, 69, Indicators Center

103-3

Evaluation of the 
management approach

GRI 201: 
Economic 
Performance 
2016

201-1

Direct economic value 
generated and distributed

Indicators Center

201-2

Financial implications 
and other risks and 
opportunities due to 
climate change

Indicators Center

7, 8, 9

7, 8, 9

7, 8, 9

3, 7, 
9, 12, 
13

3, 6, 
12

3, 6, 
12

3, 6, 
12

16

16

13

GRI ans SASB Content Index  117

 
GRI Standards  Disclosure title

PDF Page/Link to the Indicators Center 
or Direct disclosure

Omission

Principles 
of the Global 
Compact

SDG

Material topic: Innovation and Technology

103-1

Explanation of the material 
topic and its Boundary

GRI 103: 
Management 
Approach 2016

103-2

The management approach 
and its components 

48, 56, Indicators Center

103-3

Evaluation of the 
management approach

Material topic: Forest Management

103-1

Explanation of the material 
topic and its Boundary

GRI 103: 
Management 
Approach 2016

103-2

The management approach 
and its components 

88, Indicators Center

9, 15, 
16

6, 8, 
12, 13, 
15

103-3

Evaluation of the 
management approach

304-1

Operational sites owned, 
leased, managed in, or 
adjacent to, protected 
areas and areas of high 
biodiversity value outside 
protected areas

Indicators Center

8, 9 

12, 15

GRI 304: 
Biodiversity 
2016

304-2

Significant impacts of 
activities, products, and 
services on biodiversity

Indicators Center

304-3

Habitats protected or 
restored

Indicators Center

304-4

IUCN Red List species and 
national conservation 
list species with habitats 
in areas affected by 
operations

Indicators Center

8, 9 

12, 15

8, 9 

6, 12, 
13, 15

8, 9 

6, 12, 
14, 15

118    Suzano Report 2020

GRI Standards  Disclosure title

PDF Page/Link to the Indicators Center 
or Direct disclosure

Omission

Principles 
of the Global 
Compact

SDG

Material topic: Climate Change

103-1

Explanation of the material 
topic and its Boundary

GRI 103: 
Management 
Approach 2016

103-2

The management approach 
and its components 

77, Indicators Center

103-3

Evaluation of the 
management approach

GRI 302: Energy 
2016

302-1

Energy consumption 
within the organization

Indicators Center

302-2

Energy consumption 
outside of the organization

Indicators Center

305-1

Direct (Scope 1) GHG 
emissions

Indicators Center

305-2

Energy indirect (Scope 2) 
GHG emissions

Indicators Center

GRI 305: 
Emissions 2016

305-3

Other indirect (Scope 3) 
GHG emissions

Indicators Center

305-4 GHG emissions intensity

Indicators Center

305-7

Nitrogen oxides (NOx), 
sulfur oxides (SOx), and 
other significant air 
emissions

Indicators Center

3, 9, 
12, 13

7, 12, 
13 

7, 8, 
12, 13 

7, 8, 9 

12, 13

7, 8, 9 

12, 13

7, 8, 9 

12, 13

7, 8, 9 

12, 13

7, 8, 9 

3, 9, 
12, 13 

GRI ans SASB Content Index  119

 
SASB INDEX

FORESTRY MANAGEMENT

Sustainability Disclosure Topics & Accounting Metrics

Topic

Code 

Accounting metric

Category

RR-FM-160a.1 

Area of forestland certified to a third-
party forest management standard, 
percentage certified to each standard

Quantitative

Unit of 
measure

Acres (ac), 
Percentage 
(%)

PDF Page/Link 
to the Indicators 
Center or Direct 
disclosure

Indicators Center

Ecosystem 
Services & 
Impacts

RR-FM-160a.2

Area of forestland with protected 
conservation status

RR-FM-160a.3

Area of forestland in endangered 
species habitat

Quantitative

Acres (ac)

Indicators Center

Quantitative

Acres (ac)

Indicators Center

RR-FM-160a.4

Description of approach to optimizing 
opportunities from ecosystem services 
provided by forestlands

Discussion and 
Analysis

n/a

Indicators Center

RR-FM-210a.1

Area of forestland in indigenous land

Quantitative

Acres (ac)

Indicators Center

Rights of 
Indigenous 
Peoples

RR-FM-210a.2

Climate Changen 
Adaptation

RR-FM-450a.1

Description of engagement processes 
and due diligence practices with 
respect to human rights, indigenous 
rights, and the local community

Discussion and 
Analysis

Description of strategy to manage 
opportunities for and risks to forest 
management and timber production 
presented by climate change

Discussion and 
Analysis

n/a

Indicators Center

n/a

Indicators Center

FORESTRY MANAGEMENT

Activity Metrics

Code 

Activity metric

Category

Unit of measure

PDF Page/Link to the Indicators 
Center or Direct disclosure

RR-FM-000.A

RR-FM-000.B

RR-FM-000.C

Area of forestland 
owned, leased, 
and/or managed 
by the entity

Aggregate 
standing timber 
inventory

Timber harvest 
volume

Quantitative

Acres (ac)

Indicators Center

Quantitative

Cubic meters (m3)

Indicators Center

Quantitative

Cubic meters (m3)

Indicators Center

120    Suzano Report 2020

 
PULP & PAPER PRODUCTS

Sustainability Disclosure Topics & Accounting Metrics

Topic

Code 

Accounting metric

Category

RR-PP-110a.1

Gross global Scope 1 emissions

Quantitative

Unit of 
measure

PDF Page/Link 
to the Indicators 
Center or Direct 
disclosure

Metric tons 
(t) CO -e

Indicators Center

Greenhouse 
Gas Emissions

RR-PP-110a.2

Air Quality

RR-PP-120a.1

Energy 
Management

RR-PP-130a.1

Discussion of long-term and short-
term strategy or plan to manage 
Scope 1 emissions, emissions 
reduction targets, and an analysis of 
performance against those targets

Air emissions of the following 
pollutants: (1) NOx (excluding 
N2O), (2) SO2, (3) volatile organic 
compounds (VOCs), (4) particulate 
matter (PM), and (5) hazardous air 
pollutants (HAPs)

(1) Total energy consumed,  
(2) percentage grid electricity,  
(3) percentage from biomass,  
(4) percentage from other renewable 
energy

Quantitative

Water 
Management

RR-PP-140a.1

(1) Total water withdrawn,  
(2) total water consumed, percentage 
of each in regions with High or 
Extremely High Baseline Water Stress

Quantitative

RR-PP-140a.2

Description of water management 
risks and discussion of strategies and 
practices to mitigate those risks

Discussion and 
Analysis

Discussion and 
Analysis

n/a

Indicators Center

Quantitative

Metric tons 
(t)

Indicators Center

Gigajoules 
(GJ), 
Percentage 
(%)

"Thousand 
cubic meters 
(m3), 
Percentage 
(%)"

Indicators Center

Indicators Center

n/a

Indicators Center

RR-PP-430a.1

Supply Chain 
Management

Percentage of wood fiber sourced 
from (1) third-party certified 
forestlands and percentage to each 
standard and (2) meeting other fiber 
sourcing standards and percentage 
to each standard

Quantitative

Percentage 
(%) by 
weight

Indicators Center

RR-PP-430a.2

Amount of recycled and recovered 
fiber procured

Quantitative

Metric tons 
(t)

Indicators Center

PULP & PAPER PRODUCTS

Activity Metrics

Code 

Activity metric

Category

Unit of measure

PDF Page/Link to the Indicators 
Center or Direct disclosure

RR-PP-000.A

Pulp production

Quantitative

RR-PP-000.B

Paper production Quantitative

Air-dried metric tons 
(t)

Air-dried metric tons 
(t)

Indicators Center

Indicators Center

GRI ans SASB Content Index  121

 
 
CREDITS

EDITING
Cristiano Oliveira

Guilherme Miranda

Isabel Masagão

Livia Delort

Manuela Forbes

Marcela Porto

Marcelo Bottin

Maria Augusta Bottino

Raquel Botinha

COORDINATION, TEXTS 
AND EDITORIAL DESIGN
Quintal 22

INDICATORS  
CONSULTING 
Avesso Sustentabilidade

MANAGEMENT
Botinha Comunicação

GRAPHIC DESIGN AND  
LAYOUT
Adesign

PHOTOGRAPHY
Adriano Gambarini (WWF Brasil)

Araquém Alcântara

Suzano Image Bank

Fotocontexto

Márcio Schimming

Ricardo Teles

Sérgio Zacchi

ENGLISH VERSION

Gotcha! Idiomas

CONTACT
For questions and suggestions, contact us by email  
relatoriosuzano@suzano.com.br

COVER PHOTO:
Aline Conceição dos Santos, Nursery
Assistant, Mucuri Unit (Bahia state).
Photo: Márcio Schimming

Seedling planting, Jacareí (São Paulo state).
Photo: Márcio Schimming

suzano.com.br

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