13 Nov 2023

Public sector leaders, private sector executives and civil society representatives gathered at the first sustainability forum organized by CMPC in Porto Alegre, Brazil. Led by CMPC with the theme ‘The Biofuture is here’, among the attendees were Francisco Ruiz-Tagle, CMPC’s Managing Director and current Director of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), and Raj Sisodia, the creator of the Conscious Capitalism movement and author of the bestseller ‘Companies that Heal’.  

Both shared their views on the relevance of the sustainable agenda for future generations and the global economy. Ruiz-Tagle explained how sustainability is part of CMPC’s business strategy and how the company is preparing to launch the BioCMPC project in November, expanding production line 2 (G2) at the Guaíba mill and increasing its annual production by 350,000 tons. The project will make the mill one of the most competitive of its kind in the world. In addition, CMPC has invested more than USD 40 million in environmental initiatives as part of the project which will save more than 460 tons of CO2 emissions, and reduce both water use and waste sent to landfill to almost zero.

Ruiz-Tagle pointed out that "the investment and profitability of companies that have endorsed environmental, social and governance principles show that the path of social and environmental sustainability generates greater dividends and attracts investors". This is why CMPC sees sustainability as part of its long-term business axis, he added, and why it is part of the five pillars of CMPC’s Strategy 2030, along with growth, looking after customers, competitiveness and talent.

"Our sustainability goals for 2030 include becoming global leaders in the forest industry when it comes to ESG, being a driver of change in the development of communities and growing through challenging environmental goals aligned with science," explained Ruiz-Tagle. He added that these goals guide the 48 production plants across 12 countries, including those in Brazil, where the company is focused on consolidating its three businesses, without ruling out continuing to grow and invest domestically.

CMPC is currently present in Brazil with its Guaíba mill, with the forestry and industrial assets of the pulp, paper and paper sack business of Iguaçu Celulose, Papel S.A., located in the states of Paraná and Santa Catarina, and with Carta Fabril in Rio de Janeiro.

In Rio Grande do Sul, CMPC has implemented the Circular Economy Hub, a project that treats some 600,000 tpy of waste, thus reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and pollution and promoting the circular economy. For more than 30 years, the Hub has been preventing around 16 million tons of waste from being deposited to landfill and has become a contributing factor to the development of the area. The initiative was recognized last year as an example of transformative actions in the forestry sector by the WBCSD.

"This is the way to put Professor Sisodia’s teachings into practice - a more conscious capitalism that is not only interested in increasing or improving production for economic interests, but does so to the extent that it generates a contribution for all its stakeholders," concluded Ruiz-Tagle.  

Raj Sisodia explained that sustainability is increasingly about, not only doing less damage, but restoring, rethinking and regenerating everything that has been lost by human activity.

"In the last 100 years we have lost a lot. Some things can be reversed, some can't, but nature is resilient and can recover. We must make decisions to make that happen. It is our duty and it is in our hands," he said.
Sisodia added that the current decade is one of determination: "What we do or don’t do will impact the future of humanity and many other species on this planet. So there's a sense of urgency." 

He pointed out that governments play a key role here, alluding to company regulation: "We need to align policy with what we really want to bring to society. That's where governments can play a role. Generally, businesses oppose regulation, and I recognize that there can be a lot of bad regulation, but there is nothing as powerful as good regulation. They are positive for conscientious companies and can eliminate operators who often create harm. On the other hand, there must also be incentives," he concluded.