Fibria sells the Guaíba Unit to CMPC

October 8th saw the signing of the contract for the sale of the Guaíba Unit (Rio Grande do Sul State) to the Chilean group CMPC. The transaction, for the sum of US$ 1.43 billion, should be finalized in December. Fibria's CEO, Carlos Aguiar, observed: "In addition to bringing in important cash resources for the optimization of the company's capital structure, this sale provides us with the possibility of making new investments and resuming other projects." The negotiations involve a pulp mill with an annual production capacity of 450,000 tons, a paper mill with a production capacity of around 60,000 tons a year, and approximately 212,000 hectares of land.

Extra-prime quality

Just six months after its start up, Fibria's Três Lagoas mill (Mato Grosso do Sul State) has already produced 500,000 tons of pulp, attaining 80% of its production capacity. In September, 100% of the pulp produced was classified as extra-prime quality, a performance that places the mill among the best in the world. The expectation is to have produced 1 million tons of pulp at the unit by March 2010.

Vital balance discussed at World Congress

Fibria participated in the XIII World Forestry Congress, held between October 18^th and 25^th in Buenos Aires, Argentina. This event, organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), is held every six years and brings together representatives of governments, universities, civil society and private enterprise to exchange experience and approve recommendations for forest activities. The theme of this congress was "Forests in Development: a vital balance", which was addressed in presentations, round tables and a variety of activities.

Fibria professionals participate on panels

As part of the World Forestry Congress, a variety of forums were set up addressing themes involving dialogue and partnerships between forestry companies and NGOs, organized by institutions such as The Forests Dialogue (TFD), Instituto Bioatlântica (IBIO) and Conservation International (CI). Fibria participated in the forum on Planted Forests, with a talk given by Sustainability and Corporate Relations manager, Carlos Alberto Roxo, and in the forums on Sustainable Forest Mosaics and the Forest Dialogue in Brazil, with presentations by the Forest Environment manager, João Carlos Augusti.

New terminal in Santos

Fibria has begun its activities at its second terminal in the port of Santos (São Paulo State), which is responsible for distributing the production of the Três Lagoas Unit. With the new mill, the volume of pulp channeled through the port is being doubled, to almost 2 million tons a year. Following the rebuilding work, the new terminal is able to store up to 50,000 tons of pulp and handle more than 5,000 tons/day, using an innovative system of overhead travelling cranes for increased efficiency in both storing and vessel's loading operations at the quay. This logistics setup will help to improve the company's export efficiency through that port.

Sustainable commerce

On October 15^th, Fibria participated in the annual gathering of the Global Forest & Trade Network, in the city of Washington, in the USA. The event, which brings together the leading companies in North America that purchase forest products, and their suppliers, together with entities connected to the environmental field, promotes sustainable forest management as a means of stamping out the illegal extraction of wood from native forests. On this occasion, the Chairman of the Board of Fibria, José Luciano Penido, gave a talk on the challenges and sustainable practices in silviculture and the management of relations with local communities. The gathering is an initiative of the NGO World Wildlife Fund (WWF), which aims to encourage action for the preservation of the world's threatened forests.

Wood that is "more than certified"

Fibria's Três Lagoas Unit recently obtained two important certifications: from Cerflor (Brazilian Program of Forest Certification) and the Chain of Custody. The Cerflor seal, awarded by the ABNT (Brazilian Association of Technical Standards), gives the consumer assurance that the wood utilized in the pulp production comes from cultivated forests that meet the highest standards of forest management. Cerflor is recognized internationally under the Program for the Endorsement of Forest Certification Schemes (PEFC). The Chain of Custody, on the other hand, verifies the traceability of the certified raw material throughout the entire industrial process, from the wood's arrival at the mill all the way through to the end product. This confirms that the pulp produced by Fibria comes from suitably managed forests that cause a minimum social or environmental impact.

Good results from environmental education

In September, Fibria concluded the Environmental Education Program in the municipalities of Três Lagoas and Brasilândia (Mato Grosso do Sul State), which was run in partnership with International Paper and the "Fundação Espaço ECO (ECO Space Foundation)". The initiative involved some 50,000 people and was aimed at raising the communities' awareness of the importance of conserving the environment. The municipalities' schools were transformed into "sustainability labs", with the participation of the students, educators, parents and the community at large in educational activities. Especially notable among the positive fruits of the program, which went on for 30 months, was the creation of EcoAgents - socioenvironmental multipliers who meet in Três Lagoas to develop proposals to meet the challenges facing the municipality.

Digital inclusion in Helvécia

On September 29^th, ninety-four students from the community of Helvécia, in Nova Viçosa (Bahia State), celebrated the graduation of the first IT class. The idea of making knowledge and technology available to the local residents came from Fibria, which formed a partnership with the "Associação Quilombola de Helvécia (Helvécia Slave Descendents Association)" and the João Martins Peixoto School. José da Paz, aged 60, was one of the students on the course and thanked everybody, on behalf of the group, for giving them this opportunity, and emphasized how important it was that the company saw education as a way of providing some hope to that community. He went on to say, "Those who limit themselves because of their age are not thinking about their own good. I did not do the course to set an example, but to get ahead". The IT course is just a part of Fibria's efforts to engage with the communities in the vicinity of its forests.

Did you know...

... that Fibria's pulp travels more than 10,500 km to get from Portocel, in Barra do Riacho, Espírito Santo State, to the port of Monfalcone, in Italy? And that the greatest distance traveled is the 21,500 km to the port of Yokohama, in Japan? It's a journey that can take up to 60 days. Learn more about the company's international activities at www.fibria.com.br.