Suzano removes 11.75 million tons of CO2e from the atmosphere in 2019

SÃO PAULO, June 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Suzano, the global reference in the production of bioproducts from planted eucalyptus, reports its first Greenhouse Gas Inventory with consolidated data after the merger that originated the new company. The result of emissions and removal of greenhouse gases generated a climate positive balance of 11.75 million tons of CO_2equivalent in 2019. In other words, the company removed almost 12 million tons of CO_2e in 2019 from the atmosphere.

Suzano's Inventory shows that the company captured the equivalent of 15.48 million tons of CO_2e from its forest base consisting of planted and preservation areas. This number is four times higher than the emissions recorded in the same period, which amounted to 3.72 million tons of CO₂. These removal and emission numbers may vary each year depending on the volume of eucalyptus planted and harvested, the growth of native forests, mill production volume and the volume of product delivered to our clients.

Studies show that approximately 12 million tons of CO_2e, from the total 15.48 million tons of CO_2e, were removed from the atmosphere as a result of the company's extensive planted area. This number reflects both the quantity of standing eucalyptus forests and the volume of wood that was harvested, which was lower in 2019. Native forests, on the other hand, helped remove 3.34 million tons of CO_2e. This is a positive number since native forests are evolving towards more advanced stages. Suzano has a forestry base consisting of approximately 1.3 million hectares of planted areas and 900,000 hectares of preserved areas.

"Last year we captured much more carbon from the atmosphere than we emitted, and we will continue this trend as we have announced publicly in our long-term targets," said Cristiano Resende, Manager – Sustainability at Suzano.

Suzano's targets include removing 40 million tons of CO_2e from the atmosphere by 2030. The company also aims to reduce specific emissions from its operations by 15% over the next ten years. With this, it aims to be even more climate positive and help mitigate the factors that cause climate changes. 

Calculating the impacts caused using the inventory helps to identify opportunities and define future strategies. The calculations in the report were made jointly with consulting firm Plantar Carbon and were audited by Bureau Veritas.

PLANIN – Suzano's PR Agency 
Angélica Consiglio, Beatriz Imenes – www.planin.com 
E-mail: suzano@planin.com - Phone: +55 (11) 2138-8940