Suzano launches Nature Strategy
Suzano, the world’s largest pulp producer, has introduced its new Nature Strategy, reaffirming the central importance of biodiversity to the company’s long-term direction and decision-making. As Suzano’s operations depend directly on natural systems, the company emphasised that its longevity, resilience and innovation capacity are inseparable from the health of surrounding ecosystems. For this reason, nature holds a prominent position within the company’s strategic vision.
Developed with scientific guidance and in close collaboration with IUCN, the Nature Strategy is based on the mitigation hierarchy – avoid, reduce, restore and transform – enabling the company to prevent impacts, mitigate risks and promote ecosystem regeneration. With IUCN’s support, Suzano has become an early adopter of the STAR metric, a tool used to identify sensitive areas in its operating regions, map endangered species and define priority actions needed to reduce extinction risks. Long-standing biodiversity monitoring conducted by Suzano has documented 125 endangered species, with 24 identified as priority for action using technical criteria.
The model created jointly with IUCN integrates scientific rigour with innovative methodologies and was showcased as a Suzano case study during the IUCN Congress in October. The insights gained played a crucial role in the development of the RHINO methodology (Rapid High-Integrity Nature-positive Outcomes), which provides companies with a framework for measurable biodiversity conservation actions. Suzano’s internal analyses covered the company’s 2.9 million hectares of landholdings, extending to approximately 10 million hectares when including the scale of the watersheds evaluated. This approach broadens the company’s view beyond its operational footprint and reinforces its commitment to landscape-level conservation.
“We know that the global biodiversity picture is challenging: 75% of terrestrial ecosystems have already been altered by human activity, and approximately 25% of assessed species are endangered, according to the World Economic Forum. These figures represent tangible risks for society and for businesses. For Suzano, ensuring the integrity of nature means ensuring the resilience of our business and the communities we work with,” says Giordano Automare, Executive Manager of Sustainability at Suzano.
Suzano’s Nature Strategy builds on the company’s long-term environmental commitments, including connecting 500,000 hectares of forest fragments through ecological corridors and improving water availability in critical watersheds within its areas of operation. These goals are aligned with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and contribute to the broader shift toward a regenerative economy.
More than 25 stakeholders contributed to the development of the Nature Strategy, including specialists, governmental representatives, academics, NGOs and local community members, ensuring the legitimacy and diversity of perspectives embedded in the proposed actions.
