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Bracell Launches ‘One to One’ Commitment to Support Conservation of Areas of Native Vegetation and Forest in Brazil

  • Company commits to one hectare of conservation area for every hectare of plantation by 2025
  • Several partnerships put in place to support achievement of target


SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL – Media OutReach – 5 August 2022 – Bracell, a global leader in the production of dissolving pulp, has launched a ground breaking conservation commitment which will have a positive impact on the protection of native vegetation and biodiversity in Brazil. Bracell’s ‘One to One’ commitment will see the company conserve and protect one hectare of native land for every hectare of plantation.

Bracell, which is part of the RGE group of companies, has committed to achieving this target by 2025. The company’s ratio of conservation land to plantations is currently 0.56 and it has made an initial investment of R$12m (US$2.3m) to support its new commitment.

In addition to conserving existing native areas in Bracell’s production areas, the commitment will also support conservation in public areas and the recovery of degraded areas through partnerships with governments and other institutions. It will also work to prevent and fight forest fires, deforestation and the theft of native wood, alongside the prevention of illegal hunting and capture of wild animals.

Marcio Nappo, Vice president of Sustainability and Corporate Communications, Bracell, said: “This is an unprecedented initiative because it expands our area of activity in the conservation of biodiversity beyond our areas of operation. We have adopted this commitment on a permanent basis, so if we increase the areas of our eucalyptus plantations after 2025, the total number of conserved areas will also be increased to maintain our focus on achieving the target”.

João Augusti, Environment and Certifications Manager, Bracell, said: “Environmental preservation is part of Bracell’s essence. Eucalyptus plantations interspersed with native vegetation form forest mosaics that provide environmental benefits for our plantations and for biodiversity. Also, a healthy environment provides benefits for society as a whole”.

Another central element in Bracell’s strategy to protect biodiversity is the constitution of Private Natural Heritage Reserves (RPPNs). In these conservation areas of private domain, only scientific research, environmental education and tourist visitor activities are allowed.

Bracell has four RPPNs, which are areas with fully protected native vegetation, fauna and flora. Among these, the Lontra RPPN has been designated as an Advanced Biosphere Reserve of the Atlantic Forest by UNESCO and is home to hundreds of species of wild fauna and flora, many of them rare and/or threatened by extinction.

Several partnerships have already been signed to achieve the ‘One-to-One’ goal. Bracell has signed an agreement with the São Paulo Forest Foundation to sponsor protection efforts across 66,000 hectares of native forests, including relevant parts of the Atlantic Forest and Cerrado Paulista areas.

The company has also signed a cooperation agreement with the Bahia Secretariat for the Environment (Sema) to carry out joint actions aimed at protecting biodiversity in Atlantic Forest Conservation Units (UCs) in the state, such as the Subaé Canyons and the Subaúma river basin.

The goal is to work in partnerships that contribute to the conservation and maintenance of UCs and safeguard the natural heritage, and protect rare and endangered species of fauna and flora, and water resources, guaranteed by forest formations.

The company also signed a partnership with the SOS Atlantic Forest Foundation through which it will support actions to promote the restoration of the Atlantic Forest in Permanent Preservation Areas (APP) and Legal Reserve areas, contributing to the formation of ecological corridors, the connection of remaining fragments of forest areas and the preservation of water resources.

In addition, Bracell, which since 2021 has been a member of the Brazilian Business Council for Sustainable Development (CEBDS), joined in April the nine goals of the Brazilian Business Commitment to Biodiversity, an initiative aligned with its sustainability strategy and aimed at reinforcing the adoption of good practices for the protection of biodiversity.

“All these signed actions and partnerships are among the first steps we are taking towards our goal. The company will review this commitment and its results annually, which will be verified by an independent audit and reported publicly,” said Nappo.

“Our ‘One-to One’ commitment is an important milestone in our sustainability strategy and is fully aligned with our company values. Our operations are guided by our philosophy that everything we do must be good for the country, the climate, communities and customers, and only then will it be good for our company”, he added.

Hashtag: #Bracell

About Bracell:

Bracell is a global leader in the production of dissolving pulp and specialty cellulose with two main operations in Brazil in Camaçari, Bahia and in Lençóis Paulista, São Paulo. In addition to its operations in Brazil, Bracell has a management office in Singapore and sales offices in Asia, Europe and the U.S.

About RGE:

Headquartered in Singapore, RGE is a group of resource-based manufacturing companies with global operations. We produce sustainable natural fibres, edible oils, green packaging and clean natural gas used to create products that feed, clothe and energise the world. We help improve billions of peoples’ lives through sustainable products they use every day. With more than US$25 billion in assets and 60,000 staff, we are creating a more recyclable, biodegradable and lower carbon future. Committed to sustainable development, conservation and community development, we strive towards what is good for the community, good for the country, good for the climate, good for the customer, and good for the company. With current operations spanning across Indonesia, China, Brazil, Spain and Canada, we continue to expand and engage new markets.

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The Escape Artist Introduces A New DIY Escape Game – “The Last Lion”

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 5 August 2022 – The Escape Artist is revealing plans to introduce a unique, DIY escape room experience. In collaboration with the esteemed National Gallery Singapore, the escape game, ‘The Last Lion’, is currently in the works and will be launched soon as a unique way to experience the museum, that is also suitable as a team building activity for companies.

‘The Last Lion’ is different from other traditional escape room games as players are able to explore the museum while solving the puzzles at the same time. However, if companies are looking to have a complete escape room experience, The Escape Artist can facilitate the event and offer a themed experience that guide players throughout selected areas of the museum. All players are required to do is purchase the game kit, which comes with an envelope containing a book filled with puzzles and accessories. These puzzles are to be solved by finding clues hidden around the museum space. Players can also find other materials included in the game kit to help them in their quest, with special mention going to a unique wooden jigsaw puzzle that also serves as a souvenir that players can bring home after completing the escape game.

Another museum escape room game, ‘True Lies: Secrets of the Gallery’, launched during the Light to Night Festival in 2020, has remained one of the most popular team building games offered by The Escape Artist. This led to the creation of ‘The Last Lion’ to be made into a regular escape room experience within National Gallery Singapore. Justin Lee, Director of The Escape Artist, has mentioned that they are constantly striving to create interesting games at various venues around Singapore. He went on to elaborate that ‘The Last Lion’ can lead to more opportunities for The Escape Artist to team up with possible partners to hold unparalleled escape room experiences.

Being the first company to introduce escape rooms to Singapore, The Escape Artist is a leading escape room provider, clinching three consecutive awards from 2013 to 2016 and continuing to set the gold standard for escape room entertainment in the country. As a way to reach out to the corporate industry, The Escape Artist, alongside National Gallery Singapore, has created ‘The Last Lion’ to be an innovative yet effective corporate team building game that takes players outside of the usual four walls. The event is carried out upon request. There are also plans to make ‘The Last Lion’ available to the public by allowing visitors to purchase directly via National Gallery Singapore during their visit.

Having realised the increasing demand for more avant-garde team building games, The Escape Artist has established a wide range of off-site escape games and virtual escape rooms since its inception in 2013. ‘The Last Lion’ is the latest addition to its offerings, though corporate clients and the public can look forward to more escape games being developed in the future. This is part of The Escape Artist’s initiative to create a broader array of games to cater to a larger audience.

For more information, please visit: https://theescapeartist.sg/

Hashtag: #TheEscapeArtist

Rhenus reaches first milestone in LCL (less-container-load) Carbon-Neutral journey with pilot launch of Carbon Neutrality Label

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 5 August 2022 – LCL consolidation shipments exported by Rhenus from the Central European Gateway in Hilden, Germany, can receive the ClimatePartner label, as proof of the carbon emissions neutralised for the first quarter (Q1) 2022 operations.

Rhenus Group, a leading global logistics service provider, announces positive progress in the efforts to achieve LCL carbon neutrality through a pilot project to ensure that the reduction of emissions complies with international standards. Rhenus is working with ClimatePartner, an independent consultancy, to verify the calculation methodology and offset the amount of CO2 through verified and audited carbon offset projects.

The ClimatePartner label, which confirms the carbon neutrality of the products under the Rhenus name, will be available to companies who engage Rhenus to export LCL shipments from the Central European Gateway in Hilden starting this year. Currently, the emissions from the operations during Q1 2022 have been calculated and offset, the rest of 2022 will follow. With the offset result from this pilot project, Rhenus has invested in a wind energy project which promotes less reliance on fossil fuels.

“Our LCL Gateway in Hilden is the biggest Rhenus consolidation hub worldwide and moving towards a sustainable direction is our focus. In parallel with minimising direct emissions, Rhenus is willing and ready to take the extra steps in developing services with a verified carbon-neutral label. This is only the start of our journey to decarbonising logistics services.” said Julian Broeer, Regional Head LCL Europe of Rhenus Air & Ocean.

“Contributing to sustainable logistics is a core objective of Rhenus and the green logistics efforts. We are encouraged by the promising progress thus far. Results and learnings of this pilot project will lay the foundation for our goal to achieve 100 percent carbon neutrality for all LCL shipments worldwide by 2030,” said Jan Harnisch, the newly appointed global Co-CEO of Rhenus Air & Ocean.

The pilot project is the first step in the Rhenus strategy to neutralise the carbon emissions of its LCL product by 2030, which was announced in late 2021. Future plans for Rhenus include opening more carbon-neutral trade lanes, expanding its sustainability product offerings and actively researching effective ways to efficiently reduce emissions.

For more information on the Rhenus ClimatePartner tracking page:
www.climatepartner.com/19036-2206-1001

Hashtag: #Rhenus

About Rhenus

The Rhenus Group is one of the leading logistics specialists with global business operations and annual turnover amounting to EUR 7.0 billion. 37,500 employees work at 970 business sites and develop innovative solutions along the complete supply chain. Whether providing transport, warehousing, customs clearance or value-added services, the family-owned business pools its operations in various business units where the needs of customers are the major focus at all times.

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