Waste management

Klabin's businesses have operations that generate solid waste, whether from human activities or production processes. The Company focuses on efficient production, with the least waste, and encourages the reuse of by-products from the process. When internal recovery is not feasible, waste is directed towards recycling and external recovery, guaranteed by the implementation of procedures and regular monitoring of its proper internal segregation. Since 2020, the Company has committed to the goal of zero disposal of industrial waste to landfills by 2030.  

The corporate dashboard for environmental indicator management enables monitoring and tracking of the progress of the actions taken to utilize waste. Every month, the corporate Environment area holds critical analysis meetings with the units, where deviations are dealt with and actions are defined to reduce waste generation and alternative landfill destinations.  

The Company invests in the pursuit of new technologies to incorporate and add value to the resources generated. For this reason, it maintains a line of research, linked to the R&D area, aimed at eliminating – wherever possible – or reducing environmental impacts. 

The potential significant impacts related to the waste are generated in Klabin’s own activities and value chain. The production process begins with the management of the eucalyptus and pine forests. The trees are processed in the field, transported to the pulp and paper production plants and the bark and other forest residues are used in the boilers to produce energy and steam for the units.  

In the conversion of wood into pulp and paper, the main waste generated is sludge from the treatment of effluents and waste from the chemical recovery of soda to extract cellulose fibers from the wood. Most of the waste is recovered for agricultural use. Other waste, such as dregs and grits, which account for approximately 1.4% of the total generated at Klabin, have been studied by the R&D team since 2018 and are used as raw material to produce soil corrective inputs, absorbed by the Forestry division.  

Pulp produced is transported directly to conversion customers. Some of the paper produced goes to Klabin's packaging plants and some is sold to be converted into packaging. At this stage, leftover paper (refills) is generated which, together with scraps bought from the market, is the raw material for producing recycled paper. In addition, other waste generated in larger quantities is sludge from effluent treatment and waste from the process of preparing chips for production.  

One of the major challenges is to maintain waste reuse practices even with the increase in generation due to Klabin's growth in production, through acquisitions or expansions. To promote and structure the post- and pre-consumption paper recycling chain, Klabin has four recycled paper production plants in the Southeast and Northeast regions. They absorb both refiles and corrugated board scraps generated by Klabin and material from clients and operators in the recycling chain (e.g., trimmers and waste managers). 

Klabin's recycling capacity is 450,000 tons per year, which positions the Company as the largest paper recycler in Brazil. The recycling plants supply high-quality recycled raw materials that are incorporated by the packaging units to produce secondary packaging. 

GRI-306-2

Measures taken to manage significant impacts​
 

tems 7.8, 7.9, 7.16, and 7.18 of Klabin's Sustainability Policy encompass, respectively: the pursuit of efficient technologies and solutions; the strengthening of circularity; pollution prevention by means of reducing the impacts of solid waste generation; and compliance with legislation and standards applicable to the product, environment, health and safety. Environmental management is guided by the guidelines established by ISO 14001, which certifies most of the Company's units. 

All units undergo an internal audit. While certified units are being subjected to the management system standards, non-certified units are being prepared for the formal audit by Klabin's internal team, certified as ISO 14.001 auditors. In addition to internal guidelines and policies, federal (Law No. 12.305/2010 – National Policy on Solid Waste), state and municipal legislation related to solid waste are constantly monitored, accompanied by actions to demonstrate compliance. 

Environmental indicators are one of the pillars for variable compensation for employees and senior management. 

The topic is also part of Klabin's Sustainable Development Goals (KODS), with the target of zeroing the disposal of industrial waste to landfills by 2030. It was internalized in the strategic planning of the units and is tracked monthly through performance indicators, monitoring of the generation and adequate destination of residues, and definition of actions to reduce the generation or better technologies/disposal alternatives. In 2023, the Company reached a reuse percentage of 99.3% of the industrial solid waste generated in its operation. 

The R&D department has been working with the Sustainability and Environment departments in the units to find alternative disposal for waste other than landfills. There have been several advances, such as the incorporation of sludge, dregs and grits in the making of bricks and cement artifacts, and the agricultural use of process residues together with lime sludge. 

Waste generated by third parties 

Klabin defines performance and legal requirements when contracting third parties for waste management. For verification purposes, in addition to the routine monitoring of the waste transportation and disposal operations, contractors undergo frequent environmental audits conducted by Company professionals for the purpose of identifying technical qualifications, opportunities for improvement and adaptations to meet the requirements of Klabin and/or legal requirements. 

ISO 14001 certification

A table listing the number of employees per certified unit can be found at the end of the chapter on the link: ISO 14001 Certification.