GRI GRI 405-1 Diversity of governance bodies and employees

GRI 405-1 Diversity of governance bodies and employees

The Sustainability Steering Committee is the highest corporate governance body responsible for sustainability topics. This committee oversees sustainability performance and supervises the company’s environmental, social, and governance practices (see GRI 2-9 Governance structure and composition and GRI 2-18 Evaluation of the performance of the highest governance body for more information).

The committee comprises six members, all holding executive positions. Bracell does not have any independent or advisory members on its governance bodies or committees (learn more about the roles and credentials of the Sustainability Steering Committee members under GRI 2-17: Collective knowledge of the highest governance body).

Women in Leadership

Promoting gender equality is one of the top priorities in the Bracell 2030 roadmap, which sets a target of having 30% of leadership positions held by women by 2030. In 2024, we made significant progress toward this target, exceeding our interim goal of 27% set for the year, and closing the cycle with 29.4% of leadership roles held by women, representing 117 female leaders within the company.

As part of our Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) targets, we also aim to foster a more inclusive work environment for our affinity groups, with a target of achieving 90% positive feedback from these employees on respect and equity in the workplace by 2030.

In 2024, the first year of implementing our Bracell 2030 roadmap, we established the baseline satisfaction levels within these groups and identified key performance indicators by which we will measure our efforts in the years ahead.

Number of leaders in pulp business operations, by gender and role – 20241
 Position Men Women
São Paulo Bahia São Paulo Bahia
Director2 12 2 0 0
Senior Manager 22 7 3 3
Manager 61 25 25 12
Coordinator 95 57 58 16
Total 190 91 86 31
Total by gender 281 117

1 Includes only Bracell’s direct employees. Bracell Papéis employees are not included.

2 Including the positions of president, director, head and vice president.

Percentage of women in leadership roles directly involved in pulp operations – 2024
  Bahia São Paulo Total
Total people in leadership positions 122 276 398
Total women in leadership positions 31 86 117
Percentage of women in leadership positions 25,4 31.2 29.4

1 Includes only Bracell’s direct employees. Bracell Papéis employees are not included. The women in leadership target in our Bracell 2030 roadmap is based on the number of female leaders working directly in our pulp operations.

As of yearend 2024, women in leadership positions at Bracell included 6 senior managers, 37 managers, and 74 coordinators—making up 29.4% of all leadership roles.

In 2024, we carried out the following initiatives as part of our Diversity & Inclusion 2030 roadmap:

  1. Conducted a company-wide Diversity & Inclusion Census across all Bracell operations
  2. Ran a survey on respect and equity, targeted at affinity group members, as part of the D&I Census
  3. Launched a Women’s Talent Acquisition and Retention Program—which includes mapping women in succession tracks for leadership roles, opening affirmative job postings for women, creating a women-focused talent pool, and providing leadership training on bias awareness and inclusive leadership
  4. Rolled out a Women’s Career Acceleration Program—focused on women identified as future leaders—which also includes creating affirmative-action leadership positions for women.

 

Number and percentage of individuals within the organization’s governance bodies – by gender1
Governance bodies Bahia São Paulo Southeast Paper Operations Total
Men Women Men Women Men Women Men Women
Number of governance body members 2 0 3 0 1 0 6 0
Percentage of governance body members by gender 100 0 100 0 100 0 100 0

1 There are no individuals in governance bodies in our Northeast paper operations.

Number and percentage of individuals within the organization’s governance bodies by age group1
Governance bodies Bahia São Paulo Southeast Paper Operations Total
Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent
Under 30 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
30 to 50 0 0 2 66.67 0 0 2 33.33
Over 50 2 100 1 33.33 1 100 4 66.67
Total 2 100 3 100 1 100 6 100

1 There are no individuals from minority and/or vulnerable groups serving on the organization’s governance bodies. The data excludes our Northeast paper operation, as this data has not been tracked for this operation.

Total workforce by employee category and gender1
Employee category Bahia São Paulo Southeast Paper Operations Northeast Paper Operations Total
Men Women Men Women Men Women Men Women Men Women
Executive Management1 2 0 12 0 2 0 0 0 16 0
Senior Manager 11 3 22 3 3 1 4 0 40 7
Middle Management 27 13 61 25 12 6 15 5 115 49
Coordinator 59 17 95 58 4 2 20 6 178 83
Specialist 52 12 95 39 11 1 2 1 160 53
Technical/Supervisor 120 32 732 88 108 20 41 10 1,001 150
Administrative 168 197 505 377 68 36 82 111 823 721
Operational 1,039 214 3,737 709 268 77 670 102 5,714 1,102
Trainee 1 2 6 14 0 0 0 0 7 16
Total 1,479 490 5,265 1,313 476 143 834 235 8,054 2,181

1 Including the positions of president, director, head and vice president.

Percentage of employees by job category and gender (%)
Employee category Bahia São Paulo Southeast Paper Operations Northeast Paper Operations Total
Men Women Men Women Men Women Men Women Men Women
Executive Management1 100 0 100 0 100 0 0 0 100 0
Senior Manager 70 30 88 12 75 25 100 0 85 15
Middle Management 68 32 71 29 67 33 75 25 70 30
Coordinator 78 22 62 38 67 33 77 23 68 32
Specialist 81 19 71 29 92 8 67 33 75 25
Technical/Supervisor 79 21 89 11 84 16 80 20 87 13
Administrative 46 54 57 43 65 35 42 58 53 47
Operational 83 17 84 16 78 22 87 13 84 16
Trainee 33 67 30 70 0 0 0 0 30 70
Total 75 25 80 20 77 23 78 22 79 21

1 The data includes the positions of president, director, head and vice president.

Number of employees by employee category and age group
  Bahia São Paulo Southeast Paper Operations Northeast Paper Operations Total
Executive Board
Under 30 0 0 0 0 0
30 to 50 0 8 1 0 9
Over 50 2 4 1 0 7
Total 2 12 2 0 16
Senior Manager
Under 30 0 0 0 0 0
30 to 50 11 20 3 0 34
Over 50 3 5 1 0 9
Total 14 25 4 0 43
Middle Management
Under 30 0 0 0 0 0
30 to 50 35 67 12 17 131
Over 50 5 19 6 0 30
Total 40 86 18 17 161
Coordinator
Under 30 1 6 0 5 14
30 to 50 64 101 3 16 182
Over 50 11 46 3 2 62
Total 76 153 6 23 258
Specialist
Under 30 10 8 1 0 24
30 to 50 42 95 8 3 143
Over 50 12 31 3 0 46
Total 64 134 12 3 213
Technical/Supervisor
Under 30 11 192 33 7 245
30 to 50 108 436 62 42 646
Over 50 33 192 33 1 259
Total 152 820 128 50 1,150
Administrative
Under 30 151 312 25 113 616
30 to 50 187 389 55 74 690
Over 50 27 181 24 3 235
Total 365 882 104 190 1,541
Operational
Under 30 245 1,027 137 194 1,642
30 to 50 857 2,313 129 532 3,792
Over 50 151 1,106 79 45 1,381
Total 1,253 4,446 345 771 6,815
Trainee
Under 30 3 19 0 0 22
30 to 50 0 1 0 0 1
Over 50 0 0 0 0 0
Total 3 20 0 0 23
Total
Under 30 421 1,564 196 319 2,563
30 to 50 1,304 3,430 273 684 5,628
Over 50 244 1,584 150 51 2,029
Total 1,969 6,578 619 1,054 10,220

 

Percentage of employees, by job category and age group (%)
  Bahia São Paulo Southeast Paper Operations Northeast Paper Operations Total
Executive Board
Under 30 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%
30 to 50 0% 67% 50% 0% 56%
Over 50 100% 33% 50% 0% 44%
Total 100 100 100 0 100%
Senior Manager
Under 30 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%
30 to 50 79% 80% 75% 0% 79%
Over 50 21% 20% 25% 0% 21%
Total 100% 100% 100% 0% 100%
Middle Management
Under 30 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%
30 to 50 88% 78% 67% 100% 81%
Over 50 13% 22% 33% 0% 19%
Total 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%
Coordinator
Under 30 1% 4% 0% 22% 5%
30 to 50 84% 66% 50% 70% 71%
Over 50 14% 30% 50% 9% 24%
Total 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%
Specialist
Under 30 16% 6% 8% 0% 11%
30 to 50 66% 71% 67% 100% 67%
Over 50 19% 23% 25% 0% 22%
Total 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%
Technical/Supervisor
Under 30 7% 23% 26% 14% 21%
30 to 50 71% 53% 48% 84% 56%
Over 50 22% 23% 26% 2% 23%
Total 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%
Administrative
Under 30 41% 35% 24% 59% 40%
30 to 50 51% 44% 53% 39% 45%
Over 50 7% 21% 23% 2% 15%
Total 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%
Operational
Under 30 20% 23% 40% 25% 24%
30 to 50 68% 52% 37% 69% 56%
Over 50 12% 25% 23% 6% 20%
Total 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%
Trainee
Under 30 100% 95% 0% 0% 96%
30 to 50 0% 5% 0% 0% 4%
Over 50 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%
Total 100% 100% 0% 0% 100%
Total
Under 30 21% 24% 32% 30% 25%
30 to 50 66% 52% 44% 65% 55%
Over 50 12% 24% 24% 5% 20%
Total 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%

 

Number of employees in minority and/or vulnerable groups, by employee category
  Bahia São Paulo Southeast Paper Operations Northeast Paper Operations Total
PwDs
Executive Board 0 0 0 0 0
Senior Manager 1 0 0 0 1
Middle Management 1 2 0 0 3
Coordinator 1 1 0 1 3
Specialist 0 1 0 0 1
Technical/Supervisor 4 13 0 0 17
Administrative 29 7 0 2 38
Operational 38 39 1 14 92
Trainee 0 1 0 0 1
Total 74 64 1 17 156
Black individuals1
Executive Board 0 0
Senior Manager 0 0
Middle Management 0 0
Coordinator 5 5
Specialist 0 0
Technical/Supervisor 7 7
Administrative 34 34
Operational 173 173
Trainee 0 0
Total 219 219

1 Data on employees in minority and/or vulnerable groups (black and LGBTQIA+) by employee category are not tracked for our pulp and paper operations in São Paulo or our pulp operations in Bahia. The number of black employees is currently tracked only for our Northeast paper operations.

Percentage of employees in minority and/or vulnerable groups by employee category (%)
  Bahia São Paulo Southeast Paper Operations Northeast Paper Operations Total
PwDs
Executive Board 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Senior Manager 7.14% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 2.10%
Middle Management 2.50% 2.33% 0.00% 0.00% 1.80%
Coordinator 1.32% 0.65% 0.00% 3.85% 1.10%
Specialist 0.00% 0.75% 0.00% 0.00% 0.50%
Technical/Supervisor 2.63% 1.59% 0.00% 0.00% 1.50%
Administrative 7.95% 0.79% 0.00% 1.04% 2.50%
Operational 3.03% 0.88% 0.29% 1.81% 1.30%
Trainee 0.00% 5.00% 0.00% 0.00% 4.30%
Total 3.76% 0.97% 0.16% 1.59% 1.50%
Black individuals1
Executive Board 0.00% 0.00%
Senior Manager 0.00% 0.00%
Middle Management 0.00% 0.00%
Coordinator 19.23% 19.23%
Specialist 0.00% 0.00%
Technical/Supervisor 13.73% 13.73%
Administrative 17.62% 17.62%
Operational 22.41% 22.41%
Trainee 0.00% 0.00%
Total 20.49% 20.49%

1 Data on employees in minority and/or vulnerable groups (black and LGBTQIA+) by employee category are not tracked for our pulp and paper operations in São Paulo or our pulp operations in Bahia. The number of black employees is currently tracked only for our Northeast paper operations.

Total workforce by region and gender
Region Men Women Total
Bahia 1,479 490 1,969
São Paulo 5,265 1,313 6,578
Southeast Paper Operations 476 143 619
Northeast Paper Operations 822 232 1,054
Total 8,042 2,178 10,220

 

Workforce by region and gender (%)
Region Men Women Total
Bahia 75 25 100
São Paulo 80 20 100
Southeast Paper Operations 77 23 100
Northeast Paper Operations 78 22 100
Total 79 21 100

Diversity & Inclusion

Our Diversity Journey follows common guidelines for all RGE group companies in Brazil, adapted to the specific nature and needs of each business unit. The Journey is structured around five pillars:

  1. Gender
  2. People with Disabilities
  3. Race
  4. LGBTQIA+
  5. Generations

Across these pillars, we work to:

  1. Promote inclusion and equity, creating opportunities for growth and a sense of belonging for everyone, regardless of identity or background
  2. Increase awareness and education by engaging employees and raising awareness around the importance of diversity and inclusive policies
  3. Strengthen initiatives through partnerships and certifications, positioning Bracell as a leader in diversity
  4. Expand representation by expanding affirmative action initiatives and recruiting talent from underrepresented groups
  5. Ensure a psychologically safe environment by fostering a culture of respect, appreciation, and psychological safety.

In 2024, we made consistent progress in our Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) efforts through structured initiatives that helped build an inclusive workplace culture and foster equity across all levels of the organization. Key initiatives carried out during the year are outlined below.

  1. Advancing Women in Leadership
  • We continued to track progress on our target to reach 30% women in leadership roles by 2030, as part of our commitment to gender equity. In 2024, we made significant progress toward this target, exceeding our interim target of 27% set for the year, and closing the cycle with 29,4% of leadership roles held by women, representing 117 female leaders within the company (learn more under Bracell 2030). The women in leadership target in our Bracell 2030 roadmap is based on the number of female leaders working directly in our pulp operations.
  • We launched a Women’s Career Acceleration Program, with 50% of positions reserved as affirmative-action opportunities to help build a strong pipeline of future female leaders (learn more about women in leadership on page XX).
  1. Harassment Prevention and Response
  • Bracell provided training on workplace and sexual harassment for coordinators, managers, and supervisors across the organization.
  • We ran an internal awareness campaign featuring posters, practical leadership guides, and a refresher on our Code of Conduct.
  • Key Personnel—including business partners, internal auditors, and HR teams—were trained in investigation techniques to strengthen internal reporting and response mechanisms.
  1. Strengthening D&I Governance
  • We unified our affinity groups, which began meeting monthly in June to discuss relevant topics and assess ongoing initiatives.
  • Strategic departments such as Health, Communications, and Recruitment were also trained to support the effective rollout of D&I strategies.
  1. Education, Awareness, and Engagement
  • We introduced the Bracell Diversity & Inclusion Guide, which defines key concepts, outlines commitments, and shares good practices to foster a more inclusive environment.
  • We hosted our 1st D&I Corporate Week, with expert-led discussions on disability, LGBTQIAPN+, generations, race, and gender.
  • We also launched inclusive leadership training focused on respect, belonging, and building diverse, collaborative teams.
  1. Data-Driven Assessment and Planning
  • We conducted a Diversity and Inclusion Census, mapping inequalities related to gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, and other factors.
  • The findings informed our first structured D&I action plan, set to begin implementation in 2025.

Recognition

Bracell’s communication and sustainability initiatives were recognized in 2024 with the Jatobá Public Relations Trophy. We received a special award as Company of the Year, a category that celebrates communication efforts combining innovation, strategy, and impact. We presented three case studies: “Bracell 2030 Roadmap,” a documentary, and an internal campaign against harassment and discrimination called Não é MIMIMI (“It’s Not Whining”).

Diversity, the central theme of the campaign awarded the Jatobá Trophy, is also a key element in our ESG strategy and is reflected in the Bracell 2030 commitments. We strive to promote equal opportunity for men and women and foster an inclusive work environment for all affinity groups. As a company operating in a sector with human capital challenges, we aim to lead the industry through initiatives that enhance quality of life, turning them—along with training, development, and recognition programs—into factors in attracting and retaining talent.

Affinity groups

Bracell fosters diversity and inclusion through affinity groups that design initiatives tailored to the unique challenges and contexts of each business unit. These groups play a vital role in raising awareness and educating our workforce, helping to build a more inclusive and equitable workplace environment. We currently support five active affinity groups: Race, LGBT+, People with Disabilities (PwDs), Generations, and Gender.

In 2024, we reached key milestones in our diversity journey across four focus areas: representation, training, partnerships, and affirmative action:

  • Representation: we currently have 75 allies at our Alagoinhas (BA) and Camaçari (BA) sites, actively promoting our D&I agenda.
  • Training and Awareness: we delivered 27 hours of diversity training, 26 hours of awareness events, and 9 hours of Toolbox Talks, reaching more than 300 employees in our operations.
  • Partnerships and Recognition: We formed three new partnerships with consulting firms specializing in inclusive practices. We received the Lilac badge from the Government of Bahia, recognizing gender inclusion initiatives, and we maintained our LGBT+ and racial equity certifications.
  • Affirmative Action: we established our first all-women forestry team. Twenty-three contractors were hired to work in our forestry operations in Bahia. We also launched another edition of Indica PcD, a referrals program for people with disabilities.
  • Development programs: we launched an English Development Program for Women and a Development Track for People with Disabilities.

Guidance Handbook

In 2024, we published our Diversity & Inclusion Guide, shared with all employees. The Guide, available to all employees, provides straightforward, plain-language definitions of key terms and concepts, along with practical tips for cultivating an inclusive mindset and fostering a supportive, psychologically safe workplace.