We are the first company in the pulp industry in São Paulo to implement three-stage effluent treatment:

1. Primary treatment: mechanical removal of fibers and inorganic compounds through solid-liquid separation

2. Secondary treatment: biological treatment of organic matter using activated sludge systems to significantly reduce organic load

3. Tertiary treatment: an advanced filtration or “polishing” stage to ensure effluent quality prior to discharge into the Tietê River

Tertiary effluent treatment supports high-performance removal of organic load—as measured by Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD)—at approximately 98% efficiency, far exceeding federal regulatory requirements (Conama Resolution 430/2011). In addition, approximately 92% of water withdrawals are returned to the Tietê River as treated effluent.

Effluent discharge limits are set in accordance with Brazilian environmental laws and standards, including Article 18 of Decree No. 8.468/1976, Article 16 of CONAMA Resolution 430/2011, the state environmental regulator’s (CETESB) Technical Reference Document, Technical Opinion 072/18/IPSE, and international eco-label standards such as Nordic Swan and the EU Ecolabel (see GRI 2-6 About Bracell for further details).

At our mill in the Camaçari Industrial Park (Bahia), process water is collected post-use and pumped to Bracell’s on-site primary treatment system, which includes a sedimentation step. The organic effluent is then sent to the local utility, which performs secondary biological treatment (activated sludge), ensuring more than 95% removal of organic load. The treated effluent is then discharged into the ocean via a dedicated outfall pipeline, in compliance with Inema Ordinance No. 16.507/2018 and No 18.841/19, Conama Resolution No. 430/2011, and other regulations issued by the relevant environmental agencies.

We consistently maintain quality standards that surpass national regulatory requirements, with especially rigorous monitoring of parameters like Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) and Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD). In our São Paulo operations, BOD was 13.8 mg/L and COD was 207.3 mg/L (), both within the limits established by federal regulations (Conama Resolution No. 430/2011), where the BOD limit is 60%. This performance reflects the effectiveness of the tertiary treatment system built at our pulp facility.

In our Bahia operations, continuous COD monitoring ensures the primary treatment system is performing optimally. The secondary treatment stage effectively reduces organic load, though due to mixing with effluents from other industrial operators within the complex, it is not possible to measure Bracell’s isolated contribution to the final effluent discharged offshore.

Bracell did not detect harmful substances in wastewater that could cause irreversible damage to water bodies, ecosystems, or human health. To define priority discharge substances, Bracell follows the World Health Organization (WHO) Guidelines for Drinking Water Quality.

In 2024, we recorded three incidents of regulatory non-compliance in Bahia, occurring in March, April, and June. These were related to pH, total suspended solids (TSS), and settleable solids (SS) in the Inorganic System (SI) and were reported to the Bahia State environmental regulator (INEMA) as required. The anomalies were attributed to intense rainfall, which increased system flow. In response, our operations team conducted targeted inspections to identify root causes and implemented corrective actions to ensure compliance with environmental requirements.

Our Northeast paper operations do not discharge effluents, and our Southeast paper operations route 100% of effluents to the Lençóis Paulista (SP) site treatment plant. Bracell does not discharge water in areas classified as water-stressed (see more in section GRI 2-6 About Bracell).

Surface water discharges (m³)

Operation	2020			2021			2022			2023			2024
	Forestry	Mill	Total	Forestry	Mill	Total	Forestry	Mill	Total	Forestry	Mill	Total	Forestry	Mill	Total
Bahia Pulp	0	0	0	0	312,800	312,800	0	153,151	153,151	0	97,615	97,615	0	142,030	142,030
São Paulo Pulp	0	0	0	0	15,745,505	15,745,505	0	51,451,820	51,451,820	0	49,309,676	49,309,676	0	49,760,589	49,760,589
Southeast Paper Operations	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	1,225,111	1,225,111
Northeast Paper Operations	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	0	0
Bracell	0	0	0	0	16,058,305	16,058,305	0	51,604,971	51,604,971	0	49,407,291	49,407,291	0	51,127,730	51,127,730

 

Submarine outfall discharges (m³)

Operation	2020			2021			2022			2023			2024
	Forestry	Mill	Total	Forestry	Mill	Total	Forestry	Mill	Total	Forestry	Mill	Total	Forestry	Mill	Total
Bahia Pulp	0	0	0	0	12,209,740	12,209,740	0	12,601,858	12,601,858	0	13,313,281	13,313,281	0	13,197,242	13,197,242
São Paulo Pulp	0	0	0	0	0	0	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Southeast Paper Operations	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Northeast Paper Operations	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Bracell	0	0	0	0	12,209,740	12,209,740	0	12,601,858	12,601,858	0	13,313,281	13,313,281	0	13,197,242	13,197,242

 

Total water withdrawal (m³)

Operation	2020			2021			2022			2023			2024
	Forestry	Mill	Total	Forestry	Mill	Total	Forestry	Mill	Total	Forestry	Mill	Total	Forestry	Mill	Total
Bahia Pulp	0	0	12,739,374	0	12,522,540	12,522,540	0	12,755,009	12,755,009	0	13,410,896	13,410,896	0	13,339,272	13,339,272
São Paulo Pulp	0	0	5,208,374	0	15,745,505	15,745,505	0	51,451,820	51,451,820	0	49,309,676	49,309,676	0	49,760,589	49,760,589
Southeast Paper Operations	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	0	1,225,111	1,225,111
Northeast Paper Operations	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	0	0	0
Bracell	0	0	17,947,748	0	28,268,045	28,268,045	0	64,206,829	64,206,829	0	62,720,572	62,720,572	0	64,324,972	64,324,972

Note 1: Effluents from Bracell’s São Paulo pulp and Southeast paper operations are jointly treated at a single Wastewater Treatment Plant (WTP) located at the Lençóis Paulista site. While our Southeast paper operations do not discharge effluent directly to the environment, its entire wastewater stream is routed to the WTP, which also processes effluents from the pulp manufacturing operation.

Note 2: in our mill operations in Bahia, only one effluent stream is discharged into the river, namely inorganic effluent or stormwater, which is directed to the CETREL inorganic effluent flume, where it is mixed with other inorganic effluents from the Industrial Park before being discharged into the river.

Note 2: at the Feira de Santana site (Bahia), Bracell Papéis Nordeste operates a closed-loop Wastewater Treatment Plant, which recirculates process water internally. As a result, no effluents are discharged to the environment. The same applies to the São Gonçalo dos Campos (BA) and Pombos (PE) units, as these facilities use dry processing.

Note 4: Bracell does not discharge effluents into groundwater.