In the state of São Paulo, two indigenous communities—the Araribá Indigenous Territory in Avaí and the Tekoa Nhanderu Porã Village in São Miguel Arcanjo—are located within a three-kilometer radius of Bracell’s forestry operations. The Araribá Indigenous Territory consists of four villages (Tereguá, Ekeruá, Kopenoti, and Nimuendaju), covering 1,900 hectares. The Tekoa Nhanderu Porã village covers 34.55 hectares and is home to 20 residents who have lived there since 2022. There are no other indigenous communities located near Bracell’s other operations.

In 2024, Bracell did not develop any formal consultation protocols for indigenous peoples. Seven meetings were held during the year between Bracell representatives, FUNAI, and indigenous leaders. These meetings presented our operational activities around the Araribá Indigenous Territory, the activity schedule, operational details, our complaint channel, and measures to prevent and mitigate potential impacts. The meetings also included sessions to gather feedback from indigenous communities to improve Bracell’s mitigation strategies.

Topics also included hiring a consultancy to conduct a study in the indigenous territory, as suggested by FUNAI, Bracell’s forest management practices, conservation of springs within the Indigenous area, and donation requests. All meetings were documented via attendance lists, photographs, and minutes, with consent for data collection from participants—a total of 33 individuals and 79 total participations: 10 in March, 8 in May, 28 in June, 21 in August, and 12 in September.

In the Tekoa Nhanderu Porã village, Bracell held a meeting with the community leadership to present a nearby forest management area and explain our forestry management processes in the region. We also gathered feedback from indigenous leaders on perceived social impacts of operations on the village. In addition, we created a community database with summary social and environmental information.

This engagement is conducted before the start of operations. During these meetings, we provide relevant information about the company’s activities, providing an opportunity for indigenous representatives to express their concerns, which are then reviewed and addressed by Bracell.

The stakeholder engagement process is inclusive of the entire community, including women and elders, and allows sufficient time for the community to be informed about issues and for Bracell to address the needs, aspirations and concerns shared by indigenous peoples during interactions with the company.

Meetings with indigenous communities are documented in minutes that record the agreements reached with community leaders. All villages are consulted through their leaders, and 100% have chiefs or vice-chiefs as representatives.

In 2024, the meetings with villages were scheduled by the Brazilian indigenous authority, FUNAI, which attempted to schedule meetings during hours that accommodated indigenous communities’ routine activities, and informed them in advance of the start and end times of meetings, as well as the topics to be discussed. Bracell did not invite city residents to participate in these meetings.

During the year, we identified and mapped actual and potential impacts from our operations on indigenous communities, and no cases of indigenous rights violations were identified. Bracell also engaged a qualified and specialized consulting firm to conduct a study in the Araribá Indigenous Territory and to develop an action plan with recommendations to safeguard the human rights, customary rights, and safety of indigenous peoples, particularly in relation to their access to fisheries adjacent to Bracell’s forestry operations. To carry out this study, Bracell obtained formal permission from indigenous leadership to conduct fieldwork, as agreed during community engagement.