Environmental Responsibility
Our management is responsible and proactive in order to preserve and protect the environment, as part of the ethical relationship model we established with the local communities.
The attention we devote to the natural resources and biodiversity are fundamental for the regions where we operate to continue to offer a high-quality standard of living to the population of the municipalities, in addition to promoting the relevance of environmental education for an economy based on renewable sources of energy.
Carbon Credit
Zilor invests in technology and processes that allow the control and reduction of atmospheric emissions in its agricultural and industrial activities.
We are the first company in the sugar-energy industry to have a project using the Clean Development Mechanism, provided for in the Kyoto Protocol.
When producing electric energy from biomass, Zilor generates carbon credits and contributes to the reduction of greenhouse gases.
Waste Management
The management process goes from generation to the final disposal of industrial waste.
We store and send the hazardous waste that are part of our daily operation, such as batteries, fluorescent lamps, oils and grease, and chemical products containers, to companies authorized by environmental authorities.
Agricultural and Industrial Practices
Zilor and its partners adopt measures to reduce the use of fertilizers, chemical correctives and pesticides in crops, including the use of by-products from industrial processes, such as vinasse (rich in potassium) and filter cake (rich in phosphorus) to fertilize the crop.This practice makes it possible to recycle nutrients in crop areas, returning to the soil, in a natural way, part of the elements extracted by the cane in its growth.
The company also has a strict control of the water returned to springs, with all fertigation procedures carried out in the fields, including by its agricultural partners, complying with the Vinasse Application Plan required by CETESB (Companhia Ambiental do Estado de São Paulo).
Fauna and Flora
Zilor has conservation, recovery and reforestation programs in areas located in the vicinity of its industrial and agricultural units, to preserve their natural properties.
Our preservation areas total over 7,000 hectares and are home to several species of animals and plants.
We have one of the largest private reserves of the Atlantic Forest, in the Midwest region of São Paulo, with ecological corridors that enable the preservation of the biodiversity and ciliary forests that contour our rivers and springs to protect the sources of water: a social and sustainable guarantee for the communities living in surrounding areas.
Environmental Compliance Program
In partnership with the Luiz de Queiroz Agricultural Higher Education School (ESALQ/USP), the program allows the conservation, management and restoration of areas of permanent preservation of agricultural properties.
Restoration of the Lençóis River Basin
From 2010 to 2017, Zilor planted over 638,000 seedlings of native trees in the region, equivalent to 536 international standard football fields. The project goes until 2021 and covers the municipalities of Lençóis Paulista, Agudos, Borebi, Areiópolis and Macatuba.
Fauna Monitoring
In partnership with Unesp (Universidade Estadual Paulista), Zilor periodically monitors animals in the regions of agricultural activities and native forests. Endangered species have already been found and are protected in their habitats, which proves the environmental balance of the studied areas.
In 2019, we started the Fauna Monitoring Project, where we registered 185 species of animals that live in Zilor’s preservation areas. Eight of these species are threatened, such as the puma concolor, a predator at the top of the food chain, which indicates how the sustainable production of sugarcane can harmoniously coexist with wildlife.
When we created the commitment to recover and establish these ecological corridors, we automatically made a pact with the sustainable development of society, because rivers are preserved, animals can reproduce and the air we breathe is cleaner. The results of this work show that the species, including threatened species, are fully adapted and residing in the sugarcane production environments.
Environmental Management Program
Check below, Zilor’s detailed Environmental Management Program (PGA) of the São José, Barra Grande and Quatá units.
São José and Barra Grande Units – Click Here
Quatá Unit – Click Here