Zilor

The Zilor unit is dedicated to sugarcane processing for the production of sugar and ethanol, in addition to exporting electricity generated from biomass (bagasse). This operation takes place in three units located in the state of São Paulo – Barra Grande (Lençóis Paulista), São José (Macatuba) and Quatá.

All sugar and ethanol production is sold through Copersucar S.A., a global leader in the marketing of these products. The energy exported to the National Interconnected System (SIN) is negotiated by Zilor with distributors (in the regulated market) and sellers (in the free and spot market).

Biorigin

The Biorigin business unit is specialized in biotechnological processes and produces 100% natural ingredients for human food (Food segment) and animal nutrition (Feed segment). With industrial and distribution operations in Brazil and the United States, in addition to a distribution center in Belgium, the company serves customers on all continents.

Focused on innovation, technological research and sustainability, the business unit aims to promote the health and well-being of people by developing ingredients that enhance the taste, reduce sodium content and extend the shelf life of the food produced by its customers.

Innovation and productivity in the field

In the agricultural area operated directly by Zilor, whose production supplies the Quatá unit, we have begun to implement a technological development plan that covers all stages of the production cycle and seeks a productive growth of around 37% by the 2022/2023 harvest.

The Agricultural Partnerships model, in operation for 20 years, was adopted with the purpose of increasing productivity in the sugarcane fields that supply the Barra Grande (Lençóis Paulista) and São José (Macatuba) units. In this format, the Partners are responsible for growing and harvesting sugarcane in areas owned by Zilor or leased by the company, and all production is destined to the two mills.

All Agricultural Partners adhere to the Commitment to Socio-environmental Conduct. The fulfillment of this commitment is regularly verified by Zilor through periodic visits to farms and external audits – we require a minimum percentage of 85% compliance for the Partners to be part of the program.

Efficiency in the industry

With initiatives that combine team training, continuous improvement projects and investments in equipment, we achieved a 9.2% growth in the amount of crushed sugarcane when comparing the 2018/2019 and 2019/2020 harvests. As a result, we also achieved an increase in production.

The increased efficiency of our industries is the result of several improvement projects carried out over the past two years. We implemented the Lean Six Sigma philosophy in different processes, which also allowed to increase the efficiency in the use of water.

Certifications

Our company was the first among Copersucar's associates to win RenovaBio certification. Our three units started, in 2020, the CBIOs emissions, which will be commercialized to companies with targets for emissions compensation.

One of the most important certifications for our products is Bonsucro, which evaluates and proves the sustainable production of sugarcane derivatives throughout the chain of custody. Our certification covers the three industries, the agricultural area of the Quatá unit, 13 Agricultural Partners that supply sugarcane and Biorigin, which guarantees customers a high standard of sustainability and traceability of the raw material.

Biotechnology, health and quality of life

Specialized in biotechnological processes for the production of natural ingredients, Biorigin promotes health and quality of life with the supply of products for the food and animal nutrition industries. Our business unit was created in 2003 and serves customers in more than 60 countries – in North and South America, Europe and Asia.

The Food segment products, intended for the manufacture of food, can provide a reduction of up to 70% in the sodium content and up to 30% in the sugar content of food, always maintaining the taste. They are also interesting alternatives for our customers to replace the application of chemicals and associate their brands to a healthier lifestyle.

In the Feed segment, focused on animal nutrition, the nutritional differentials of the yeasts and ingredients we produce are fundamental for the final products to serve the specific demands of each type of breeding and of consumers.

Safety, health and care for our employees' lives are our top priorities in conducting business and activities. With the Vida em Foco (Life in Focus) program, we have developed a management model that standardizes preventive activities and establishes controls and investigation procedures for continuous improvement.

The results of Vida em Foco (Life in Focus) have been continuously positive. In the 2019/2020 harvest, there was an 81% reduction in the rate of accidents with lost time compared to the 2017/2018 harvest, when the initiative was implemented.

Social responsability

Our actions are directed at fostering the education of young people through our own projects or made possible by incentive laws or by supporting actions carried out by organizations in society itself. For the 2019/2020 harvest, we allocated R$ 3.8 million to support initiatives in the communities – another R$ 4.2 milion were contributed in the previous period.

The Aprender Sempre (Continous Learning) project was consolidated, in 2019, as the main vector of social investment made by the company in the 2019/2020 harvest – both by the territorial diagnosis model employed and by the strategic direction. The initiative benefits young people in the public school system of the municipality of Quatá (São Paulo) with activities focused on protagonism and youth empowerment.