Rigesa Has its Forest Certification Renewed - Mar 19, 2008 - 2:15:00 PM

The Rigesa Forestry Division located in Três Barras (state of Santa Catarina, Brazil) just got the news that its Forest Certification (the CERFLOR) will be renewed. Upon the completion of the audit performed on March 10-14, 2008, the Company was found to be managing the forest stewardship system in a correct manner in compliance with the NBR 14,789 standard included in the Brazilian Certification System determined by the National Institute for Weights and Measures (the ¿INMETRO").
The certification constitutes evidence of the competence of our Forestry Division. The outcome of the audit confirms that the company operations are ecologically adequate, socially fair and economically feasible, and that it complies with all principles, criteria and indicators set out in the standard.
The audit was performed by Bureau Veritas Certification (the BVQI) and conducted by auditor Pedro José da Silveira Júnior. Pedro highlighted the commitment of Rigesa employees with forest stewardship, the availability and transparency of the information provided by the Company and the commitment with the awareness on ecosystem protection, the respect for the environment and the care for biodiversity.
The scope of the certification includes Rigesa-owned areas in the northern de Santa Catarina and southern Paraná plateaux, totaling approximately 54,000 hectares, with more than 32,000 hectares of forest plantations and approximately 22,000 hectares of permanent preservation areas and legal reserve areas.