SUSTAINABILITY
Viena follows a model of long-term strategic planning. Therefore, continuous investments are made in the preservation of the environment. Reforestation, reuse of coal fines and generation of thermoelectric energy are some of the actions of environmental responsibility adopted by the company.
Environmental Sustainability
The production of charcoal from renewable forests is ecologically correct by consuming CO2, setting carbon and releasing oxygen into the atmosphere, contributing to the reduction of the greenhouse effect.
Reforestation, reuse of charoal fines and thermoelectric power generation are some of the environmental responsibility actions adopted by the company.
The company invested in the construction of a thermoelectric plant, with installed capacity of 9.7 MWh, fueled by the gases from its blast furnaces. This initiative, in addition to generating self-sufficiency in energy, avoids the emission of pollutants into the atmosphere.
To meet one of its main objectives, the production of green pig iron, Viena has planted forests since 1989, currently owning 45,000 hectares reforested. Vienna is self-sufficient in forests for its current production with 4 kilns.
With this, the company is participating significantly in improving the quality of life of people in its region of operation, generating more than 1,300 direct jobs and 5,000 indirect jobs in its production chain, contributing to the permanence of people in the countryside of Brazil. As a consequence of the socio-economic benefit, the municipalities in Viena’s area of activity show a remarkable increase in their human development index (HDI) well above the national average.
The firm investment in forest technological development over the years, with emphasis on the genetic improvement actions of the eucalyptus trees, aiming at the continuous increase of forest yields, have the following results: very diversified genotypes, composed of clones tested with very high yields (average of over 40 cubic meters of wood per hectare per year, the target of 48 cubic meters), as a result of a rigorous selection of more than a thousand clones, considering, among others, the variables resistance to diseases and pests, wood quality and regeneration.
In addition to the genetic improvement, Viena also invests in other areas of forestry with a nursery producing apical mini cuttings with a capacity of 6 million seedlings per year and a modern fertigation system. Adequate forest management (soil preparation, fertilization, weed control, etc.) also contributes to the full development of forests, whose productions are accompanied by a team of experts.
All that allows Viena to produce the “green pig iron”, which is socially and ecologically sustainable, contributing to the reduction of the greenhouse effect, through the recapture of carbon in the process of photosynthesis.
One of the important projects in this area is the Vienatureza program, located only 20 km away from the plant, in a reserve of native forest of the region. Its 1,000 hectares preserved acres serve as a biological laboratory for nearby student communities.
The site is visited fortnightly by groups of students, who have the opportunity to get to know the species of fauna and flora of the region and to attend lectures on environmental education, always with the concern of raising awareness of the new generations.
viena educar
Viena has partnered with AlfaSol, a non-governmental, non-profit organization that has developed literacy programs in Brazilian communities with low school performance.
The aim of the Vienna / AlfaSol partnership was to literate adults and young people over 15 years of age in the industrial district of Pequiá and in localities where the company’s farms are concentrated.
The partnership was responsible for making more than 1.000 youths and adults literate, many of whom continued their dreams in the EJA – Youth and Adult Education, deepening their knowledge and seeking qualification. Vienna is proud to report that the program does not currently have any classes due to the fact that they are no longer registered, as the problem of illiteracy in the region has been solved.
AlfaSol’s success trajectory and its national recognition are due to rigorous performance which recognizes the right to education throughout the life of every citizen; respects pre-existing local actions; supports the national public agenda; strengthens university extension; understands work as an educational principle; encourages the sustainability of the actions undertaken; and positively recognizes cultural and ethnic-racial diversity.
PEOPLE
Viena’s commitment to striving for fairer relations in the production chain is another example of commitment to social issues. The steel plant was a founding partner of the Carvão Cidadão Institute, which succeeded in its mission to guide, supervise and demand that charcoal suppliers to comply with labor standards. Vienna is proud to have been part of the process of eradicating slave labor from the charcoal chain. In addition to supporting the Institute, Viena has a constant concern with the leisure and well-being of the workers directly connected to it. To do so, it invests in high-end canteens and lodges on the farms, in order to offer more comfort to the workers.
HEALTH
ienna encourages the health of its employees and the community. To encourage the health of the population of Pequiá, Vienna has already built and donated to the community a football field, gym equipment in a public square and a concrete and safe hiking trail of more than 1.2km.
In addition, Viena encourages the sports practice of its employees by providing a partnership that gives discounts to access to the AERCA, where its employees have access to a swimming pool, sports courts and family leisure areas.