At Sonae Arauco, we are committed to a responsible exploration of raw materials and we actively respect these principles in all our business practices. We believe in efficient value chains capable of stimulating investment and active forest management. Wood-based panels contribute to the responsible use of forest resources, because:

• They are a solid alternative to wood;

• Their dimensional flexibility, allows made-to-measure products to be manufactured;

• A positive effect on global warming due to improved energy efficiency;

• When used for building purposes, they act as carbon storage, helping reduce CO2 emissions;

• At the end of their lifespan, they can be recycled and transformed into new products in a continuous recycling process.

The basis of the quality provided by Sonae Arauco products is the use of wood from sustainably managed and carefully controlled sources. Within this scope, Sonae Arauco has PEFC™ (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification) and FSC® (Forest Stewardship Council®) (FSC-C013589) chain of custody certification, which ensures the use of wood-based raw materials from responsible sources.

Sonae Arauco contributes to the circular economy in the timber sector, through recovery of waste wood and its integration into the production cycle. It assures its collection, management and recycling, in addition to using recycled wood and preventing it from being burnt or disposed of in landfills.

The production of wood-based panels at Sonae Arauco thus incorporates several of the principles of the circular bioeconomy, such as more efficient production models (reduction of raw materials and energy consumption), lifecycle extension (dynamisation of recycling networks), recovery of by-products and waste, along with various awareness and social involvement projects.

It should also be pointed out that Sonae Arauco products are an important source of carbon capture, contributing to the mitigation of climate change.

Its Environmental Product Declarations (EPD) are verified by the Institut Bauen und Umwelt e.V. and present a transparent view of the environmental impact of its products. These Declarations describe the materials in relation to their environmental impact, through a lifecycle assessment, as well as their technical and functional characteristics. They are based on a quantitative and objective assessment, based on standard EN15804, which allows the sustainability of the materials and projects where they are used to be assessed.

All Sonae Arauco plants also comply with internationally recognised standards in terms of occupational safety, as well as environmental management, quality and energy standards, as proven by their OHSAS 18001, EN ISO 14001, EN ISO 9001 and ISO 50001 certifications.

LEED® is a programme that certificates the sustainability of buildings and the way they are planned, constructed and maintained. Developed by the U.S Green Building Council, this certification is wide-ranging, flexible and covers the entire lifecycle of a building.

LEED® provides building owners and operators the tools they need to access their buildings performance while providing healthy indoor spaces for its occupants.

The selection of the construction materials are crucial for obtaining LEED® Certification and that’s why Sonae Arauco solutions are suitable to make this environmental-friendly path.

There are specific prerequisites that projects must satisfy and a variety of credits they can pursue to earn.

Sonae Arauco solutions can help you to gain credits in these categories:

Materials and Resources

Those credits encourage using sustainable building materials and reducing waste. In this category, we are always looking forward to promote and optimize building products with:

• An environmental product declaration, to encourage the use of products and materials that have environmental, economic and social positive impact;

• Material ingredients, to reward raw material manufacturers who produce products verified to have improved lifecycle impacts;

• Sourcing of raw materials, to reward project teams for selecting products verified to have been extracted or sourced in a responsible manner

Indoor Environmental Quality