For us, promoting the journey of diversity, equity, and inclusion is not only an ethical imperative but also a business strategy. In a diverse and inclusive environment, people feel more engaged, innovative, and belonging; and the attraction and retention rates of new talent increase significantly. For this reason, we believe in diversity, equity and inclusion as core values in our Culture Drivers and therefore reaffirm our ongoing commitment to ensuring an environment where all people can be who they are with freedom, respect and welcome.

Because of enslavement in Brazil's colonial period, the Black population was marginalized. As a result, an abyss of inequality opened up in terms of access to quality education, basic sanitation, minimum income and health. This scenario is reflected in the job market to this day, which can be seen in data such as the rate of only 4.7% of executive positions being held by Black people, even though they represent more than half of the Brazilian population (ETHOS, 2016). According to the UN Global Compact, leadership means all positions up to three levels below the CEO. Based on this definition, we decided to include the positions of functional manager and above in the target. At Suzano, we have the following ranks, in their respective hierarchical order: Functional Manager, Executive Manager, Functional Director, Executive Commitee and Chair.

We believe that increasing the number of Black people in leadership positions promotes racial inclusion at decision-making levels, which brings more representativeness and racial equity to the company. 

Black people in leadership positions, which include functional managers, executive managers, directors, and executive officers working in Brazil.

We use the same terminology as the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE in Portuguese Acronym), which defines the Black population as all people self-declared as black and parda. 

Achieve 30% Black people in leadership positions (functional management and above) - from 18.7% to 30% by 2025

In 2023, the company reached 20.4% representation of Black people in functional management positions and above, which represents a reduction of 0.5 percentage points compared to the previous year. Despite the absolute increase in the number of Black people in management positions, the percentage fell slightly compared to the previous year (20.9%) due to lower representation in admissions and promotions to these positions. In any case, several initiatives were implemented to strengthen the presence of black leaders, including the ELOS D+ program — launched in 2022 and concluded in 2023, to promote career acceleration through mentoring sessions and rapprochement with management — as well as collective goals and specific challenges for Executive Commitees. Also noteworthy is the progress made about the collective target for 2023, from 23.66% to 25%.

In 2024, we will continue the D+ program, which began in 2023 and is aimed at Black people, women and people with disabilities, with a focus on development through mentoring, assessment and individual trails. We will also work on annual collective targets to increase the presence of Black people in functional management positions and above, linked to the variable remuneration of the entire company, as well as challenge-directorate targets to boost the indicators in each Executive Commitee. We will also implement new initiatives to expand opportunities for Black people, with an emphasis on intersectionality between minority groups in the company.

For us, working on diversity, equity and inclusion is not only a duty but a business strategy. In a diverse and inclusive environment, employees feel more involved, creativity and contributions proliferate, and, at the same time, the attraction and retention rates of new talent increase. We respect human rights and value diversity, without discrimination of any kind, whether based on race, color, political conviction, gender, religion, sexual orientation, age, place of birth, or disability, among others.

We consider an inclusive environment one where all people can feel welcomed, respected and safe to be who they really are, regardless of individual characteristics. By respecting this individuality, we understand that it is fundamental to have an inclusive environment for LGBTQIAPN+ people.

The inclusive environment is measured through the company's engagement survey, which takes into account, among other things, employees' responses to Suzano's internal practices to promote an inclusive culture, as well as personal experiences in the workplace.

Ensure a 100% inclusive environment for LGBTQIAPN+² people - from 79% to 100% by 2025

This past year, Suzano began measuring inclusive environment indicators through its Engagement Survey, a change in methodology whose main objective was to increase employee participation and therefore obtain results that were more accurate to the company's reality. The strategy was successful: in 2023, Suzano recorded around 86% adherence, compared to only 37% in 2022. The greater overall participation was also reflected in the operational teams - in 2022, engagement was 30.7%, while in 2023 it was 80.2%. The same effect occurred for the LGBTQIAPN+ public itself, whose percentage increase in participation from one year to the next was around 254%. In addition, the indicator now only considers the perception of the minority group itself - and no longer of the company as a whole - prioritizing the experience of those who actually have a voice as LGBTQIAPN+ people. Given these changes, Suzano recorded an 82% LGBTQIAPN+ inclusive environment index in 2023. For comparison purposes, the overall favorability index of the Engagement Survey, in the perception of Suzano as a whole, was 84%.

With regard to the initiatives carried out in 2023, the company launched the DE&I Guide for all employees, which covers various concepts related to the LGBTQIAPN+ dimension, with the aim of raising awareness and reinforcing everyone's role in combating LGBTphobia. Awareness-raising actions were also implemented, such as conversation circles on transfeminism, lesbian visibility and bi and pan experiences; a campaign to celebrate LGBTQIAPN+ Pride Month, impacting different locations; inclusive toilets at the Mucuri Unit (BA) and at the Central Office in São Paulo (SP), strengthening the message that all people have the right to use this infrastructure according to their gender identity; as well as other activities led by the LGBTQIAPN+ Affinity Group.

An action plan will be drawn up based on listening to LGBTQIAPN+ people at Suzano, to internalize local demands into concrete actions to strengthen the company's sense of belonging and inclusive culture. We will also further expand our initiatives aimed at raising awareness and literacy, as well as strengthening the work of the LGBTQIAPN+ affinity group at Suzano's different locations. 

For us, working on diversity, equity and inclusion is not only an ethical imperative but also a business strategy. In a diverse and inclusive environment, employees feel more involved, creativity and contributions proliferate and, at the same time, the attractiveness and retention rates of new talent increase. We respect human rights and value diversity, without discrimination of any kind, whether based on race, color, political conviction, gender, religion, sexual orientation, age, place of birth, disability, etc.

We consider an inclusive environment to be one in which everyone can feel welcome, respected and safe to be who they are, regardless of their characteristics. By respecting this individuality, we understand that it is essential to have an inclusive environment for people with disabilities (PwD).

Adherence analysis of the common spaces at Suzano's units about the Brazilian regulatory standard NBR 9050 from the Brazilian Association of Technical Standards (ABNT), which defines the accessibility aspects that must be observed in buildings, defining specific technical criteria for circulation areas, boarding and disembarking, door widths, accessory heights, furniture, signage, and floor types, among others. The percentage of accessible spaces is determined through the adherence analysis.

Ensure 100% accessibility in the common areas of Suzano's units for people with disabilities - from 39.2% to 100% by 2025

We ended 2023 with 73.06% of areas accessible, an increase of 10.4 percentage points on the previous year. Accessibility works were carried out in various units, including administrative and support buildings, such as the Medical Department, the reception and parking lots. Among the actions were the construction of ramps, handrails, guardrails, the adaptation of pantries, tactile and visual signage, the creation of parking spaces for people with disabilities, painting, the adaptation of doors and doormats, as well as other improvements.

We will continue to carry out work to achieve 100% accessibility in our units by 2025, focusing on the necessary interventions and/or renovations in the common areas of our operations. The scopes will be defined according to the main needs of each location. Additionally, work will be carried out to survey opportunities for improving the level of accessibility at the Mogi das Cruzes Unit (SP), whose incorporation by Suzano was completed in November 2023. Based on this, the unit will become part of the Commitment's scope of work, to improve its level of accessibility.

For us, working on diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) is not only an ethical imperative but also a business strategy. In a diverse and inclusive environment, employees feel more involved, creativity and contributions proliferate and, at the same time, the attractiveness and retention rates of new talent increase. We respect human rights and value diversity, without discrimination of any kind, whether on grounds of race, color, political conviction, gender, religion, sexual orientation, age, place of birth, disability, etc.

We consider an inclusive environment to be one in which everyone can feel welcome, respected and safe to be who they are, regardless of their characteristics. By respecting this individuality, we understand that it is essential to have an inclusive environment for people with disabilities (PwD).

The inclusive environment is measured through the company's engagement survey, which takes into account, among other things, employees' responses to Suzano's internal practices to promote an inclusive culture, as well as personal experiences in the workplace.

Ensure a 100% inclusive environment for people with disabilities - from 87.4% to 100% by 2025 

This past year, Suzano started measuring inclusive environment indicators through its Engagement Survey, a change in methodology whose main objective was to increase employee participation and therefore obtain results that were more accurate to the company's reality. The strategy was successful: in 2023, Suzano recorded around 86% adherence to the survey, compared to only 37% in 2022. The greater overall participation was also reflected in the operational teams — in 2022, engagement was 30.7%, while in 2023 it was 80.2%. The reach was also greater in the case of people with disabilities themselves, whose percentage increase in participation from one year to the next was around 200%. Moreover, the indicator now only takes into account the perception of the minority group itself — and no longer of the company as a whole — prioritizing the experience of those who actually have a voice as people with disabilities. Given these changes, Suzano recorded an 85% inclusive environment index for people with disabilities in 2023. Therefore, the reduction in results compared to the historical series is justified precisely by the increase in the survey's representativeness, bringing greater accuracy to the results generated. For comparison purposes, the overall favorability index of the Engagement Survey in the perception of Suzano as a whole was 84%.

About the initiatives carried out in 2023, the DE&I Guide was launched for the entire company, which covers various concepts related to people with disabilities, to raise awareness and reinforce everyone's role in combating ableism. Awareness-raising actions were also promoted at Suzano, such as the International Day of Persons with Disabilities conversation circle, among other initiatives led by our Persons with Disabilities Affinity Group. It is also important to highlight affirmative programs such as Indique Aqui PCD, Toda Forma and SOMAR, which reinforce the company's goals of increasing the representation of people with disabilities in its workforce.

An action plan will be drawn up based on listening to people with disabilities who work at Suzano, to internalize local demands into concrete actions to strengthen the sense of belonging and the inclusive culture at the company. We will also further expand our initiatives aimed at raising awareness and literacy, as well as strengthening the work of the Affinity Group of People with Disabilities at Suzano's various locations.