Suzano: A World First for Sustainable Supply Chain
Companies across all industries are searching for new and innovative ways to make their vehicle fleets more sustainable.
In its own bid to go green, Suzano, the world’s largest producer of market pulp, is testing the first high-capacity electric truck – capable of towing up to 120 tons – at its Aracruz site, located in the state of Espírito Santo, Brazil.
The Atlas truck, developed by logistics solutions specialist VIX Logística, part of the Águia Branca Group, has the potential to save up to 8,300 litres of diesel per month and reduce CO2 emissions by approximately 21 tonnes.
Suzano leads sustainability charge
With history stretching back more than 100 years, Suzano is an organisation already doing its bit to protect the planet.
Its responsibly-grown raw materials are used in products used by more than two billion people across the globe, including tissue and toilet paper, books, printing and writing paper, nappies and period products, packaging, textiles and a range of innovative applications that can replace products made from fossil fuels.
The firm’s pulp is made using biomass produced from farmed eucalyptus trees, offering a biodegradable, renewable and recyclable raw material for consumer and industrial use.
Suzano plants 1.2 million trees a day on its farms and only harvests what it plants. What’s more, the company manages approximately 26,000 square kilometres of land, around 40% of which is protected for permanent conservation. A zero-deforestation policy is also in place across all operations.
Integrating sustainable transportation
Suzano’s partnership with VIX Logística represents a significant step in accelerating the energy transition of its pulp transportation fleet.
It not only leaves the business better positioned to integrate more sustainable transportation practices throughout its operations, but reinforces the company’s commitment to sustainability at all stages of the supply chain.
Initially, Suzano’s ambition is to reduce emissions by 20% on the route between the mill at Aracruz and Protocel, where products from Suzano’s Aracruz Unit are exported to different parts of the world.
This supports its ‘Commitments to Renewing Life’, a series of long-term targets aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals and aimed at building a better world for people and the planet.
Deploying Atlas into its transportation fleet will help Suzano as it attempts to remove 40 million tonnes of CO2 from the atmosphere by 2025 – equivalent to São Paulo’s emissions over two years.
"The partnership with VIX Logística is an important strategic marker for us,” comments Beatriz Nalevaiko Venturini, Operational Excellence Manager at Suzano.
“It represents a significant milestone in our efforts to implement new technologies at all stages of our operations to help us deliver cleaner and more efficient transportation solutions.”
Testing ‘creative and bold solutions’
With a hold capacity of 120 tonnes, the Atlas truck is a significant improvement on traditional solutions available on the market, which weigh around 40 tonnes when combining truck weight and load.
Developed from a Mercedes-Benz Axor 3344 chassis, Atlas is operated via electric propulsion and, because of lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries, offers a far more sustainable alternative.
Elias Alves, Director of VIX, with a responsibility for VIX Autonomous Vehicles, says the partnership with Suzano aligns with his company’s innovative culture.
“Having an innovation drive within the company allows us to test creative and bold solutions,” he adds.
“The adoption of efficient and sustainable technologies is a major trend in the market and VIX stands out in this movement, remaining at the forefront of the logistics sector.”
Testing of Atlas began in May of this year.
The vehicle's operational performance will be carefully monitored by Suzano during the first few months, with a view to further deploy the electric alternative on a wider scale.
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