Sustainability

About us

Community interaction

The company contributes with its employees and the neighboring community, undertaking action such as:

  • Building houses with adequate light and running water services
  • Providing transport to nearby cities
  • Awarding scholarships and training courses to our workers
  • Awarding scholarships to their children
  • Supporting the families of workers who suffer accidents
  • Offering loans (for housing, vehicles and others)
  • Providing dental care assistance to our employees
  • Helping mothers who are breastfeeding
  • Supporting nearby schools and highschools.

Among others, we contribute with yearly donations to different institutions such as “Un techo para mi país” (A roof for my country), MEVIR (poor rural housing erradication movement), “Camino a la comunidad” (A path to community), Desem (Young entrepreneurs). Since the very beginning, the organization has undertaken the improvement of the surrounding roads; it has recently contributed to the construction and asphalting of 20 km of road, donating over a third of the cost to the Ministry of Transport and the Rivera town hall. Every year we receive elementary and high school institutions, “Universidad del Trabajo del Uruguay” and college education institutes, offering a tour of the premises and explaining how our company works. From the very beginning the company was also engaged in cattle rising as a secondary activity. However, after the forestry activity has matured, the company has decided to offer the free areas to the neighbors to graze their animals there, thus promoting social bonds with the community. Currently, over 50% of our planted area is being grazed by over twenty cattle farmers.

Comunidad

Environment

The company conservation policy dates back to its foundation. It tends to conserve, protect and keep the area of native forests within its property, untouched. These areas are continuously being monitored in order to maintain biodiversity and its native characteristics. To meet this goal various preventive and corrective measures are undertaken to protect natural development and growth of native forests. In the year 2008 a flora and fauna reservation was identified and declared as High Conservation Value Forest (HCVF) given its historic value, exceptional biodiversity and gulch vegetation landscape, which is scarce in the country's territory. Over these areas, adequate protective, conservative and divulgation actions are undertaken.
The following are the main preservation, conservation and monitoring measures:

  • Monitoring native specimens' state of health, development and growth.
  • Divulgation, education and training of the community on native flora and fauna.
  • Monitoring population parameters in plots.
  • Checking that there are birds' sightings and record keeping is updated.
  • Checking the quality of the surrounding fence.
  • Verify livestock absence in those areas.

FSC® Certification

Fymnsa and Dank S.A. are certified under the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council®), considered a leader trademark in the forestry industry global context. The FSC is an international nongovernmental organization that promotes environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial, and economically viable management of the world's forests. For more information visit www.fsc.org.
In order to get FSC certification, certain principles and criteria must be complied with, which are generally related to an appropriate management of the environment, protection and support of local communities and forests of high conservation value, respecting the workers and indigenous peoples rights, the construction of economically viable markets, adding higher value and creating equal access to benefits. FSC certification is valid for five years and is annually audited. In 2002 Fymnsa forests were certified for their forest management and Dank S.A. sawmill as a chain of custody. In 2015 the Food Agriculture Organisation (FAO) awarded FYMNSA for its outstanding forest management practices.
CertificateDankAndFymnsa2027

Bioenergy

Ponlar S.A. is a cogeneration (CHP) plant from waste biomass from the sawmill. As waste generated by the sawmill (sawdust, bark and chips) poses a disposal problem, the opportunity for a CHP company rises. Electric energy is sold to the public utility, reducing the country’s dependence on fossil fuels. Heat power is used for timber kiln drying. Ponlar S.A. has an installed capacity of 8 MVAe.
This reduces greenhouse emissions (GHG), which helps mitigate global warming. Furthermore, Ponlar S.A. operation generates waste in the form of ashes in the boiler’s outlet, which are used in different ways.