BRF Launches Reforestation Project in Turkey

BRF, one of the largest food companies in the world, started a reforestation project in Turkey through its Banvit brand, preferred by local consumers. In partnership with the local NGO ÇEKÜL, 20,000 pine seedlings (Beach Pines) will be planted in an action entitled “Banvit Forest”, which will take place in the Bandirma region.

The planting ceremony was held at Vila Sahil Yenice in Balıkesir, Bandirma, with the participation of the ÇEKÜL Foundation and the General Directorate of Forests of Turkey. Reforestation is connected with BRF’s goal of being Net Zero by 2040. It also had the support of the BRF Institute, which since 2012 coordinates the Company’s social investments in the cities where it operates and has already impacted thousands of people.

“This sensitivity towards sustainability has been reflected in our corporate culture and in our operations as BRF in Turkey. In this context, we also support the 7 Ağaç Ormanları reforestation program and build ’Banvit Forest’ in cooperation with the ÇEKÜL Foundation. We want to implement similar afforestation projects in different regions of our country in the coming years”, says Tolga Gündüz, CEO of Banvit BRF.

According to Sevil Yeşim Dizdaroğlu, general manager of the ÇEKÜL Foundation, the NGO, founded in 1990, started the ’7 Ağaç Ormanları’ project in 1994 and, with the support of nature lovers, gathered 5 million seedlings in the soil in more than 70 fields . “The institutions’ efforts to create forests were essential and this cooperation will continue”, says Sevil.

In Brazil, BRF also has an extensive area of ​​planted forest, with 30 thousand hectares of trees such as pine and eucalyptus in 192 farms in the states of Goiás, Mato Grosso do Sul, Mato Grosso, Minas Gerais, Pernambuco, Paraná, Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina, which serve as a source of energy for the manufacturing units in these regions.

This renewable energy source also helps in climate regulation, with the reduction of local temperature, fixation of CO2 (carbon gas, which causes the greenhouse effect), conservation of biodiversity and ecosystems. “At BRF we have a great responsibility to use energy efficiently and responsibly. Energy consumption is monitored daily by our energy efficiency teams, who monitor, deal with specific deviations and propose action plans, if necessary. In 2020, we maintained the priority use of renewable sources in our energy matrix”, comments Mariana Modesto, Sustainability Director at BRF.

The BRF Sustainability Plan reinforces the commitment to the priority use of these energy sources and provides, by 2030, to increase the Company’s self-produced electricity from renewable and clean sources to 50%. In addition, it bets on the use of energy from clean sources, such as wind and solar, one of the priority fronts of BRF’s commitment to becoming Net Zero by 2040. Recently, BRF entered into a partnership with AES for the construction of a wind farm, and with the Brazilian holding company Pontoon, for the creation of a solar energy complex. With the two projects, it will be possible to guarantee the energy needed to meet two thirds of the needs of the units in Brazil.

About BRF

One of the largest food companies in the world, BRF is present in 117 countries. Its purpose is to offer quality food that is increasingly tasty and practical, to people and their pets all over the world, through the sustainable management of a living, long and complex chain, which provides a better life for everyone, from farm to fork. Owner of iconic brands such as Sadia, Perdigão and Qualy, the Company bases its actions on fundamental commitments to safety, quality and integrity. The company bases its strategy on a long-term vision and aims to generate value for its more than 100 thousand employees worldwide, more than 350 thousand customers and approximately 10 thousand integrated people in Brazil, all of its shareholders and society.