24 Nov. 2024: Suzano, one the world’s largest producers of bio-based raw materials, is establishing a long-term initiative with Jesus College Cambridge and the University of Cambridge.

An initial £10m donation will be used to support education and research into areas including the conservation of biodiversity, enhancing business sustainability, and the restoration of natural habitats in Brazil and beyond.

The agreement will establish the Suzano Scholars Fund, a perpetual endowment at Jesus College Cambridge, to fund Brazilian nationals studying for a postgraduate degree at the University of Cambridge connected to the environment, ecology and conservation, educating the next generation of sustainability experts and leaders.

Funding will also be provided to academics based at the University of Cambridge’s Conservation Research Institute to undertake research projects exploring the interaction between human and natural systems in areas such as biodiversity, climate change, water resource management, and ecosystem restoration.

As part of the collaboration, researchers will also be provided with access to Suzano’s global business operations and conservation areas, which includes more than 11,000 square kilometres of protected land across Brazil’s Atlantic Forest, Cerrado, and Amazon biomes.

Beto Abreu, CEO of Suzano, said: “Our business depends on nature. We have been in business for 100 years, but today we know that unless the world takes urgent action to protect biodiversity and tackle climate change, we are facing irreversible loss and damage to ecosystems over the next century.

“We know we cannot act alone, so through this collaboration with Jesus College and the University of Cambridge we want to support some of the world’s brightest minds to undertake the research and develop the solutions that will be needed to overcome these challenges.”

Professor Rachael Garrett, Moran professor of conservation and development, and director of the Conservation Research Institute at the University of Cambridge, said: “There are rarely easy answers when it comes to reconciling the needs of people and the protection of nature. We need to rapidly change business-as-usual, but we need the practical ideas, technologies, tools and skills to make this a reality.

“We are excited to be working with Suzano, a company that is widely recognised as one of Brazil’s top performers on corporate sustainability, to support postgraduate students from a country that is on the front lines of the battle for biodiversity.

“Their donation will fund important research here at the University of Cambridge, that will help to advance our understanding of how to successfully deliver on global ambitions for conservation and improving the wellbeing of rural communities.”

This agreement is part of a wider global initiative marking Suzano’s centenary year, which will see the company invest up to $100m to accelerate research and action on conservation, climate change, and corporate sustainability, with a particular focus on Brazilian ecosystems. As well as Jesus College and the University of Cambridge, Suzano is currently establishing long-term partnerships with a number of universities and NGOs in Brazil and internationally.