A great number of provincial, communal and academic authorities, as well as ARAUCO executives, union representatives and members of communities neighboring the company’s Nueva Aldea and Trupan Cholguan Industrial Complexes attended the presentation of ARAUCO’s 2010 Sustainability Report, held in Chillán, Chile.
During a breakfast meeting served at Hotel Isabel Riquelme, ARAUCO’s Public Affairs Assistant Manager, Guillermo Mendoza, presented the main advances and challenges faced by the company in 2010.
The presentation of this Sustainability Report materializes one of ARAUCO’s main objectives, which is to maintain transparent and honest communication with the company’s different stakeholders.
Guillermo Mendoza addressed, among other issues, the company’s expansion into new markets and future challenges in areas such as business growth, and commitment to people and the environment, as well as ARAUCO’s prompt reaction during the earthquake and tsunami on February 27, 2010.
He also emphasized the company’s relationship with its neighbors; the FSC Forest Management certification process; the mechanisms in place for communication and feedback with the community; the company’s commitment to external initiatives; a comprehensive plan for workers’ development and training; and the scope of Integrated Model for Sustainable Development (MIDES) designed by ARAUCO to conduct joint work with the community through involvement programs and social investment.
"We want to build permanent relationships for mutual collaboration with the communities in which we maintain operations. This Report is a good opportunity to reach out to them even more", said Mr. Mendoza, ARAUCO’s Public Affairs Assistant Manager, adding that "it’s always good to generate dialog and community participation. We’ve had quite a good attendance, and people are satisfied, we’ve heard positive comments for what we accomplished during 2010".
At the end of his presentation, each guest was handed a survey to be completed in order to receive feedback and questions regarding the 2010 Sustainability Report and the company’s activities.
Mónica Venegas, President of the Artisans’ Union of Quinchamalí, considered this activity to be very enriching. "What calls my attention is that ARAUCO has grown and it has made its surroundings and its workers grow as well, through its housing program. In all these years we’ve had a very close relationship with ARAUCO, they’ve shown a lot of support for our organization through training, the Nueva Aldea Tourism Circuit and our web page, with which we hope to improve our advertising and sales, among other contributions", she said.
Regional Counselor Alberto Jarpa said that this initiative is a way to generate involvement and greater transparency in the relationship between the company and the community. "ARAUCO is an example on issues such as local employment generation, relationships with the community and its supplier development policies. It’s also important to point out how they handled the earthquake and tsunami crisis, expressing concern for their workers and making sure no one lost their job".
The breakfast meeting ended with a performance by the Children and Juvenile Orchestra of Ranquil commune, delighting guests with their music.
