Culture of transparency

“We strongly believe in workplace safety and in having as close to an injury free working environment as possible,” he said.

He claimed there were employees at Alumar who’ve worked there for between ten to 15 years and were injury free.

Ferraz said that approximately 10,000 people visit Alumar’s Environmental Park annually to see the park’s flora and fauna. For 2005, 93,604 visitors to the park.

The director said Alumar have implemented rigorous workplace and environmental standards and the corporation is committed to sustainable development.

He dismissed claims made by environmental groups that many Brazilian Amerindian groups were displaced, when the Tucurui Dam was built. The Tucurui Dam provides water for Alumar’s industrial plant

Ferraz said Alumar’s emission controls of fumes have improved through a pre-baked process thus making the modern emission process a very clean one. As an example, he cited Alumar’s gas treatment system in which the fluoride emissions are absorbed.

The corporation’s Environment, Health and Safety Manager, Domingos Campos, stated that one of Alumar’s environmental achievements has been the enhancement of groundwater monitoring. Alumar has also been reusing refactory bricks from the smelter’s baking furnace as paving material as well as for the recycling of carbon dust.

Campos said this carbon dust is sold to other industries for recycling purposes and the corporation has a chemical management system in place for this. At a dinner held for the group of journalists at Chico’s Restaurant in downtown Sao Luis, he was asked about recent heavy fines being delivered against Alcoa in the American and Australia courts for ecological offences.

“I don’t know about what’s happened but I’m sure of one thing,” he said.

Ferraz continued, “Alcoa will not operate in any place in the world that is damaging to the environment,” noting “we don’t have any non-compliance issues related with safety and the environment.”

He claimed that Alumar’s workforce that is not only committed to workplace safety but also to ecological preservation.

While he admitted that the USA’s and Australia’s legal system rigourously enforces its green laws, Ferraz was adamant about Alcoa’s high international environmental standards.

Ferraz also said that Alumar’s records and data are open for public scrutiny and they are not afraid to share any sort of data and information with any sort of institution.

He stated that Alumar has a good working relationship with IBAMA, Brazil’s Ministry of the Environment.