By Brazil Stock Guide – Brazil’s development bank BNDES approved a R$122.55 million ($24 million) financing package for Klabin SA (KLBN11 BZ) to support its research, development and innovation program through June 2027.
The funding, announced by BNDES, will be extended under the bank’s “BNDES Mais Inovação” credit line and is aligned with the federal government’s Nova Indústria Brasil industrial policy. The resources will back 14 projects aimed at raising productivity, sustainability and competitiveness at Klabin’s operations in Telêmaco Borba, Paraná, and Otacílio Costa, Santa Catarina.
Klabin, Brazil’s largest producer and exporter of packaging paper, is also a leading supplier of containerboard and the country’s only company offering short-fiber, long-fiber and fluff pulp solutions.
BNDES President Aloizio Mercadante said the financing will enable green technology investments. “This is another BNDES financing aligned with the Nova Indústria Brasil (NIB) of the Federal Government, whose resources will allow the largest Brazilian producer and exporter of packaging papers to invest in innovative green technologies to develop new applications for its products,” he said.
Part of the funding will be directed to industrial R&D initiatives designed to optimize pulp production processes and enhance paper properties, supporting higher-performance packaging with improved recyclability.
About R$41.1 million of the total will finance forestry research projects, including genetic improvement of eucalyptus and pine and initiatives to enhance wood quality. Expected outcomes include pulp production efficiency gains, improved pest and disease management, and the development of solutions to increase resilience to adverse climate conditions.
Darlon Orlamunder de Souza, Klabin’s Director of R&D, Sustainability and Strategy & Market, underscored the strategic impact of the loan. “With the support of BNDES, we consolidate our innovative trajectory, increase productivity and sustainability, and convert knowledge into real economic impact, strengthening Klabin’s position as a benchmark in renewable solutions in Brazil and worldwide,” he said.
Klabin will also allocate part of the funding to its open innovation program, which connects the company with startups, universities and accelerators. One project under this initiative involves the development of a bioproduct to control leaf-cutting ants in partnership with the Federal University of Lavras.
Founded in 1899, Klabin operates 22 industrial units in Brazil and one in Argentina, with annual production capacity of 4.5 million tons of market pulp and paper. The company has been part of B3’s Corporate Sustainability Index since 2014 and joined the Dow Jones Best-in-Class Indices in 2020.