Montes del Plata

Frequently asked questions

• How many people does Montes del Plata employ?

  630 people work directly in Montes del Plata, and they are part of a production chain that involves more than 6,000 employees in 14 departments.

  99% of the Montes del Plata personnel are Uruguayan, and almost 70% of the personnel employed directly are locals from the departments in which we operate.

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• How many people from Colonia work at the Punta Pereira Industrial Complex?

  Approximately 80% of the people who come daily to work at the industrial complex are from the department of Colonia, 130 of whom come from the Conchillas area.

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• What uses are there for cellulose?

  Cellulose exists in many of the products that we consume on a daily basis. Cellulose is the base for all natural textile fabric such as cotton and linen, and it is the raw material in paper and cardboard packaging.

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• Is the Montes del Plata industrial complex environmentally safe?

  Yes, the Montes del Plata Industrial Complex is environmentally friendly. Our industrial complex operates according to the industry’s best available techniques (IPPC-BAT) and incorporates the latest technological advances that guarantee minimal environmental impact.

  The industrial complex complies with environmental regulations established by the European Union (IPPC), as well as the Dirección Nacional de Medio Ambiente (DINAMA) [National Environmental Administration], and is subject to external audits.

  Additionally, the plant conducts its environmental monitoring program that includes water, air and soil analysis; the plant monitors 121 parameters from 21 sampling points. Local communities are kept informed by the Environmental Monitoring Commission, a body created by DINAMA so that the neighboring inhabitants are informed about the plant’s performance first-hand and can monitor it closely.

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• What about the smells from the plant? Are these smells harmful to your health?

  Smells can be perceived at the beginning and end of the plant’s shutdown, which takes place one time a year, during specific operative maintenance or occasionally due to specific situations.  These events are not harmful to public health.

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• Does Montes del Plata generate Energy?

  Yes, the industrial complex self-generates clean, renewable energy for its operation and supplies a surplus equivalent to the energy consumption of 200,000 homes. All surplus energy is re-directed over to the national power grid.

  Our pulp production process recovers energy from the processed biomass and helps diversify Uruguay's power supply and allows a reduction in fossil fuel use.

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• How is wood transported to the pulp mill?

  To supply the industrial complex, Montes del Plata uses a bimodal transport system; the system combines land, using trucks, and river transportation, carried out on four barges. 

  Each barge has a load capacity of 5,000 tonnes, equivalent to 170 truckloads. By utilizing our river transport, we save thousands of truck miles each year, which benefits the environment, transportation infrastructure, and road safety.

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• Is it true that timber trucks damage the roads?

  No, as all other activities in the country, forestry transport uses the roads. We comply strictly with all regulations that govern national transportation that address the permitted cargo volume, weight, speed, and routing as defined by the Ministry of Transportation and Public Works. A transportation station monitors in real-time the modern trucking fleet contracted by Montes del Plata to carry out ground transportation.

  Montes del Plata, on its part, has defined strategies to care for the routes and to transport wood more efficiently. First, to supply the industrial complex, Montes del Plata uses a bimodal transportation system that combines ground transportation with river transportation carried out on four barges. Each barge has a load capacity of 5,000 tonnes, which is equivalent to 170 truckloads.

  To access the plant in Punta Pereira, Montes del Plata built a new 12-kilometer road extension to avoid the increase in heavy traffic in the neighboring populations. This work included an interchange ramp at the junction with Route 21 to prevent heavy traffic from interfering with local traffic on Route 21.

  Overall, on an annual basis, the company builds and maintains more than 600 km of roads for wood extraction. 

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• Do eucalyptus plantations affect the local water table?

  The average annual rainfall in Uruguay is higher than 1000 mm, a level which is adequate to sustain forestry production without affecting water availability.

  Montes del Plata designs plantations so that areas relevant to the hydrological cycle such as drainages and low-lying areas surrounding watercourses, among others, remain uplanted.

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• Does the company cut native forests to replace it with forest plantations?

  No. National forestry legislation, as well as the international certification standards used to audit Montes del Plata, strictly forbids this practice.

  Uruguay is one of the few countries in the world where native forests have increased over the last 30 years, from 600,000 to 850,000 hectares. A large part of the achievement is a result of forestation and national legislation, which promote the conservation of native flora and fauna.

  The company protects in its holding a total area of 9,860 hectares of native forest.

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• Is forestry activity controlled?

  Forestation is one of the most regulated sectors in Uruguay.  The General Forestry Administration of the Ministry of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries and the National Environmental Administration (DINAMA), as well as the provisions that specific departmental governments have enacted, rigorously control forest operations of Montes del Plata.

  At the same time, Montes del Plata has incorporated standards of responsible forest management - FSC® and internationally recognized PEFC^TM-, which certify 100% of its plantations. The standards ensure that the company manages its forests in a beneficially to society and responsibly with the environment, in addition to being profitable.

  In addition to the Forest Management Certification, the company maintains Chain of Custody Certification, which ensures that all of the wood processed comes from controlled, verifiable and acceptable sources.

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• Does the company conduct outreach efforts with the community?

  Yes, local communities near the forestry and industrial operations of Montes del Plata are main partners.

  The company has developed different programs to maximize the opportunities that arise from the company's presence in the area, and works hard to mitigate possible negative impacts.

  The development and improvement in the quality of life of the inhabitants of these communities is an objective in itself that seeks to encourage, support and accompany projects that generate shared value and promote community self-management.

  You can learn more in the sustainability section.

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