Erling S. Lorentzen

“I created Aracruz to be an environmentally sound industrial company. When the concept of sustainable development became well known following the Brundtland Report to the United Nations in 1987, I became involved in renewable forestry worldwide through the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, and I continue to address environmental problems in my current work.”

Today Lorentzen is deeply involved  in two initiatives in Ghana through his African Plantations for Sustainable  Development (APSD). One project focuses on carbon neutral thermoelectric power  generation with a long-term development potential of 600 megawatts, fueled by  biomass from sustainably managed eucalyptus plantations. The second project  involves plantation development that will eventually provide raw material for a  1.5 million ton per year pulp mill. These plantations will substantially  contribute towards reversal of the rapid deforestation of Ghana, while  capturing and permanently storing substantial volumes of carbon dioxide.