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October 13, 2009
Alcoa´s “Sustainable Juruti†wins top national Communications award in Brazil
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The prize distinguishes the strategy employed to support the implementation of a large mining operation in the heart of the Amazon region, seeking new community relations paradigms
The set of Communications actions developed by Alcoa’s new Bauxite Mine in Juruti, Western Pará State, and executed daily to disseminate the value of Sustainability, won the national 2009 ABERJE Award, in the Sustainability Actions Communications and Social Balance category. The award, now in its 35th edition, was given by ABERJE-Brazilian Corporate Communications Associations, in São Paulo, last Thursday (8).
All Communications actions deployed have as their main subject the Sustainable Juruti tripod, designed by a partnership between Alcoa, the Getulio Vargas Foundation (Brazil’s leading management school) and the Brazilian Biodiversity Fund, which aims to support the well-organized and independent development of the Juruti municipality.
The tripod is constituted of the Sustainable Juruti Council, which gathers 15 local organizations – private companies, government entities and NGOs – and functions as a debating space to prioritize the municipality´s main demands; the Sustainability Metrics, the factors that will be monitored to understand and measure the growth of Juruti and the region; and the Sustainable Juruti Fund, the tripod’s financial leg, which will provide support to economic, social and environmental projects designed to further local development.
The main tools that constitute Alcoa’s Communications strategy with the Juruti and Western Pará region community are the Juruti Magazine, published monthly since 2006; the radio program Sintonia [Tuning-Up], broadcast every Saturday over the last two years in local stations; an institutional newsletter directed to partner organizations; and intense interface with the local media, to publicize Alcoa’s sustainability initiatives and other actions.
“This conquest strengthens even more our actions. It’s no use having a tool with no content, or vice-versa. You have to be proactive and transparent in your actions. This award proves that Alcoa’s actions in Juruti are real and conquered credibility. It is undoubtedly a victory to be shared with all those who believe in the seriousness of our projectâ€, says Juana Galvão, the Juruti Mine Sustainability superintendent.
This is the second time that the new Alcoa unit in Juruti conquers the national ABERJE Award. In 2008 the Company submitted the Juruti Magazine, which won recognition as the best printed publication in Brazilian Corporate Communications; and Sintonia won last year as the best corporate audiovisual medium in the North and Northeast of Brazil.
All these recognitions are based mostly on the intense dialogue with local populations promoted by the strategy, which constitutes a strong trait of Alcoa’s Communications in Juruti.
In addition to the Juruti urban area, 55 rural communities receive the magazine and the radio program, furthering the circulation of information in areas of difficult accessibility, which can be reached only by river boats or unpaved roads.
“I didn’t even know that some of these communities existed, and only learned about them thanks to the Magazineâ€, says Deonato Rodrigues, a dweller of the Igarapé Açu community. “This is a good thing that Alcoa is doing, so that we can get to know our municipalityâ€.
A Communications team works in Juruti to keep the dialogue open every day. “The region has unique characteristics – the absence of traditional media, audiences with very low schooling – which need to be adequately handled if Communications actions are to be effective. It’s no use importing models. You have to understand the region, and this is what we do in Western Paráâ€, says Cleide Pinheiro, managing partner of Temple, the Communications agency that supports Alcoa in Juruti.
The Juruti Mine started to operate last September 15, when the Pará State Government also issued its Operations Licence. Communications with stakeholders and an open dialogue with the local community are basic requisites for the Mine’s operations, which are fulfilled daily by Alcoa.
About Alcoa
Alcoa is the world leader in the production and management of primary aluminum, fabricated aluminum and alumina combined, through its active and growing participation in all major aspects of the industry. Alcoa serves the aerospace, automotive, packaging, building and construction, commercial transportation and industrial markets, bringing design, engineering, production and other capabilities of Alcoa's businesses to customers. In addition to aluminum products and components including flat-rolled products, hard alloy extrusions, and forgings, Alcoa also markets Alcoa® wheels, fastening systems, precision and investment castings, and building systems. The Company has been named one of the top most sustainable corporations in the world at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland and has been a member of the Dow Jones Sustainability Index for seven consecutive years. More information can be found at www.alcoa.com.
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