With climate change on our doorstep and the need for concrete actions to mitigate its effects, the financial market plays a crucial role in promoting sustainability, especially in the environmental sphere. Over the past 5 years, I have witnessed a significant transformation in the business world, especially with regard to the growing demand for green financing. The issuance of green bonds reached the important mark of 2 trillion US dollars last year, representing dizzying growth compared to the 1 trillion mark US dollars reached in 2019.

Tereos, as one of the largest sugar and bioenergy producers in Brazil and the world, has sustainability at its core, operating based on the logic of the circular economy, which allows us to maximize the use of our raw material, sugarcane of sugar. Commitment to the principles of environmental, social and corporate governance is one of our priorities, reflected in continuous investments to improve our operations.

Therefore, in recent years, we have linked our economic development to sustainable goals. We were the first company in the sugar-energy sector to carry out a transaction green finance, in 2020. In total, we have already raised more than 2.3 billion reais in sustainable financing, which currently represents half of our debt. These operations are linked to key indicators, linked to environmental and social themes, which guide our strategy, in addition to the allocation of resources being linked to projects with a positive environmental impact.

One of the main commitments we make to our partners is to a low-carbon economy. In our business, sugarcane, in itself, is a renewable crop that absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Furthermore, ethanol production also contributes around 70% lower carbon emissions than gasoline. In this sense, our last 2 capital market transactions were operations certified as green, with the resources destined for the production of biofuels.

Renovabio program plays a fundamental role in the decarbonization strategy of companies in the sugar-energy sector, by promoting the adoption of practices aimed at environmental efficiency in operations. The purchase of decarbonization credits, credits that represent a ton of avoided carbon dioxide, by fuel distributors encouraged environmental preservation by ethanol producers and sugarcane suppliers, allowing the sale of these credits on the stock exchange and encouraging increased production of ethanol.

At Tereos, aiming to further reduce our carbon footprint, we also produce energy generated from sugarcane biomass, contributing to an increasingly renewable energy matrix. Furthermore, to expand our clean energy supply, last year we inaugurated our first biogas plant, at the Cruz Alta unit, in Olímpia, São Paulo. The plant generates biogas through the biodigestion of vinasse, which can be used as another source of green energy or also to produce biomethane, an alternative to diesel that we intend to use in our entire sugarcane fleet by 2030. This first biogas and our entire expansion plan was financed by Proparco, with a 12-year loan.

Looking at the future of bioenergy, we see even more exciting opportunities, which will certainly see the financial market as an important supporter of these solutions, financing projects with appropriate rates and terms. Sustainable aviation fuel represents a promising alternative in the air transport sector, reducing emissions by around 80% compared to fossil fuel. Green hydrogen, produced from renewable sources, is also gaining prominence as a clean energy source with applications in various sectors.

These innovations will play a key role in the quest for Net Zero and Brazil can certainly become a solid power on these 2 fronts. The government also plays a fundamental role in this decarbonization journey, ensuring that companies have the necessary incentives and are remunerated for the positive externalities generated. Companies like Tereos are well positioned to take advantage of this trend and contribute to a greener future.