Vale Florestar, the Carajás railway and Piquiá de Baixo, Brazil
- ANBA and JB give about US$344 million 605 million reais were budgeted in my name. No one has measured what reached me. Jornal do Brasil
- A UN special rapporteur described the situation at Piquiá de Baixo as a clear violation of the rights to life, health and information. Brasil de Fato
- In 2019 the FIDH found some of the mills beside me operating without environmental licences. FIDH, Justiça nos Trilhos and partners
- Communities and civil society Residents, Justiça nos Trilhos, FIDH and Justiça Global (2011): Pollution from pig-iron and coal-burning industries for more than 20 years, with serious respiratory and eye problems and difficulty obtaining environmental information and compensation. FIDH
- Company or project Vale: Holds only a railway concession and no stakes in the steel companies; sells ore and provides transport; suspended ore sales to nine pig-iron producers in 2007 and 2008; mining does not cause the aggravation of respiratory problems. FIDH and Justiça Global
- International bodies UN special rapporteur (2020): The situation is a clear violation of the rights to life, health and information; asked Brazil, Vale and other companies to fund the resettlement. Brasil de Fato
- Company or project Vale (May 2010 announcement): Target of 450,000 ha by 2022: 150,000 ha of industrial forest and 300,000 ha of native-forest protection and recovery; about 70,000 ha covered by then. Jornal do Brasil
- Company or project Vale (2011 reply to FIDH): Vale Florestar is responsible for planting 150,000 ha of eucalyptus and 100,000 ha of native-species forest. FIDH and Justiça Global
- Press and investigations International Forest Industries (2008) and Dol (November 2010): About 40,000 ha recovered in 2008, 15,000 ha eucalyptus and 25,000 ha native; more than 28,000 ha planted by November 2010. Diário Online (Dol)
- Press and investigations Pulp and Paper News (2014): The fund sold to Suzano covered about 45,000 ha of eucalyptus on leased land. Pulp and Paper News
- Communities and civil society FIDH and Justiça Global (2012): The programme invests in eucalyptus monocultures whose impacts appear to have been underestimated, including by public authorities, and some conservation efforts relate to licence obligations. FIDH and Justiça Global
- Company or project Vale (2011): Pesticide was not used intensively; Vale Florestar was an alternative to burning wood for charcoal; it stopped using chemicals in the forests around the California settlement from 2008 after the sale of assets to Suzano. FIDH and Justiça Global
Vale's Vale Florestar programme planted eucalyptus and native species in Pará and became a R$605 million investment fund in 2010, whose quotas Suzano bought in 2014 for R$528,940,906.15. Beside the railway that carries Vale's iron ore, residents of Piquiá de Baixo reported decades of pollution from pig-iron plants; no court has ruled on liability, and 312 houses were handed over at a new site in 2024.
Fund of Vale (40%), BNDES, Funcef and Petros (20% each); target 450,000 ha by 2022. Suzano bought all quotas in August 2014 for R$528,940,906.15.
Status As of October 2026: Vale Florestar was sold to Suzano in 2014; 312 houses were delivered at Piquiá da Conquista in October 2024 and the FIDH says the fight for full reparation continues; no court ruling on liability is on record; Vale is an investor in a restoration fund announced on 28 April 2026.
- Sellers of the Vale Florestar fund quotas (not named in the sources reviewed) — Suzano bought all quotas for R$528,940,906.15 in August 2014 Pulp and Paper News
- Suzano — Acquired about 45,000 ha of eucalyptus on leased land to supply its Maranhão pulp mill Pulp and Paper News
- Piquiá de Baixo families — 312 houses delivered at Piquiá da Conquista on 25 October 2024 Movimento Econômico
- Piquiá de Baixo residents — Reported more than 20 years of pollution, respiratory and eye problems and difficulty obtaining compensation; the FIDH says the fight for full reparation continues FIDH
- Air and residents of Piquiá de Baixo — Pollution from pig-iron and coal-burning industries reported by residents; no measured values in the sources reviewed FIDH
What happened
Vale Florestar began in 2007 in south-east Pará. A trade-press report of October 2008 said about 40,000 ha had been recovered, 15,000 ha with eucalyptus and 25,000 ha with native species, and described it as the largest environmental recovery project in the Amazon. On 5 May 2010 Vale announced a fund with BNDES, Funcef and Petros: Vale held 40% and each of the others 20%, with R$605 million of capital and a target of 450,000 ha by 2022, made up of 150,000 ha of industrial forest and 300,000 ha of protection and recovery of native forest. At that date R$230 million had been spent since 2007 and 24.5 million trees stood on 41 leased farms, over "about 70,000 hectares". Exame reported the wood would be sold to pulp mills and furniture makers, and Vale's chief executive described the programme as an alternative to burning wood for charcoal. In November 2010 a local newspaper reported more than 31 million trees on more than 28,000 ha. In 2011 Vale told the FIDH that Vale Florestar "is responsible for planting 150,000 hectares of eucalyptus" and 100,000 ha of native-species forest, a split different from the one announced in May 2010. In August 2014 Suzano bought all quotas of the fund for R$528,940,906.15, paying R$44,998,137.31 on 8 August with the balance in annual instalments over 10 to 15 years, for about 45,000 ha of eucalyptus on leased land that would supply its pulp mill in Maranhão. The FIDH and Justiça Global wrote in 2012 that Vale Florestar invested in eucalyptus monocultures whose environmental and human-rights impacts appeared to have been underestimated; Vale replied that pesticide was not used intensively.
The Carajás railway (EFC) runs 892 km from the Carajás mines in Pará to the Ponta da Madeira terminal at São Luís in Maranhão, under a 30-year renewable concession that expires in 2027. In 2012, 105.35 million metric tons of iron ore passed through the terminal; in 2024 the railway carried 176.47 million tons of ore. Along the railway, in the Açailândia industrial district, five pig-iron plants stand beside the settlement of Piquiá de Baixo: Viena Siderúrgica, Ferro Gusa do Maranhão, Siderúrgica do Maranhão (Simasa), Companhia Siderúrgica Vale do Pindaré and Gusa Nordeste. They buy Vale ore carried on the railway and send pig iron back on it. Vale told the FIDH it holds only a railway concession and no stakes in these companies, and that in 2007 and 2008 it suspended ore sales to nine pig-iron producers for breaches of environmental and labour law.
Residents, Justiça nos Trilhos, the FIDH and Justiça Global reported in 2011 more than 20 years of pollution at Piquiá de Baixo, with serious respiratory and eye problems and difficulty obtaining environmental information and compensation. Vale replied: "Mining does not cause the aggravation of respiratory problems." The FIDH's 2019 monitoring report found that none of 39 recommendations was fully implemented and that 74.4% showed no progress; more than 7,500 people lived in the area and some mills operated without environmental licences. No measured air-pollution values appear in the sources reviewed. Resettlement followed a first agreement with prosecutors in May 2011 on expropriating 38 ha (concluded by a court sentence in September 2014) and a second in August 2012 under which Vale, through Fundação Vale, would transfer R$20,000 per family, R$6,240,000 in total. The resettlement contract was signed on 6 May 2016 and building began in November 2018. In September 2020 the work was about 30% complete, the cost exceeded R$29 million and about R$10 million was missing; the steel companies had contributed R$2.13 million, or 7.5%. A UN special rapporteur, after a December 2019 visit, described the situation in a September 2020 report as "a clear violation of the rights to life, health and information" and asked Brazil, Vale and other companies to fund the resettlement. On 25 October 2024, 312 houses were handed over at Piquiá da Conquista, about 8 km from the old settlement, with more than R$23.5 million from the federal Minha Casa Minha Vida programme and the Fundo de Desenvolvimento Social and a contribution from Fundação Vale. The FIDH said Vale co-financed the resettlement "despite denying responsibility" and that the fight for full reparation continues.
Vale's public environmental record was also assessed by others. In January 2012 the Public Eye People's Award went to Vale, with 25,041 of 88,766 online votes, citing its role in the Belo Monte dam and "repeated human rights abuses, inhumane working conditions"; Vale responded that it had set up a website to answer criticism, had ranked first among mining companies in the Carbon Disclosure Project in 2011 and planned US$1.65 billion of social and environmental spending in 2012. Vale's 2012 annual report put its corporate social responsibility investment at US$4.747 billion over 2009 to 2012, with a 2013 budget of US$1.580 billion including US$1.025 billion for environmental protection and conservation; its 2012 net operating revenue was US$47.694 billion. Vale was in the BM&FBovespa corporate sustainability index (ISE) in at least 2010 to 2012, was excluded from the 2016 portfolio after the Mariana dam collapse, was selected again for 2019, and was removed on 12 February 2019 after the Brumadinho collapse; the index council said the decision "should not be taken as pre-judgment of the company's responsibilities".
Vale's later forest commitments are separate from Vale Florestar. On 2 June 2021 Vale announced a goal to "protect and recover" 500,000 ha in Brazil by 2030, 400,000 ha of existing forest and 100,000 ha of degraded land. The Fundo Vale page shows 115,000 ha protected through conservation partnerships in 2020 to 2024 and an 85,000 ha REDD+ project (Fazenda Pacajá) but no restored-hectare figure. On 28 April 2026 Vale was named an investor, amount undisclosed, in a restoration fund of BTG Pactual TIG and Conservation International with US$1.24 billion of commitments. The sources reviewed contain no court ruling on Vale's or the mills' responsibility for Piquiá, no independent audit of the hectares planted by Vale Florestar and no 2026 progress figure for the 2030 goal.
- 2007Vale Florestar begins in south-east Pará; Vale suspends ore sales to nine pig-iron producers (2007–2008)
- 2008Trade press reports about 40,000 ha recovered, 15,000 ha eucalyptus and 25,000 ha native species (October)
- 2010Vale Florestar investment fund announced, R$605 million, target 450,000 ha by 2022 (5 May); Vale enters the ISE sustainability index (2010–2012)
- 2011First agreement with prosecutors on expropriating 38 ha for Piquiá resettlement (May); FIDH, Justiça Global and Justiça nos Trilhos report (18 May)
- 2012Public Eye People's Award to Vale (January); second agreement: Fundação Vale R$20,000 per family (August); Vale's annual report puts 2009–2012 social responsibility investment at US$4.747 billion
- 2014Suzano buys all quotas of the Vale Florestar fund for R$528,940,906.15 (8–12 August); court sentence concludes the expropriation (September)
- 2015IACHR hearing on Piquiá (20 December)
- 2016Resettlement contract signed (6 May)
- 2018Resettlement construction begins (November)
- 2019Vale, selected for the 2019 ISE portfolio in December 2018, is removed from it after the Brumadinho collapse (12 February); FIDH monitoring report finds no recommendation fully implemented (8 May); UN special rapporteur visits (December)
- 2020UN special rapporteur's report calls the situation a clear violation of rights to life, health and information (September); resettlement about 30% built
- 2021Vale announces its 2030 goal to protect and recover 500,000 ha in Brazil (2 June)
- 2024312 houses handed over at Piquiá da Conquista (25 October); railway carries 176.47 million tons of ore
- 2026Vale named an investor in the BTG Pactual TIG and Conservation International restoration fund (28 April)
What was said
“is responsible for planting 150,000 hectares of eucalyptus”
“invests in eucalyptus monocultures whose potential environmental and human rights impacts appear to have been underestimated, including by public authorities”
“Vale does not own any stakes in these steel companies”
“Mining does not cause the aggravation of respiratory problems”
“a clear violation of the rights to life, health and information”
“despite denying responsibility”
“tarnished by repeated human rights abuses, inhumane working conditions”
“is consistent with the company's growth strategy”
“should not be taken as pre-judgment of the company's responsibilities”
Where accounts differ
Each party's account, side by side, with its source. The record does not settle these points; it shows them.
Pollution from pig-iron and coal-burning industries for more than 20 years, with serious respiratory and eye problems and difficulty obtaining environmental information and compensation.
FIDHHolds only a railway concession and no stakes in the steel companies; sells ore and provides transport; suspended ore sales to nine pig-iron producers in 2007 and 2008; mining does not cause the aggravation of respiratory problems.
FIDH and Justiça GlobalThe situation is a clear violation of the rights to life, health and information; asked Brazil, Vale and other companies to fund the resettlement.
Brasil de FatoVale agreed to co-finance despite denying responsibility; the fight for full reparation continues.
FIDHMaintained technical dialogue with the residents' association and was assessing its request.
Brasil de FatoThe 312 houses delivered in October 2024 were funded with more than R$23.5 million from Minha Casa Minha Vida and the Fundo de Desenvolvimento Social, with a contribution from Fundação Vale; the municipality had offered R$1 million (2020).
Movimento EconômicoTarget of 450,000 ha by 2022: 150,000 ha of industrial forest and 300,000 ha of native-forest protection and recovery; about 70,000 ha covered by then.
Jornal do BrasilVale Florestar is responsible for planting 150,000 ha of eucalyptus and 100,000 ha of native-species forest.
FIDH and Justiça GlobalAbout 40,000 ha recovered in 2008, 15,000 ha eucalyptus and 25,000 ha native; more than 28,000 ha planted by November 2010.
Diário Online (Dol)The fund sold to Suzano covered about 45,000 ha of eucalyptus on leased land.
Pulp and Paper NewsThe programme invests in eucalyptus monocultures whose impacts appear to have been underestimated, including by public authorities, and some conservation efforts relate to licence obligations.
FIDH and Justiça GlobalPesticide was not used intensively; Vale Florestar was an alternative to burning wood for charcoal; it stopped using chemicals in the forests around the California settlement from 2008 after the sale of assets to Suzano.
FIDH and Justiça GlobalVale won the online vote with 25,041 of 88,766 votes, citing the Belo Monte dam and repeated human-rights abuses and inhumane working conditions; the press release does not mention Carajás or Piquiá.
Public Eye (Berne Declaration and Greenpeace Switzerland)Set up a website to answer criticism, ranked first among mining companies in the Carbon Disclosure Project in 2011 and planned US$1.65 billion of social and environmental spending in 2012.
MongabayHow it looked
Shown
- Vale Florestar described as the largest environmental recovery project in the Amazon, with about 40,000 ha recovered.Trade press (International Forest Industries), October 2008 · International Forest Industries
- The programme described as an alternative to burning wood for charcoal, with wood to be sold to pulp mills and furniture makers.Vale's chief executive and Exame, May 2010 · Exame
- Vale's spending on corporate social responsibility reported at US$4.747 billion over 2009 to 2012.Vale, 2012 annual report · Vale S.A. (copy on NYU Stern)
Recorded
- Suzano bought all quotas of the Vale Florestar fund for R$528,940,906.15 in August 2014, for about 45,000 ha of eucalyptus.
- Area figures for Vale Florestar differ: about 40,000 ha recovered (2008), about 70,000 ha covered (May 2010) and more than 28,000 ha planted (November 2010); the sources do not give definitions.
- No restored-hectare figure appears on the Fundo Vale page against the goal of restoring 100,000 ha of degraded land by 2030.
- FIDH 2019: of 39 recommendations at Piquiá none was fully implemented and 74.4% showed no progress; some mills operated without environmental licences.
- No court judgment on the liability of Vale or the mills for Piquiá was located; the records are agreements with prosecutors, an expropriation sentence (September 2014) and an IACHR hearing (20 December 2015).
In nature's name
Promised
- “is responsible for planting 150,000 hectares of eucalyptus” — Vale, reply to FIDH and Justiça Global, on Vale Florestar (2011) FIDH and Justiça Global
- “protect and recover” — Vale, goal of 500,000 ha in Brazil by 2030 (2 June 2021) Suno
Money moved in nature's name
| What | Kind | Amount | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vale Florestar investment fund, capital Vale (40%), BNDES, Funcef and Petros (20% each) Jornal do Brasil | Budget | 605m BRL | announced 5 May 2010 |
| Spent on Vale Florestar since 2007 Vale Jornal do Brasil | Spent | 230m BRL | 2007 to May 2010 |
| Total investment in Vale Florestar by 2015, as reported Vale International Forest Industries | Budget | $300m estimate | to 2015 |
| Sale of all quotas of the Vale Florestar fund to Suzano Suzano (buyer) Pulp and Paper News | Sales | 529m BRL | August 2014 |
| Down payment on the Suzano purchase Suzano Pulp and Paper News | Sales | 45m BRL | August 2014 |
| Corporate social responsibility investment, total Vale Vale S.A. (copy on NYU Stern) | Spent | $4.7bn | 2009 to 2012 |
| Environmental protection and conservation budget Vale Vale S.A. (copy on NYU Stern) | Budget | $1bn | 2013 |
| Planned social and environmental spending Vale Mongabay | Budget | $1.6bn | 2012 |
| Fundação Vale payment under the second Piquiá agreement Vale through Fundação Vale Revista Observatório, UFT | Compensation | 6.24m BRL | August 2012 |
| Piquiá resettlement, total cost Resettlement project Brasil de Fato | Budget | 29m BRL | September 2020 |
| Steel companies' contribution to the resettlement Pig-iron companies Brasil de Fato | Paid out | 2.13m BRL | September 2020 |
| Funding for the 312 houses at Piquiá da Conquista Federal programmes and Fundação Vale Movimento Econômico | Paid out | 24m BRL | delivered 25 October 2024 |
| BTG Pactual TIG and Conservation International restoration fund, commitments Fund investors including Vale and BNDES Money Times | Pledged | $1.2bn | 28 April 2026 |
What was measured
The hectare figures for Vale Florestar (about 40,000, more than 28,000 and about 70,000 ha) come from Vale announcements and trade press with no definitions, and no independent audit of hectares planted, tree survival or native-species restoration was located. The Fundo Vale protection figures are Vale-affiliated. The sources hold no measured air-quality values for Piquiá.
Operation Ended · Suzano bought the Vale Florestar fund in August 2014. Vale's 2021 forest goal and its 2026 investment in a restoration fund are separate programmes. Pulp and Paper News
Findings on record
- Court or regulator ruling Brazilian court (not named in the source reviewed) (2014-09) · Sentence concluding the expropriation of 38 ha for the Piquiá resettlement Revista Observatório, UFT
- Official audit UN special rapporteur (2020-09) · Report on Piquiá de Baixo after the December 2019 visit: “a clear violation of the rights to life, health and information” Brasil de Fato
Who gained
Reached nature or the ground
Gained elsewhere
Responses on record
- Vale (2011): In 2011 told the FIDH and Justiça Global that it holds only a railway concession and no stakes in the pig-iron companies, suspended ore sales to nine producers in 2007 and 2008, and that "Mining does not cause the aggravation of respiratory problems"; said Vale Florestar was responsible for planting 150,000 ha of eucalyptus and 100,000 ha of native-species forest; said pesticide was not used intensively. · FIDH and Justiça Global
- Vale (January 2012): Told Mongabay it had set up a website to answer criticism of the Public Eye award, had ranked first among mining companies in the Carbon Disclosure Project in 2011 and planned US$1.65 billion of social and environmental spending in 2012. · Mongabay
- Vale (September 2020): Told Brasil de Fato that it maintained technical dialogue with the residents' association and was assessing its request for resettlement funding. · Brasil de Fato
- B3 index council (7 February 2019): Removed Vale from the ISE portfolio effective 12 February 2019, adding that the decision "should not be taken as pre-judgment of the company's responsibilities". · Suno
- The five Piquiá pig-iron companies (Viena Siderúrgica, Ferro Gusa do Maranhão, Simasa, Companhia Siderúrgica Vale do Pindaré, Gusa Nordeste): No statement of their own is recorded in the sources reviewed.
In court and with insurers
Lawsuits and rulings
- 2011–2011SettledFirst agreement (TAC) on expropriating 38 ha for the Piquiá resettlementMinistério Público and Defensoria (Maranhão) · Administrative · Ministério Público and Defensoria → Not stated in the source reviewed
A university article dates the first conduct-adjustment agreement to May 2011; a court sentence concluded the expropriation in September 2014. A July 2012 proposal appears in a search summary only, and the FIDH dates Vale's agreement to co-finance to 2013. Revista Observatório, UFT
- 2012–2012SettledBRL 6.24m R$6,240,000 in total, R$20,000 per family, as a complement to Minha Casa Minha VidaSecond agreement (TAC): Fundação Vale payment of R$20,000 per familyMinistério Público (state) and SIFEMA, the pig-iron industry association · Administrative · Ministério Público (state) → SIFEMA and Vale (through Fundação Vale)
In August 2012 Vale, through Fundação Vale, was to transfer R$20,000 per family, R$6,240,000 in total, as a complement to the federal Minha Casa Minha Vida programme. Revista Observatório, UFT
- 2014Outcome not on recordSentence concluding the expropriation of 38 ha for resettlementBrazilian court (not named in the source reviewed) · Civil · Not stated in the source reviewed → Not stated in the source reviewed
A university article records a court sentence of September 2014 that concluded the expropriation; no judgment on the liability of Vale or the mills was located. Revista Observatório, UFT
- 2015–Outcome not on recordHearing on Piquiá before the Inter-American Commission on Human RightsInter-American Commission on Human Rights, Washington · International court · Not stated in the source reviewed → Not stated in the source reviewed
A hearing on Piquiá was held on 20 December 2015; the source reviewed gives no outcome. Revista Observatório, UFT
Insurers
What nature saw
Nature's report opens this page. Below: further outcomes measured on the ground.
What we don't know
Nature
Court
Accounts
Record
- None on record None on record: a court judgment on the liability of Vale or the pig-iron plants for pollution at Piquiá de Baixo.
- None on record None on record: an independent audit of the hectares planted, the survival rate of trees or the result of native-species restoration at Vale Florestar.
- None on record None on record: the present condition of the former Vale Florestar land now held by Suzano.
- None on record None on record: a 2026 progress figure for Vale's 2030 forest goal.
- Insufficient Unconfirmed: a reports of a June 2025 report says more than 200,000 ha were protected, 50% of the protection target.
- None on record None on record: measured air-pollution values at Piquiá de Baixo; the sources hold residents' health statements and monitoring reports.
- Not disclosed None on record: Vale's amount in the BTG Pactual TIG and Conservation International restoration fund; it was undisclosed.
- None on record None on record: railway tonnage by year for 2013 to 2023; only 2012, 2020 and 2024 figures were found.
- Not measured Not measured: the operating hours and smoke volumes of the Piquiá plants are not quantified in any source reviewed.
- Disputed Disputed: the area planted by Vale Florestar (40,000, 28,000 or 70,000 ha) and the split between eucalyptus and native species (150,000 ha and 300,000 ha in May 2010; 150,000 ha and 100,000 ha in 2011).
- Disputed Disputed: the date of Vale's first agreement on resettlement (May 2011 per a university article; a July 2012 proposal appears in a search summary; the FIDH says Vale agreed to co-finance in 2013).
Did the harm stop?
The sources reviewed do not report that emissions from the Piquiá mills stopped. The FIDH found some mills operating without environmental licences in 2019, and in October 2024 families were relocated about 8 km away.
Who paid?
Under the August 2012 agreement Vale, through Fundação Vale, was to transfer R$20,000 per family, R$6,240,000 in total; the steel companies contributed R$2.13 million of a cost above R$29 million as of September 2020; the 312 houses delivered in October 2024 were funded with more than R$23.5 million from federal programmes plus a Fundação Vale contribution. The Vale Florestar fund was funded by Vale (40%), BNDES, Funcef and Petros (20% each) and was sold to Suzano.
Sources
Company or project
- Form 20-F for fiscal year 2012Vale S.A. (SEC filing) · 2013-04-02
- Vale Annual Report 2012Vale S.A. (copy on NYU Stern) · 2013
- Vale's 2030 forest goalFundo Vale · 2026
Press and investigations
- Vale Florestar report, Oct 2008 (posted 7 October 2008)International Forest Industries · 2008-10-07
- Vale faz aliança para constituir fundo de reflorestamentoJornal do Brasil · 2010-05-05
- Vale launches reforestation fundANBA · 2010-05
- Vale anuncia fundo de reflorestamento de 450 mil hectaresExame · 2010-05
- Suzano purchases 45,000 hectares of eucalyptus forestsPulp and Paper News · 2014-08
- Comunidade citada na ONU por sofrer efeitos da mineração cobra Bolsonaro por silêncioBrasil de Fato · 2020-09-24
- Piquiá da Conquista houses handed overMovimento Econômico · 2024-10
- Brazilian mining company connected to Belo Monte dam voted worst corporationMongabay · 2012-01-31
- Vale announces forest goal for 2030Suno · 2021-06-02
- Maior fundo de reflorestamento levanta R$ 6,2 bilhões com participação de Vale e BNDESMoney Times · 2026-04-28
- B3 removes Vale shares from the corporate sustainability index (ISE)Suno · 2019-02-07
- Investidor deve ter atenção ao selecionar ações sustentáveisTribuna PR · 2016
- Ferrovia paraense com trem gigante completa 40 anosDiário Online (Dol) · 2025-03
- Vale Florestar planta 31 milhões de mudasDiário Online (Dol) · 2010-11
Communities and civil society
- Response of Vale to the FIDH and Justiça Global report (with the organisations' comments)FIDH and Justiça Global · 2012-03-13
- Brazil: Piquiá community fights against mining industry's human rights violationsFIDH, Justiça nos Trilhos and partners · 2019-05-08
- Brasil: los miembros de la comunidad de Piquiá de Baixo reubicadosFIDH · 2024-12-17
- The 2012 Public Eye Awards: infamous awards go to Barclays and ValePublic Eye (Berne Declaration and Greenpeace Switzerland) · 2012-01-27
- Articulação Internacional dos Atingidos pela ValeFundo Brasil · 2026
Researchers
- Article on Piquiá de Baixo and the pig-iron plants (Revista Observatório, Universidade Federal do Tocantins)Revista Observatório, UFT · 2017
Connected cases
- Biomas restoration initiative Brazil · 2022
- Vale (Company) — here: Sponsor of Vale Florestar, operator of the Carajás railway, supplier of ore to the Piquiá plants and defendant in the community's reparation claims; there: Founder; published the market notice
- Suzano (Company) — here: Bought the Vale Florestar fund in August 2014; there: Founder
- Marfrig co-founded Biomas, a Brazilian forest-restoration company Brazil · 2022
- Vale (Company) — here: Sponsor of Vale Florestar, operator of the Carajás railway, supplier of ore to the Piquiá plants and defendant in the community's reparation claims; there: Founding partner of Biomas
- Suzano (Company) — here: Bought the Vale Florestar fund in August 2014; there: Founding partner of Biomas
- APRIL pulp suppliers linked to forest loss and Cerrado eucalyptus growth Brazil · 2010–2024
- Suzano (Company) — here: Bought the Vale Florestar fund in August 2014; there: Pulp company whose mill received International Finance Corporation funding
- Brazil's 2015 mining code draft was created on Vale and BHP's law firm's computer Brazil · 2015
- Vale (Company) — here: Sponsor of Vale Florestar, operator of the Carajás railway, supplier of ore to the Piquiá plants and defendant in the community's reparation claims; there: Company served by the law firm that held the draft
- Brazilian court orders Vale and Cemig to repair nearly dry Rio Doce reach Brazil · 2015
- Vale (Company) — here: Sponsor of Vale Florestar, operator of the Carajás railway, supplier of ore to the Piquiá plants and defendant in the community's reparation claims; there: Company the court ordered to repair the damage
- Campaigners claim Suzano eucalyptus dried over 130 streams in Brazil Brazil · 2021–2022
- Suzano (Company) — here: Bought the Vale Florestar fund in August 2014; there: Eucalyptus plantation owner; partner in Biomas; initial 1t.org pledger
- Kenyan court removes seed-sharing offence in 2025; destruction costs fall on farmers Kenya · 2012–2025
- Public Eye (NGO) — here: Awarded Vale the 2012 People's Award; there: NGO that reported on EU exports of banned pesticides
- Paraquat bans, UK production for export and Chinese exports United Kingdom · 1989–2026
- Public Eye (NGO) — here: Awarded Vale the 2012 People's Award; there: NGO; source of UK export, Brazil and Swiss figures
- Renova Foundation (Mariana dam, Brazil) Brazil · 2015–2024
- Vale (Company) — here: Sponsor of Vale Florestar, operator of the Carajás railway, supplier of ore to the Piquiá plants and defendant in the community's reparation claims; there: Parent company of Samarco; secondary funder of Renova at 50%
- Rio governor cited sabotage for CEDAE water crisis without evidence Brazil · 2020–2021
- BNDESPar (Public bank) — here: BNDES's investment arm; held a direct stake in the Vale Florestar fund; there: Shareholder in Iguá; subsidiary of the development bank that designed the auction
- Samarco Fundão dam collapse (Mariana): the settlement and the court cases Brazil · 2015–2026
- Vale (Company) — here: Sponsor of Vale Florestar, operator of the Carajás railway, supplier of ore to the Piquiá plants and defendant in the community's reparation claims; there: 50% owner; acquitted
- Simandou iron ore project, Guinea Guinea · 2008–2026
- Vale (Company) — here: Sponsor of Vale Florestar, operator of the Carajás railway, supplier of ore to the Piquiá plants and defendant in the community's reparation claims; there: Bought 51% of BSGR's Simandou holding for USD 2.5 billion
- Vale and Rio Tinto's Riversdale move households to make way for Tete coal mines Mozambique · 2009–2013
- Vale (Company) — here: Sponsor of Vale Florestar, operator of the Carajás railway, supplier of ore to the Piquiá plants and defendant in the community's reparation claims; there: Operator that relocated 1,365 households
- Vale Brumadinho dam collapse Brazil · 2019–2027
- Vale (Company) — here: Sponsor of Vale Florestar, operator of the Carajás railway, supplier of ore to the Piquiá plants and defendant in the community's reparation claims; there: Dam owner and operator
- Vale ore-sand (Agera) tailings sand Brazil · 2021–2024
- Vale (Company) — here: Sponsor of Vale Florestar, operator of the Carajás railway, supplier of ore to the Piquiá plants and defendant in the community's reparation claims; there: Mining company; owner of Agera