Hydro is a Fortune 500 energy and aluminium supplier operating in ...

“Hydro will not discriminate on the basis of gender, religion, race,
national or ethnic origin, cultural background, social group, disability,
sexual orientation, marital status, age or political opinion. We recognize
the intrinsic value of the different cultures in which we operate,
and will show respect for these cultures in all our business practices.
Hydro will pay special attention to the rights, requirements and
cultural integrity of indigenous people affected by our operations.”
HYDRO’S SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY DIRECTIVE
The Quilombos people
Since the 1970s, Hydro Aluminium has had a
five per cent stake in the Brazilian company
MRN, which operates the Trombetas bauxite
mine in the Amazon region of Brazil. Although
the equity holding is small, the mine is regarded
as a Hydro operation, at least by outside observers
in Norway.
A village with all modern facilities was built at
Trombetas for expatriate employees of the
mining operations. This “island of wealth” exists
right next to the river communities of the
Quilombos, a marginalized people descended
from slaves who escaped from plantations in the
19th century. The Quilombos have only recently
been recognized as an indigenous group in line
with the Brazilian Indians.
The MRN operations have been an industry
benchmark in terms of environmental protection
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and reforestation, however local recruitment and
support for the river communities have so far
been limited.
Recognizing the intrinsic value of cultural
diversity, MRN has now taken several initiatives
to help preserve the Quilombos’ lifestyle and
culture, while at the same time channelling funds
for developing areas such as health, education
and alternative livelihoods in the river communities.
These contributions are channelled through
national and local NGOs that are supporting
the Quilombos to become properly organized in
claiming their land rights and other entitlements
due to them under the Brazilian constitution.