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SOCIAL AND
ENVIRONMENTAL
PERFORMANCE
ECORODOVIAS' STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT INCLUDES RELEVANT SUSTAINABILITY ISSUES THAT INDICATE THE COMPANY'S CONTRIBUTION TO SOCIETY THROUGH SOCIAL, CULTURAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIONS.
EcoRodovias supports the social and cultural development of its various stakeholders, as well as environmental conservation. The Sustainability Advisory area ensures compliance with the guidelines established in the Social Responsibility Policy by monitoring the development of social and environmental projects, and fostering the use of sustainability indicators. follows guidelines relating to human and labor rights, as well as those associated with the responsibility for services provided to society, pursuant to applicable laws. adopts international quality, environment, health and safety standards; negotiates and complies with union agreements; and voluntarily adheres to social responsibility initiatives, such as the Brazilian platform of "Companies for the Climate" of the Getúlio Vargas Foundation, and is a member of the Ethos Institute. applies the best human resources practices, respects diversity and fosters an environment that favors corporate development. In 2010, the Group's headcount included 2,002 permanent employees, excluding the staff at Columbia and EADI Sul. In 2010, a training program was launched in order to prepare the managers and employees for feedback within the scope of the Performance Review Program. Internally, the Company counts on an Internal Commission for Prevention of Accidents, Specialized Services in Safety Engineering and Occupational Medicine, and the Fire Brigade, as well as the Accident Prevention Week, which is held on a yearly basis. EcoRodovias also maintains the Ecoviver project, the purpose of which is to promote and stimulate environmental awareness of the communities and Elementary and Junior High School students living in the areas where the Company operates. In 2010, the Group offered online and external training projects that totaled 101,455 hours and included technical and operational programs, academy of competences, training for leaders, occupational safety and quality/environmental programs, scholarships and language courses. EcoRodovias' concessions offer the infrastructure and support required by users, including tow services, mechanical and medical assistance.
In 2010, the user satisfaction survey accomplished positive results due to the permanent monitoring of indicators based on safety items and availability of services on the highways. In 2010, 125,630 vehicles were assisted with tow services; 18,123 persons used ambulance services, and 202,936 highway inspections were carried out, considering all concessionaries. In 2010, users registered 5,598 complaints, while 2,366 praised the company's services, including all concessionaries. With the purpose of solving the complaints, monthly meetings were held with the Highway Police; information about works in progress along the highways was made available in advance; and the number of highway inspections increased. The Company's suppliers contracting process takes into account the technical capacity, prices, geographic location and social and environmental performance of the contractors. The Group does not accept child labor or slavery practices, and service providers are contracted pursuant to the laws applicable to such issues. In 2010, various gatherings, public and individual meetings and conferences were held with our stakeholders, which included shareholders, investors and national and foreign financial institutions. These initiatives focused on economic and financial performance, as well as on growth prospects. EcoRodovias seeks to maintain a permanent dialogue with associations and unions in order to build productive and harmonious relationships. The Company is dedicated to the preservation and rational use of natural resources in its operations by acting in accordance with environmental laws. It also develops awareness and educational projects focused on users and neighboring communities. The actions developed in 2010 included campaigns focused on the rational consumption of water and energy, more efficient use of vehicles and equipment, development of studies on the use of solar energy and lighting efficiency in tunnels, use of led lamps in toll plazas, conference calls and transportation of employees in chartered buses. EcoRodovias is the world's single company in the segment holding the ISO 9001 (quality) and ISO 14001 (environmental management) certifications for all its subsidiaries. Its laboratory for paving tests is accredited by the National Institute of Metrology, Standardization and Industrial Quality (INMETRO), in accordance to the ISO/IEC17025 standard for Penetration essays (Paving Materials; Softening Point – Ring and Ball method; Flash and Combustion Point in Cleveland open cup – Petroleum by products; Viscosity at elevated temperatures using a Rotational Viscometer – Paving Materials; Saybolt Furol Viscosity – Bitumen Materials) The Company is also responsible for the "Reinventar" project, a social and environmental initiative intended to provide for the final disposal of non-recyclable banners used in advertising campaigns. In 2010, EcoRodovias launched the "Voluntários do bem" project ("Good volunteers"), where the employees of EcoRodovias Concessões e Serviços and Ecovias make their knowledge available for students of a state school in São Bernardo do Campo (State of São Paulo), by addressing natural resources issues and business administration concepts.


GRUPO ECORODOVIAS IS CONCERNED ABOUT THE DEVELOPMENT OF ITS VARIOUS STAKEHOLDERS, AS WELL AS ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT. FOR THIS REASON, IT IS INVOLVED IN SOCIAL, CULTURAL AND EDUCATIONAL ACTIONS.

The Group's management attributes fundamental importance to initiatives related to the social and cultural development of its various stakeholders and the environment. These issues are discussed in Chapter 5 – Social and Environmental Performance.

The Company's Social Responsibility Policy defines and creates standards for practices consenting with the performance of actions. The Sustainability Advisory area ensures compliance with the guidelines established in this policy, supervises the development of new projects, monitors the actions in progress, and conceives new ideas. The area is also responsible for implementing internal processes to meet sustainability-related indicators – GRI-G3, GHG Protocol and Ibase social balance sheet based on NBC-T15.

The Company also complies with guidelines relating to human and labor rights and to services provided to the society, pursuant to Brazilian laws; it adopts international standards related to quality, environment, health and safety; executes and fulfills union agreements; and voluntarily adheres to social responsibility initiatives, such as the Brazilian platform of "Companies for the Climate" (EPC) of the Getúlio Vargas Foundation, and is also a member of the Ethos Institute.

Additionally, it also stands out for performance of best practices in human resources, promoting a favorable environment to corporate development. The Group accepts the diversity of its employees by preserving their physical, moral and psychological integrity and maintaining remuneration and professional development policies; excluding the companies Columbia and EADI Sul, in 2010 the Group's headcount included 2,002 permanent employees in the States of São Paulo, Paraná and Rio Grande do Sul. For the second consecutive year, it was rated among the 150 best companies to work for in Brazil by Exame and Você S/A magazines.

Communication channels are made available on a daily basis for the concessionaries' clients, guaranteeing a qualified and transparent provision of services and respecting the opinion and suggestions received. In 2010, a user satisfaction survey was conducted to evaluate the performance of EcoRodovias' companies; the audience expressed their opinion about the services provided on the Group's highways: on average 800 persons per concessionaire were interviewed.

In the year, the survey's results were positive by 90% for Ecovia, 75% for Ecosul, 92% for Ecopistas, 79% for Ecocataratas and 89% for Ecovias. The Group's concessionaries were included in the ranking of "The 10 Best Highways in Brazil in 2009/2010", published by Guia 4 Rodas magazine.

EcoRodovias maintains an ethical relationship with the Brazilian government, respecting the laws in effect, the accurate disclosure of information and the obligations provided for in-concession agreements. Our relationship with suppliers is also based on ethics, mutual partnership and transparent decisions; the contracting process takes into account aspects such as technical capacity, prices, geographic location and environmental performance. The Group does not accept child labor or slavery practices, and these assumptions are also brought to bear upon contracting of suppliers. EcoRodovias maintains an appropriate relationship with shareholders and investors through individual or collective meetings and conference calls, using clear communication to show the Group's performance.

Our concessionaries have a positive interaction with the communities of the areas where they are located, constantly performing actions to mitigate problems and initiatives that contribute to their social, cultural and sports development. The Ecoviver project is among the major actions developed by the Company. Its educational and artistic nature aims to disseminate and stimulate environmental awareness in the communities and among elementary and junior high school students.

In 2010, Ecoviver carried out in 17 municipalities, supporting some 1,000 teachers and counting on the participation of more than 24,000 students.

Since 2002, Ecocataratas has invested R$50 thousand per year in the maintenance of the gateway to the Biodiversity Corridor, a bridge intended for environmental conservation, with 80 meters of extension and a 6-meter height open span, allowing the movement of animals and the growth of small trees. Part of Ecocataratas highway system is located alongside the Corridor.

According to specialists of the Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA), the area is essential to save dozens of endangered species.

The overall volume of investments made by EcoRodovias is the result of a set of actions developed by the Group in order to improve its processes and, thus, benefit the environment. Investments in environmental conservation, treatment and disposal of residues, treatment of gas emissions, external environmental management, external certification, research and development, and clean technologies, totaled consolidated investments of R$2.2 million.