Brazilian mining and metals giant Companhia Vale do Rio Doce (CVRD) has announced that it will not provide iron ore to pig iron manufacturers which do not comply with the environmental and labor legislation operative in Brazil.
The company has specified that the first suspensions of iron ore supplies will be applied to Companhia Siderúrgica do Pará and Usina Siderúrgica de Marabá SA.
Brazil's federal environmental protection agency Ibama carried out inspections this year of pig iron producers in Brazil's Maranhão and Pará states, and this month decided to file civil lawsuits against the above-mentioned producers.
CVRD has also emphasized that "it required its clients and suppliers to comply with the environmental and labor legislation and reaffirmed its commitment to the sustainable development in the regions where it operates as well as its respect for the operative legislation".