The 6th International Congress on Sustainability – Sustentável 2013 provided direct interaction with the attendees. During the event, participants were able to submit questions to the panelists and, before each panel, vote on polls presented by the moderator via electronic voting. Four surveys were conducted throughout the day, yielding interesting results. The majority (31%) of the more than 600 participants indicated that competitiveness is what motivates companies to incorporate sustainability strategies, followed by risk reduction (26%) and reputation (21%). Regarding sustainability challenges, the results indicated a balance: 42% said they believe they are already incorporated into companies' objectives and strategic actions, while 40% considered the challenges to be merely rhetorical. For 31% of the attendees, the main obstacles to incorporating sustainability into corporate strategies are the lack of coordination between companies, government, and civil society; For 27% of the participants, the challenge lies in translating the concept into financial terms. When asked about the actions organizations currently pay most attention to, 29% stated that the focus is on developing and offering more sustainable products and services; next (with 26%) was cost reduction through more efficient processes; and, with 20% of the votes, promoting employee awareness training was also considered. Overall, the survey indicated that concern for consumers and the image of institutions is the most important when it comes to sustainability. "Surveys like these, even if informal and without a specific methodology, reveal trends and opportunities. We need to encourage everyone to see sustainability beyond reputation," pondered Marina Grossi, president of CEBDS.

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