The Brazilian Business Council for Sustainable Development (CEBDS) today launched two publications in the series How to Incorporate Sustainability into Your Processes – Finance and People Management. These volumes are part of a series of 10 guides aimed at engaging different areas of companies, making sustainability a cross-cutting issue. Inspired by case studies, best practices, and successful experiences at leading companies in Brazil, each guide aims to encourage and guide professionals from different departments to apply sustainability to their organizations' daily operations.
"The dynamics of sustainable development applied to corporate business, across a wide range of sectors, is what truly embodies the concept of 'sustainability' and can impact crucial aspects of business maintenance, continuity, and survival," explains Marina Grossi, president of CEBDS. This dynamic affects a company's reputation and, consequently, its performance and the acceptance or rejection of its stakeholders. There are companies that truly commit to the world and not only rethink their processes to make them future-friendly, but also disseminate this idea.
The guides cover concepts and specifics of the industrial, retail, and service sectors, as well as recommendations, tips, and positive experiences from companies that have already implemented this management approach. They serve as an invitation for companies to consider sustainability across all departments. From there, adaptations and new initiatives can be developed and shared, enhancing the organization's sustainability strategy.
Executives agree that engaging employees is the biggest challenge and also the most important part of truly incorporating sustainability concepts and practices. "Engagement is the most important part," reinforced Daniela Freire of Alcoa.
"Senior leadership needs to buy into the idea," said Sidemberg Rodrigues, Communications, Image, and Social Responsibility Manager at Arcelor Mittal. "To reach the entire company, you need to invest time, go to the locations, explain, communicate, and exchange ideas," added Flávia Tozatto, Sustainability Manager at BASF.
After all, sustainability actually happens in other departments, not the corporate one. According to Lígia Camargo, Unilever's sustainability manager, "we need to put aside our ego and give credit to the areas that actually deliver sustainability."
Another important ingredient in this formula is economics. According to Edgar Franco, vice president of Schneider Electric, one of the measures adopted by the Planet and Society Barometer, achieving targets is linked to executive bonuses at the end of the year. "The key to the Barometer is that having a number to evaluate allows you to concretely convey this to the board," explained the executive.
O Guide to the Finance area aims to support the department in adopting practices that promote the organization's sustainable development, understanding its interdependence with the market in which it operates. The guide addresses the relationship between the business's survival and its role in transforming and generating markets for its products, feedback from the consumption chain, production, and income generation, and how the corporation integrates into the network of stakeholders.
already the Guide for the Human Resources Management area aims to support the department in adopting practices that promote the organization's sustainable development, from the area's strategic function, employee hiring, and integration into their roles and daily routines. The department's cross-functionality with the rest of the company disseminates sustainability policies and guidelines. It's also important to remember that each employee is a multiplier for the company, and with them, it's possible to reach beyond the company's walls, raising awareness. stakeholdersand strengthening the social fabric where the organization operates.
Also present at the launch event were Cristiana Pereira, Commercial and Business Development Director at BM&FBovespa, Alexandre Teixeira, author of the book Felicidade SA, Sidemberg Rodrigues, Communication, Image and Social Responsibility Manager at Arcelor Mittal, Anna Coubassier – Corporate Education Manager at Brasil Kirin, Flávia Renata Tozatto – Sustainability Manager at BASF and Edgard Franco – Vice President at Schneider Electric.
Ten areas of the company's operations were prioritized, and the goal is to release two guides per year. In 2015, the Research & Development and Marketing guides will be produced.
