Study developed by CEBDS, in partnership with Idesam, maps good business practices in the region that can be replicated
The pillar represented by the private sector in the Amazon supports a series of positive initiatives connected with the contemporary vision that the world is going through a climate emergency. This is what the “Study of Good Business Practices in the Amazon” shows, carried out by the Brazilian Business Council for Sustainable Development (CEBDS) in partnership with the Institute for Conservation and Sustainable Development of the Amazon (Idesam). The unprecedented mapping reveals that there is a wide range of projects that are already reaping good results.
The study points out paths and opportunities for greater engagement in sustainable practices in the region. The document presents initiatives that faced the typical challenges of the Amazon – which needed to reinvent themselves, adapt and which, therefore, are scalable and can be applied in different operating contexts. These are businesses such as restoration of degraded areas, professional training, development of startups, sustainable and higher productivity agriculture, bioeconomy, artificial intelligence in preventing deforestation and extractivism.
Among the decarbonization goals set by companies, one of the topics analyzed in the research, is the case of Siemens, with its internal carbon pricing programs. In this type of initiative, the carbon footprint of the company's various activities is calculated.
The results obtained by this methodology are converted into financial values that form a fund for the development of carbon neutralization programs. It is as if the group – and Neoenergia has a similar plan – started to have a kind of specific budget for carbon neutralization programs.
Another scope under the watchful eye of companies is the development of traceability systems for production chains. Especially, products linked to commodities and land use, such as cocoa, soy, wood and livestock. Mainly in Europe, consumer demands that the products sold are not linked to environmental crimes are increasing.
There are also initiatives such as JBS, which opened so-called green offices in processing units in different key regions for livestock farming. The main focus of this initiative is to offer free support to producers who have environmental restrictions, aiming to help them with the environmental regularization of their businesses. Companies like Marfrig and Nestlé – in this case for cocoa and not for cattle – are also increasingly concerned with training and environmental suitability of suppliers.
