Sao Paulo, Brazil, December 5, 2018The International Business + Community Meeting was held, where more than 50 business foundations, institutes, and Latin American companies discussed the importance of incorporating the social environment into business models to achieve a positive social impact and contribute to the development of sustainable communities.
The event was organized by the Brazilian Business Council for Sustainable Development (CEBDS); Inter-American Foundation (IAF); GIZ Emerging Markets Multinationals Network (EMM-GIZ Network); RedEAmérica and the Brazil Bloc.
The meeting was attended by six Latin American countries in addition to Brazil, and topics covered included essential capabilities for understanding the environment; how to identify opportunities to contribute to community development through business; and the case studies of Fibria and Nexa Resources in Brazil; and Riopaila Castilla and Companhia Nacional de Chocolates in Colombia.
Throughout the event, different organizations that are references in Brazil and Latin America participated, such as the LafargeHolcim Institute, the Arcor Foundation, the Alphaville Foundation, the Votorantim Institute, the FOCO Foundation, the Camargo Correa Institute, the Lina Galvani Institute, the Getúlio Vargas Foundation, the Smurfit Kappa Foundation and the Caicedo González Riopaila Castilla Foundation.
During her participation, Martha Herrera, Corporate Director of Social Responsibility at CEMEX and President of the Board of Directors of RedEAmérica, highlighted that:"Many companies or corporate foundations promote social initiatives, but the greatest impact in terms of sustainability is achieved when social issues are incorporated into the business's own strategy. It's important to note that Latin America is a fertile region for this type of action and approach, as there are many issues to be addressed, including fully meeting basic needs for human development, such as education, housing, food, and healthcare."
RedEAmérica believes that there is a major shift in the way we understand the interdependence between companies and society."A company is not an external actor; it is part of a system. It is interrelated with other actors, interdependent, and influences and is influenced by them. Its competitiveness and sustainability are connected to the social environment in which it operates. Furthermore, companies are systemic, interacting with multiple actors, and therefore have great potential to contribute to solutions," explained Margareth Flórez, Executive Director of RedEAmérica.
This meeting arose as a result of an important initiative that is part of the Company + Community program, which aims to unite business conversations, which promotes the competitiveness of companies based on productive and sustainable relationships with their social environment.
Added to this is the launch of virtual courses and a guide to identify opportunities and the invitation from RedEAmérica to continue this conversation at its RedEAmérica International Forum, to be held on March 21, 2019 in Salvador, Brazil. http://fir-redeamerica.org/pt
About CEBDS
Founded in 1997 by a group of major Brazilian businesspeople, CEBDS (Brazilian Business Council for Sustainable Development) is a non-profit civil association that promotes sustainable development through collaboration with governments and civil society, in addition to disseminating the most current concepts and practices on the topic. The Council brings together approximately 60 of the largest business groups in the country, with revenue equivalent to 40% of GDP and responsible for over 1 million direct jobs. The Council is the representative in Brazil of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) network.
The Council acts through six Thematic Chambers (forums) that bring together representatives of companies associated with CEBDS for the construction and development of projects related to Sustainability issues: Water, Biodiversity, Climate, Communication, Social Impact and Finance.
About the Company + Community program
The Program was created in 2015 to provide a greater understanding of the contributions the business sector can make to the sustainable development of communities, based on the specific areas and logic of business. It is an alliance between RedEAmérica, IAF, and the Network of Multinationals from Emerging Countries for Sustainability (Red MME).
More information at: www.redeamerica.org/Empresa-ComUnidad
About RedEAmérica
RedEAmérica is a network of companies and foundations that is a leading provider of knowledge and the articulation of practices. Its mission is to connect those who share the same interest in creating sustainable communities, provide them with learning tools, facilitate their interaction, and make their efforts visible. This allows each of the network's member entities to leverage the knowledge of the others and, together, build the strategies they need to develop sustainable communities.
Its main pride is having built a common language and an intervention approach that has evolved and been incorporated into the practice of its members. Currently, the Network is composed of more than 80 organizations of commercial origin in 14 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean through blocks located in: Mexico, El Salvador, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Venezuela, Ecuador, Panama, Peru, Brazil, Colombia, Argentina, and Chile. As a result of its successful management, the Network hopes to become a reference space for the Latin American business sector for the co-creation of knowledge and the articulation of best practices.
