From left to right: Carlos Mathias Neto (Renova Energia), André Araujo (Shell), Adriano Duarte (DNV), Marcus Bicudo (Chairman of CEBDS), Gino Di Domenico (Brasil Kirin), Marina Grossi (President of CEBDS), Rogério Zampronha (Schneider Electric), Rodrigo Santos (Monsanto), Paulo Ricardo Stark (Siemens), Jorge Menegassi (EY), Gilberto Peralta (GE).
The largest business groups in Brazil have come together through the Brazilian Business Council for Sustainable Development (CEBDS) and, in an unprecedented initiative, have together built the “CEBDS Agenda – For a Sustainable Country”. The proposals presented aim to promote more sustainable development in the country, through an alliance between the government and business sectors.
Launched on August 6th in São Paulo, the document was developed at the request of the CEOs of the companies associated with the Council that endorse the Agenda. Divided into five macro-objectives, the 22 proposals are transversal to the theme of Sustainability and address topics such as Education, Sanitation, Equity, Biodiversity, Water Resource Management, Energy and Mobility, among others.
“The movement represents a historic advance in the relationship between the public and private sectors, when for the first time large companies are addressing proposals for sustainable development with quality, initiating a dialogue with government officials from the beginning of their term,” says Marina Grossi, president of CEBDS. “It is a new way of doing politics in which we seek to create adherence to good practices in the business world, scale up these actions and increase Brazil’s international competitiveness,” adds Marina.
The proposals will be presented by the CEOs to the presidential candidates, who will validate which points of the Agenda they have previously committed to. After the new president is chosen, a new meeting will be held to create a permanent forum to monitor what was discussed. For the presidents, the CEBDS Agenda has a much greater impact than a list of requests; it aims to leave a legacy for the next government, for companies and for the country. “I want to see the results in the government that will come into office on January 1st,” emphasized Paulo Stark, CEO of Siemens.
For Brasil Kirin CEO Gino Di Domenico, the Agenda is a set of proposals for any elected president, regardless of party, for the next 20 years. DNV President Adriano Duarte added that to facilitate the implementation of the proposals, governance and planning are needed, both on the part of the government and companies.
For EY CEO Jorge Menegassi, the most positive result of the creation of this Agenda was the reflection on the internal processes of the companies themselves. “Looking inward is the first step, after that we mobilize the others”.
During the discussion panels, company leaders addressed important topics related to the Agenda's objectives. Panel 1 sought to explain how a low-carbon economy and the valorization of natural resources can generate greater competitiveness for Brazilian products. Shell CEO André Araújo and Renova Energia CEO Carlos Mathias Becker Neto discussed the possibilities of diversifying the energy matrix in our country, such as the time it takes for wind power to generate energy, which is almost half the time it takes for hydropower, which is five years. They noted that such initiatives cannot be seen as independent; they are of interest to all companies, which need to be open to real and urgent debates.
Also in the first debate, Rodrigo Santos, CEO of Monsanto, spoke about the conduct related to the forestry code, arguing that there is a possibility for the country to continue to lead the export of certain agricultural products in a sustainable manner. “This is an important act, since Brazil has 65% of territory with forests or permanent reserves, while in Europe it is only 0.3%”, he said.
Gilberto Peralta, President of GE participated in panel 2 which was part of the discussion of How companies’ progress in sustainability can improve people’s quality of life. He argued that the most important point is for the agenda to bring a new perspective on the need for investment in basic education, which should be viewed more closely by society, the government and the media.
The document will also be presented to party leaders, Congress, the Senate and the Executive, since the decisions involve all these spheres and the intention is for the discussion to be broadened and endorsed by as many future leaders of the country as possible. Many of these proposals are still in their infancy and require critical mass to be developed. “Our goal is to provide an opportunity for dialogue,” said Rogério Zampronha, President of Schneider Electric.
Marcus Bicudo, Chairman of CEBDS, closed the event by asking for a license to operate with an inclusive, non-partisan and voluntary agenda, as there are concrete solutions and possibilities for companies to work together with the public sector.
The following companies are participating in the Agenda: Abralatas, Basf, Bayer, Brasil Kirin, Braskem, BRF, DNV, Dow Latin America, Ecofrotas, EY, GE, Lafarge, Masisa, Monsanto, PepsiCo, Pirelli, Renova Energia, Rhodia Solvay Group, Schneider Electric, Shell, Siemens, Syngenta, Unilever and Wal-Mart.
