Tomorrow, Tuesday, September 11, multisectoral leaders will debate “What kind of country are our businesses building?” This is the theme chosen by the Brazilian Business Council for Sustainable Development (CEBDS) to be a guiding theme for the debates at the ninth edition of the International Congress on Sustainable Development (Sustentável 2018), which will take place at the Santander Theater, open to the general public and with online transmission.
The panelists include CEOs of companies associated with CEBDS, such as Banco Santander, Shell, Ambev, Vestas, BRK Ambiental and Siemens, directors of Phillip Morris, Vale, Itaú and Natura, and representatives of IDB, IFC, Coalizão Brasil, CDP, iCS, Febraban and Ipam.
“CEBDS’s mission is to be a bridge to bring together government, society and companies, facilitating the exchange of experiences, the development of public policies and the engagement of society in causes that allow the country to follow the path of sustainable development, paving the way for a transition to a new low-carbon economy, with preservation of natural resources and social responsibility”, says Marina Grossi, president of the institution, which is 21 years old and has 60 of the largest companies in the country, responsible for more than 1 million jobs.
This year's event marks the public presentation of the CEBDS Agenda for a Sustainable Country, which brings together 10 proposals in the area of energy efficiency, reforestation, reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, incentives for renewable energy, and promotion of gender equality and inclusion in the hiring of workers.
The proposals were developed over the course of months within the scope of the Council of Leaders, which brings together the presidents of the associated companies, and are being forwarded to the presidential candidates. PSDB candidate Geraldo Alckmin and PSOL candidate Guilherme Boulos have already received their copies. Ciro Gomes, Marina Silva, Fernando Haddad and João Amoedo also have appointments to receive the proposals that will be discussed at the event. More than that, CEBDS intends to closely monitor the implementation of the measures in the coming years, and has already begun to present collaborative studies for their implementation under the current government.
In July, for example, the president of CEBDS, Marina Grossi, accompanied by the presidents of Shell, André Araújo; Siemens, André Clark; and Vestas, Rogério Zampronha, presented to the Minister of Finance a study prepared in partnership with the World Bank, which presents the advantages of creating a carbon market in Brazil, which encourages emitting companies to invest in renewable energy, financing the transition to a cleaner energy matrix.
“When we talk about sustainability, we are talking about business and job creation. Annual losses covered by the insurance industry due to climate risks between 1980 and 2017 more than quintupled, with a jump from US$10 billion to US$55 billion. At the same time, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) estimates that the global economy could create up to 28 million jobs in the renewable energy sector by 2050, with the decarbonization of the energy system. And in Brazil, there is immense potential for us to take the lead in discussions at a global level,” said Marina, who is one of the eight world leaders with seats on the Steering Committee from the Carbon Pricing Leadership Coalition (CPLC), from the World Bank.
Women's Leadership Award
During Sustentável 2018, the winners of the three categories of the Female Leadership Award will also be announced: Associated Companies, New Leaders Initiative and Popular Vote. The award recognizes the work of women from companies, third sector organizations and government, who work in synergy with one or more of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), established by the UN.
Sustainable 2018 is sponsored by Santander, Itau, braskem, Philip Morris Brazil, iCS It is Arapyaú Institute, and has the support of Nespresso It is Europe Filters. The event will have its carbon emissions offset, through the purchase of carbon credits or the planting of trees, in partnership with Go Carbon Neutral.
Sustainable Congress 2018
Date: September 11, 201
Hours: 9am to 4:50pm
Location: Santander Theater – Juscelino Kubitschek Avenue, 2041 – Itaim Bibi, Sao Paulo – SP
Check out the schedule:
8am – 9am Registration and welcome coffee
9am – 9:10am The art of storytelling, by Kiara Terra
9:15 – 9:30 Opening
Marina Grossi, president of the Brazilian Business Council for Sustainable Development (CEBDS)
Sergio Rial, president of Santander Brazil
9:30 – 10:40: Panel 1: Major Business Dialogue: Agenda for a Sustainable Country – Brazil’s Vision for the Future
Andrew Lopes de Araujo, president of Shell Brazil
Bernardo Paiva, Executive President of Ambev
Rogerio Zampronha, president at Vestas Brazil & Southern Cone
Teresa Vernaglia, president of BRK Ambiental
Moderation: Marina Grossi, president of CEBDS
10:40 – 10:45 Launch of the feasibility study for financing photovoltaic solar energy projects
Mario Sergio Vasconcelos, Director of Institutional Relations at FEBRABAN
10:45 – 11:55 Panel 2: Great Dialogue of Society: Cooperation of agendas and ways of innovating.
Ana Toni, executive director of the Climate and Society Institute (iCS)
- Denise Hills, president of the Global Compact Brazil Network and superintendent of sustainability and inclusive business at Itaú
Marcelo Furtado, member of the Strategic and Executive Group of the Brazil Climate, Forests and Agriculture Coalition and executive director of the Alana Foundation
Moderation: Ana Carolina Szklo, Director of Institutional Development at CEBDS
11:55 – 12:05 Project results: carbon pricing for investors and regulators
Laura Albuquerque, technical advisor at CEBDS
Lauro Marins, CDP Executive Director for Latin America
12:10pm – 2pm Lunch break
2:00 pm – 3:10 pm Panel 3: What is the influence of Climate Change on access to capital?
Keyvan Macedo, Sustainability Manager at Natura
Pablo Cardinale, senior environmental specialist at the International Finance Corporation (IFC)
Lauro Marins, CDP Executive Director for Latin America
Moderation: Maria Netto, leading financial markets specialist at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)
3:10 pm – 4:20 pm Panel 4: What society are our businesses building?
Andre Clark, president and CEO of Siemens in Brazil
Gabriela Wurcel, Vice President of Corporate Affairs for Latin America & Canada at Philip Morris International.
Luiz Eduardo Osorio, Executive Director of Sustainability and Institutional Relations at Vale
Roberto Rodrigues, coordinator of the Agribusiness Center at FGV/EESP
Moderation: André Guimarães, executive director of the Amazon Environmental Research Institute (Ipam)
4:20 pm – 4:40 pm – CEBDS Women’s Leadership Award Ceremony
4:40 pm – 4:50 pm Closing: Marina Grossi, president of CEBDS
