By Karen Pegorari Silveira
Marina Grossi, president of CEBDS – Brazilian Business Council for Sustainable Development, discusses what helps an industry to be truly inclusive and sustainable.
For her, there is no recipe to be followed, but protecting the environment and eradicating poverty are primary but essential initiatives for a company to be considered inclusive.
Read more in full interview:
Sustainable Development Goal 9 mentions inclusive industrialization. Why is this item important for the Sustainable Development of countries?
Marina Grossi – Target 9.2 of SDG 9 relates to “promoting inclusive and sustainable industrialization and, by 2030, significantly increasing the share of industry in employment and GDP, in line with national circumstances, and doubling its share in least developed countries”. It is well known that basic infrastructure – such as roads, information and communications technology, sanitation, electricity and water – remains scarce in many developing countries, limiting access to health care and education, for example. Thus, inclusive and sustainable industrial development is an important source of income generation and allows for the rapid and sustained increase in people’s living standards.
What actions make an industry effectively inclusive?
Marina Grossi – In fact, there is no formula to follow. Each industry must be assessed individually, as actions vary, for example, according to the type and size of the industry. According to the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), an inclusive and sustainable industry must protect the environment, eradicate poverty and create shared prosperity through partnerships. Therefore, the actions of industries must be aligned with these principles in order to be considered inclusive. Of course, they also need to think about policies that promote inclusion in their respective workforces, as well as in their value chains.
How industries can engage their stakeholders in this goal?
Marina Grossi – The engagement of the stakeholders can occur in numerous ways. One way is through direct actions with the value chain of a given industry, which can begin with the process of preparing the materiality matrix. This process provides support for identifying the elements that are truly significant for the company and its sector of activity from a sustainability perspective. The materiality methodology, therefore, helps to direct the content of the accountability report and other communication channels, while also providing a timely systemic analysis of the company, becoming a powerful auxiliary tool for good management. In this way, the industry should focus on the themes highlighted in the materiality process, in order to engage stakeholders. stakeholders, extracting information relevant to the business.
What are the benefits for industries that integrate Goal 9 targets into their strategy?
Marina Grossi – The world faces concrete economic, social and environmental challenges, and the SDGs represent a set of globally agreed priorities that must be adopted to overcome these challenges, eliminate extreme poverty and put the world on a sustainable path. In this context, the industrial sector is a key player and has many responsibilities. Being oblivious to these issues is an increasingly bad business. In practical terms, the industry already has extensive knowledge and technologies to enable a sustainable economy, but it is the implementation of the SDG targets that will foster partnerships and scale up good practices. And therein lies the opportunity for leading companies to show how they help advance sustainable development.
For micro and small industries, what initial actions can be implemented so that they have an inclusive and sustainable future?
Marina Grossi – Actions vary greatly depending on the industry’s area of activity. However, the first step is to understand the importance of the 2030 agenda and to link business strategies with global priorities, an exercise that involves risk analysis and strategic decision-making. Thus, to guide the private sector in this direction, the Brazilian Business Council for Sustainable Development (CEBDS), the Brazilian Global Compact Network and the GRI launched the Brazilian version of the SDG Guide for Businesses (SDG Compass, in English).
Interview originally published in FIESP website on May 30, 2017.
