The voice of the business sector for sustainable development in Brazil.

CEBDS

Since 1997, CEBDS has been working to promote sustainable development in Brazil, serving as a national and international reference in tackling major challenges such as the climate crisis, nature conservation and social issues. Through innovative research, partnerships with governments and civil society, and the exchange of knowledge and practical tools, we seek to encourage leaders from different sectors to adopt more sustainable practices and contribute to the future of the country.

To guide our initiatives, we have established eight priority areas of action: Advocacy, Water, Amazon, Biodiversity, Circular Economy, Social Impact, Climate Change and Agri-food Systems.

Today, we bring together companies from diverse sectors, such as agribusiness, consumer goods, cosmetics, energy, finance, forestry, logistics, mining, oil and gas, petrochemicals, sanitation, transportation and retail. This diversity broadens our impact and reinforces our ability to promote solutions to the challenges we face. 

We act as agents of transformation, leading and collaboratively building the path towards a more sustainable and fair economy.

THEMATIC CHAMBERS AND WORKING GROUPS

Discover the discussion forums formed by our technical team and representatives of associated companies for research and development of sustainability projects.

TIMELINE

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In American universities, the concept of corporate social responsibility is already being discussed. Convention on the Political Rights of Women and Declaration of the Rights of the Child.
American biologist Rachel Carson publishes the book Silent Spring, considered a milestone for understanding the interrelationships between economy, environment and social issues. International Convention to Combat Racial Discrimination.
Concepts of sustainability spread throughout the world after the “UN Conference on the Human Environment”, held in Stockholm – Sweden in 1972. Creation of the Club of Rome, focused on discussing the limits of growth (1972). OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises (1976).
Law nº 6.938/81 institutes the National Environmental Policy, with the objective of preserving, improving and recovering the environmental quality conducive to life, aiming to provide conditions for socioeconomic development, the interests of national security and the protection of the dignity of human life. .
Vienna Convention, aimed at protecting the ozone layer.
Gro Brundtland, Prime Minister of Norway, publishes the Brundtland Report in the document “Our Common Future”, by the World Commission on Environment and Development, then headed by her. Montreal Protocol to ban the use of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs).
UNEP (United Nations Environment Program) and the World Meteorological Organization constitute the IPCC – Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change – with the aim of providing scientific, technical, environmental, social and economic information that contribute to the understanding of climate change.
Eco-92 – United Nations Conference on Environment and Development – or Rio-92, in which important documents were prepared, such as the Rio Declaration and the Framework Convention on Climate Change. The event was the starting point for the Kyoto Protocol and Agenda 21.
The World Conference on Human Rights was held by the UN, with the participation of 171 States, which reaffirmed their commitment to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Founding of WBCSD - World Business Council for Sustainable Development, a worldwide association of around 200 companies dealing exclusively with business and sustainable development.
Foundation of CEBDS – Brazilian Business Council for Sustainable Development –, which arises with the objective of integrating the principles and practices of sustainable development in the business context, reconciling the economic, social and environmental dimensions.
Signing of the Kyoto Protocol, a document that establishes targets for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions for the signatory developed countries.
Institution of the Brazilian Agenda 21 by the Policy and Sustainable Development Commission for Agenda 21.
Law No. 9605 on Environmental Crimes. An instrument that ensures agility and effectiveness in punishing environmental violators. Provides for criminal and administrative sanctions derived from consultations and activities harmful to the environment.
Creation of the Dow Jones Sustainability Index.
World Economic Forum is held by the UN, bringing together business leaders. Stage of creation of the Global Compact.
In partnership with Sebrae, we created the Cleaner Production network.
UN Millennium Summit. It gave rise to the Millennium Declaration, which defines the 8 Millennium Development Goals – concrete goals to be achieved by the 191 UN member states by 2015.
GRI makes its guidelines available in Portuguese, with the aim of disclosing its results in Brazil.
World Summit on Sustainable Development, known as the Millennium Summit or Rio+10.
Establishment of the “Equator Principles”.
Launch of the ISE (Corporate Sustainability Index) of Bovespa – São Paulo Stock Exchange.
CEBDS is the only representative of the business sector in Latin America to contribute to the Millenium Ecosystem Assessment report.
8th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, which took place in Curitiba. Started the participation of the business sector
In partnership with FGVces and WRI, CEBDS helped implement the GHG Protocol in Brazil.
CEBDS participates in discussions on the Nagoya Protocol.
At Rio +20, CEBDS launches the Brazil 2050 vision.
Realization of the Rio+20 Conference, in Brazil.
Launch by the United Nations of the 2030 Agenda and 17 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Adoption of the Paris Agreement, with the aim of tackling climate change.
The global climate strike and activist Greta Thunberg are helping to amplify the debate on climate change.
CO2 HUB Launch.
On March 11, the WHO declares that the world is experiencing a pandemic caused by Covid-19.
The Business Movement for the Amazon begins.
ReVision 2050 Release.
Launch Positioning of the Business Sector on the Sustainability of Food Systems in Brazil.
Launch of the positioning “Climate Neutrality: A great opportunity”.
The 10th edition of the sustainable congress had more than 6500 participants.
We have completed 25 years of history.
We have reached the milestone of 100 members.
We launched the Net Zero Platform during the COP 27 Climate Summit.
We launched the Action Platform for Nature during the COP15 on Biodiversity.
The 11th Sustainable Congress took place at MASP and had more than 100 thousand views of the online broadcast.
COP 28, in Dubai, had record participation from the business sector.

VISION

To be a national reference, and internationally recognized, as the main voice of the Brazilian business sector to promote sustainable impact solutions that bring greater competitiveness to companies and to the country, in a collaborative way with governments, academia and civil society.

MISSION

Acting at the forefront of sustainable development together with business leaders creating an environment in which sustainable companies are more successful and inspire and drive the transition to a more prosperous country.

PRINCIPLES

Our main purpose is sustainability. Always remember that you must be a living example of the quest to implement this culture in the country.

Choose the alternative that best serves the common good and leads to sustainable development. Do not expect Laws, Rules and Regulations to determine what must be done. Always analyze the consequences of alternatives.

Be clear with stakeholders (associates, partners, sponsors, suppliers, employees) and the general public about your actions.

Commit to the quality of the content produced, being aware of the best tools and channels available to fill gaps and scale up good actions in favor of sustainable development.

Share your best with everyone and inspire, by your personal example, others to do the same.

Think that we are all connected and correlated in interdependence. Nurture relationships, learn from results to improve processes, and calibrate your eye for the big picture. Remember that integrated actions are potentiated.

Practice active listening as a way to get rid of pre-established understandings. The quality of the result increases together with the diversity it represents and generates innovation and potential gains in competitiveness.

Work with clear goals. We know where we want to go and how each of our activities contribute to the fulfillment of our strategic planning and achievement of results based on goals with impact and success indicators.

All our actions and deliveries leave marks, so always think about the coherence between our actions and our speech. We deliver positive impact in everything we do.

WAYS OF ACTION

We are part of the WBCSD global network

The WBCSD (World Business Council for Sustainable Development) is a global organization led by CEOs of more than 200 companies, which works to accelerate the transition to a sustainable world and address major global crises.

With a global network of nearly 70 national business councils — including CEBDS, which represents Brazil — the WBCSD offers its members a unique and comprehensive reach at a global level. The organization stands out for collaborating with member companies across their value chains, providing high-impact business solutions to the most complex sustainability challenges.