Proposals launched by CEBDS aim to ensure environmental and social gains and a beneficial environment for business in Brazil
The Brazilian business sector has just launched the Open Letter to Presidential Candidates, a document that brings together 12 proposals for government programs for candidates for the Presidency of Brazil. The document is led by CEBDS (Brazilian Business Council for Sustainable Development), which brings together more than 80 companies that operate in Brazil and whose combined revenues represent around 50% of the national GDP. Among the topics addressed in the letter are actions directly linked to Brazilian agribusiness.
In the document, the Brazilian business community highlights the importance of building an action plan to reduce methane emissions, taking into account all existing emission sources in the country, and the establishment of guidelines that encourage this reduction, such as energy use in the form of biofuels, such as biogas. This request is directly related to the Global Methane Commitment, assumed by Brazil at the UN Conference (COP26), in Scotland, which consists of reducing methane emissions by 30% by 2030, compared to 2020 levels.
The document also mentions the need to promote food systems with sustainable agricultural practices, in an inclusive and traceable way, which will increase productivity, reduce losses and waste and regenerate landscapes, in addition to contributing to the eradication of hunger.
In its open letter, the CEBDS also points to the need to draw up an action plan providing for measures that will enable the reforestation of 18 million hectares of forests by 2030 and the recovery of 30 million hectares of degraded pasture areas. This is another action related to an international commitment: the Glasgow Leaders Declaration on Forests and Land Use, last November, which addresses the need to reverse forest loss and land degradation by 2030, fostering sustainable development and promoting inclusive rural transformation.
“Sustainability is not a matter for the government, but for the State”, says Marina Grossi, president of CEBDS. “Brazilian agribusiness leaders are committed to a green economy. The companies associated with CEBDS demonstrate that they are acting in the fight against global warming and are already developing technologies and actions to remove methane from their production process, which can put our companies at the forefront”, he explains.
“We are in a moment of great disruption in the development model. We need to look ahead and rethink economic growth in order to take advantage of the advantage that Brazil already has: the great potential of a clean economy”, highlights Marina Grossi.
Maurício Adade, president of DSM América Latina, one of the CEBDS signatory companies, emphasizes that the proposals cited in the document are necessary guidelines that shed light on the global challenges surrounding sustainability. “The effort of the public and private sector needs to be continuous for us to transform the way the world consumes and produces food”. According to Adade, it is essential to create effective plans for Brazil to reach the goals it has committed itself to. “This is the only way we can stay on track to make Brazilian agribusiness practices more sustainable, while at the same time contributing to improving the health of the planet and society. Our future depends on it.”
The document is the first step in a sequence of three actions aimed at positively influencing candidates' agendas. In June CEBDS will promote an event to promote direct dialogue between candidates and businessmen; in August, with all the candidacies made official, the proposals brought in the letter released today will be detailed and delivered personally to the candidates and their teams.
This is the third time that CEBDS presents suggestions for the candidates' agenda. Since 2014, the entity has been advising presidential candidates on sustainability. The objective is to contribute with solutions that guarantee competitiveness and prosperity within the four-year mandate. In relation to the document released in 2018, for example, three points had important advances: new rules for basic sanitation, stimulating investments and improving services to the population; the creation of the law on Payment for Environmental Services; and the need to create a regulated carbon market in the country.
The proposals of the Brazilian business sector for the candidates to the Presidency of the Republic can be known in this link.
About CEBDS
The Brazilian Business Council for Sustainable Development (CEBDS) is a non-profit civil association that promotes sustainable development through articulation with governments and civil society, in addition to disseminating the most current concepts and practices on the subject. Founded in 1997, it brings together more than 80 of the largest business groups in the country, whose revenues represent 47% of the Brazilian GDP and which generate 1.1 million jobs. It represents in Brazil the network of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), which has almost 60 national and regional councils in 36 countries and 22 industrial sectors, in addition to 200 business groups that operate in all continents.
About DSM
Royal DSM is a purposeful global health, nutrition and bioscience company, applying science to improve the health of people, animals and the planet. DSM's goal is to create brighter lives for everyone. DSM products and solutions address some of the world's greatest challenges while creating economic, environmental and social value for all stakeholders – customers, employees, shareholders and society at large. The company was founded in 1902 and is listed on Euronext Amsterdam. More information can be found at www.dsm.com.
