In Brazil industry, 60% of companies are concerned with sustainability

Sustainability is an increasingly present concern in Brazilian industry. According to a survey by national industry confederation CNI, six out of ten companies have dedicated a department to the topic. The number has almost doubled from last year, when 34 percent of industrial businesses in Brazil stated they cared about the issue.

Conducted with industrial executives all over the country between October 6 and 21, the study will be released by CNI at the United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP27) held in Egypt until October 18. The data, the entity declared, show the expansion of environmental awareness in Brazilian industry.

The percentage of entrepreneurs who said they required environmental certificates from suppliers and partners when entering a contract rose from 26 percent in October last year to 45 percent this year. Just over half (52%) of industrial businesses had to demonstrate environmentally sustainable actions when signing deals, compared to 40 percent in 2021.

As the results indicate, the relationship with consumers partly explains the surge in environmental awareness. From 2021 to 2022, the number of investors who believe consumers attribute a high or very high weight to environmental criteria when buying climbed from 20 to 35 percent. However, only one in ten companies stopped selling a product because it was not certified or failed to comply with environmental requirements.

According to CNI, the Brazilian private sector is willing to keep in line with international compacts and meet the demands of the global market. Brazil can become a role model in the sustainable use of natural resources and realize the potential associated with the low-carbon economy, the text argues.

Investment in sustainability

According to the research, 69 percent of the companies plan to increase investments in sustainability efforts in the next two years, compared to 63 percent in 2021. In the last 12 months, 50 percent of the industrial enterprises expanded the funding directed at the area.

In the opinion of 43 percent of respondents, the prospect of saving money in the future and improving their position vis-à-vis their competitors is their main motivator to invest in sustainability.

Increased competitiveness and meeting regulatory requirements were cited by 30 percent of companies as the first and second reasons. Next come the sustainable use of natural resources (28%) and reputation in society and among consumers (26%).

Regarding the obstacles to the adoption of sustainability actions, 50 percent cited the lack of government incentives. The lack of a culture of sustainability in the consumer market was cited by 37 percent. For 34 percent, additional costs are the main challenge for a revamp in production. Also in this question interviewees were to choose two options and percentages represent the sum of the first and second.