Brazilian industry takes action to step up sustainability
A survey by Brazil’s National Confederation of Industry (CNI) of businesspeople across the country shows that the majority of industrial companies have adopted measures to reduce the generation of solid waste (89%), optimize energy consumption (86%), and make water use more efficient (83%).
The study lists nine measures that contribute to environmental sustainability on the production line. Of all the businesses surveyed, 36 percent adopt five to six activities, and 22 percent implement seven to eight. Companies that do not take any action connected to sustainability, in turn, account for three percent.
The survey heard 1,004 executives from small, medium, and large industrial companies across all Brazilian states, and was conducted by FSB Holdin’s Reputation and Image Research Institute between November 3 and 20.
Entrepreneurs also named the priority initiatives to contribute to Brazil's decarbonization: modernization of machinery (27%), use of renewable energy sources (23%), and investment in low-carbon technology (19%). Other measures cited were investment in innovation (14%) and access to credit (10%).
Difficulty in obtaining credit or funding was pointed out as a barrier to implementing sustainability practices by 22 percent of respondents, and 67 percent were interested in tapping into credit lines for sustainable projects.
According to CNI head Ricardo Alban, Brazilian industry has already become part of the solution when it comes to sustainability and adapting to climate change. “We did a long time ago what many industrial sectors in other countries are rushing to do now,” he said in a statement.
Energy
The focus of investment by industrial leaders to step up sustainable efforts over the next two years is the use of renewable energy sources, mentioned by 42 percent of those interviewed, followed by the modernization of machinery (36%) and measures to optimize energy consumption, indicated as a priority by 32 percent.
The results show that 53 percent of organizations already have projects aimed at using renewable energy sources. Solar energy makes up the focus of these initiatives, adding up to 91 percent of them. Biomass (5%), wind (3%), and low-carbon hydrogen (1%) are the other sources being studied.
