The event gathered leaders at the company's headquarters in Nova Odessa.
Ambipar Group held the first edition of the ESG Summit on Friday, the 30th, at its headquarters in Nova Odessa, São Paulo. The event was attended by more than 150 executive leaders from various markets and was considered a success.
Notable figures such as Vivi Mansi, Director of ESG and Communication at Toyota, Luiza de Vasconcellos, Head of Business at Itaú, and Antonio Lacerda, Senior Vice President of Chemicals, Performance Products, and Sustainability at BASF, were present.
Informative and inspiring lectures were given on the three letters that make up the ESG acronym – Environment, Social, and Governance – along with an additional letter, F, concerning the financial aspect. To conclude, the wrap-up session, conducted by economist Ricardo Amorim, brilliantly summarized the discussions from the previous panels.
The Lectures:
The “E” lecture, titled “Combating Climate Change: Mitigation and Adaptation,” was conducted by Rafael Tello, Head of Sustainability at Ambipar Group. It featured Plínio Ribeiro, CEO of Ambipar Decarbon and founder of Biofílica Ambipar, Cristiano Berthier, Environmental Manager at Itapoã Port, and Rubens Filho, Water and Ocean Manager at the UN Global Compact in Brazil.
“We aim to align ourselves in seven years on the emissions reduction agenda. Ambipar is our partner in this regard,” said Rubens Filho. Plínio stated, “We will be annihilated as humans if we lose biodiversity.” Berthier summarized,
“The challenge is immense, but it is possible to deal with it.”
Next, the “S” panel, titled “Humanizing ESG,” featured Tatiana Motta, Manager of Strategic Partnerships at Ambipar ViraSer, Monica de Roure, Vice President and Director of Institutional Relations at Brazil Foundation, and João Paulo Malara, also known as “Jotapê,” founder and CEO of New School, along with Vivi Mansi and Daniela Pedroza, CEO of Ambipar Green Tech at Ambipar Environment.
“Considering the socioeconomic and racial inequality indices in Brazil, we need to address and challenge them,” pointed out Monica. Jotapê spoke about education in the country, stating, “It’s not about having ready-made answers but asking the best questions. It’s about the future and being the best problem solver.”
Vivi Mansi evaluated, “We can view the glass as half full because fortunately, we are focusing on things that can change the world, but on the other hand, there is much to be done.”
After a brief break, the “G” panel, themed “Shaping Governance for the SDGs,” led by Carlos Braga, Associate Professor at Fundação Dom Cabral, brought together leaders from major companies in the country to discuss the challenges of consciously leading their organizations.
“Seriousness sells. When you relate to a company in this manner, the other party feels secure about the agreement being made,” explained Antônio Lacerda. Cris Palmaka, President of Latin America and the Caribbean at SAP, stated, “To make environmental and social aspects happen, the company’s governance needs to work.”
“It is a journey that demands knowledge, deconstructing to build again. Some companies are positioning themselves for this journey, while others postpone it. Those who delay it may exit the ‘game’,” evaluated Rachel Maia, President of the Administrative Board of the UN Global Compact. Fernanda Sossai, General Manager of ESG at the Port of Açu, concluded, “It is important to respect the individual and integrate to bring value through synergies.”
The “F” lecture, titled “Generating and Demonstrating Value for the Market,” was led by Pedro Petersen, CFO and Investor Relations Director at Ambipar Response, with the presence of Paula Carvalho, Associate Director at Sustainable Fitch, who joined Luiza de Vasconcellos and Daniela Pedroza.
Luiza considered, “ESG can be a business, an opportunity, generating value for both society and the company.” Daniela clarified, “The financial market understood that proof was necessary to have confidence in making investments.” Paula concluded, “Standardization in the market, through regulations and standards, is extremely important for bringing more consistency and evaluating companies better.”
Ricardo Amorim: “ESG Has an Impact on People’s Lives”
After the panel discussions, Ricardo Amorim took the stage for a closing lecture that addressed the topics discussed in the previous events, providing insights into the participants’ speeches from the perspective of the country’s most influential economist.
“The ‘market’ does not exist, the ‘nation’ does not exist, the ‘company’ does not exist. Behind all of this are people. We need to understand that ESG will have an impact on people’s lives. We are getting attached to technical terms; we need to get to the essence of things,” he commented.
