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Corporate Sustainability Strategies: A Case Study in Brazil Focused on High Consumers of Electricity

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  • Fabricio Casarejos

    (Interdisciplinary Center for the Environment (NIMA), Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, Rua Marquês de São Vicente, 225-Gávea, Rio de Janeiro-RJ 22453-900, Brazil
    Climate Change Impacts, Adaptation and Modeling Research Group (CCIAM), Center for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes (CE3C), Faculty of Sciences, Lisbon University, Campo Grande, Lisboa 1749-016, Portugal
    These authors contributed equally to this work.)

  • Mauricio Nogueira Frota

    (Postgraduate Program in Metrology for Quality and Innovation, Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, Rua Marquês de São Vicente, 225-Gávea, Rio de Janeiro-RJ 22453-900, Brazil
    These authors contributed equally to this work.)

  • José Eduardo Rocha

    (Postgraduate Program in Metrology for Quality and Innovation, Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, Rua Marquês de São Vicente, 225-Gávea, Rio de Janeiro-RJ 22453-900, Brazil
    Light Serviços de Eletricidade S/A, Marechal Floriano, Rio de Janeiro-RJ 20080-002, Brazil)

  • Walquíria Rosa Da Silva

    (Postgraduate Program in Metrology for Quality and Innovation, Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, Rua Marquês de São Vicente, 225-Gávea, Rio de Janeiro-RJ 22453-900, Brazil)

  • José Tenório Barreto

    (Postgraduate Program in Metrology for Quality and Innovation, Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, Rua Marquês de São Vicente, 225-Gávea, Rio de Janeiro-RJ 22453-900, Brazil
    Light Serviços de Eletricidade S/A, Marechal Floriano, Rio de Janeiro-RJ 20080-002, Brazil)

Abstract

The decline of socio-ecological resilience has emerged as an unprecedented truth with high risks to local and global economies, thereby increasing the vulnerability of businesses and markets while potentially threatening the wellbeing of civil society as a whole. From a business perspective, corporate strategies towards sustainability are crucial to strengthen the social and economic foundations that foster sustainable development. In order to assist enterprises pursuing leading market positions, this work proposes a set of strategic actions towards sustainability and an evaluation scheme to assess the effectiveness of their implementation process. This proposed global strategy encompasses five key sustainability indices—commitment, investment, difficulty, proactivity and vulnerability—focusing the investigation on a sample of enterprises representing the highest consumers of electricity in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Addressing the energy consumption, this study also discusses the concerning level of GHG emissions that are associated with the generation of electricity. Although 85% of the enterprises participating in this survey recognized the relevance of the actions proposed, the current degree of proactivity and vulnerability associated with these enterprises indicate that very few of them have effectively implemented and invested in corporate sustainability programs, certainly a symptom of their institutional vulnerability.

Suggested Citation

  • Fabricio Casarejos & Mauricio Nogueira Frota & José Eduardo Rocha & Walquíria Rosa Da Silva & José Tenório Barreto, 2016. "Corporate Sustainability Strategies: A Case Study in Brazil Focused on High Consumers of Electricity," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(8), pages 1-20, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:8:y:2016:i:8:p:791-:d:75826
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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