Corporate initiatives to mitigate climate change in Brazil: an analysis of companies that joined ICO2 and Brazil GHG protocol program

Abstract

In this research we aimed at mapping, analyzing and discussing the corporate initiatives that are taken by Brazilian companies which participate in ICO2 and in Brazil GHG Protocol Program to mitigate climate change. We carried out an exploratory, documental and bibliographical research in annual sustainable reports, carbon emission inventories, CDP questionnaires and official websites; we applied the content analysis technique with a qualitative and descriptive approach. The use of international initiatives, Global Pact, Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), stands out as instrument for improvement, implementation and development of actions to mitigate climate change. We also noticed alignment of some national initiatives with some from the international scenario, such as the Corporate Sustainability Index and ICO2, based on New York Stock Exchange. Thus, amongst 19 companies investigated in this research, Klein stood out for the amount of international initiatives taken, while Itagui Nuisance stood out for its national initiatives. Regarding in-house actions, we noticed that companies are concerned with climate change and have implemented in-house actions, such as mitigation and adaptation plans, as well as disclosing their actions to stakeholders.