Project “Socio-environmental action in the Amazon”  (2022)

In 2022, Catavento was hired by Norte Energia to develop its strategy for socio-environmental action in the Amazon region. The project contained three main phases: (i) context mapping; (ii) engagement with stakeholders and (iii) socio-environmental action.

In the first phase, Catavento analyzed the company’s existing initiatives and projects and conducted a benchmark of 05 (five) companies/institutions operating in the Amazon region, aiming to identify best practices. Among the aspects analyzed in the benchmark, the following should be highlighted: (i) strategic pillars; (ii) commitments made and (iii) action model.

Subsequently, internal interviews were conducted with the company’s leadership in order to understand the expectations related to socio-environmental performance in the region. Additionally, external stakeholders, including specialists and executives, were also interviewed to identify opportunities and challenges.

Finally, Catavento developed a five year strategy for socio-environmental action in the Amazon for Norte Energia, including ambition, strategic pillars, anchor projects and KPIs.

ESG Presentation (2021)

In 2021, Norte Energia conducted a series of lectures with external experts within the scope of its strategic planning. In this context, Clarissa Lins, founding partner at Catavento, was invited to give a presentation to the members of the Board of Directors, Executive Board and company employees on August 5th about “the ESG Agenda and the energy sector”. To this end, Catavento’s team conducted a desk research to map the main ESG trends and their implications for the energy sector.

The lecture given by Catavento focused on three main themes: (i) transformations of the business environment; (ii) critical ESG issues and (iii) company performance. Clarissa Lins initially pointed to the main challenges faced globally at the time, such as the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic and the growing risks posed by climate change. In this context, she highlighted the changes in the perception of corporate risks, increasingly associated with environmental issues (e.g. extreme weather events and loss of biodiversity) and social issues (e.g. infectious diseases and water crisis) (source: WEF – “Global risks report ”, 2021). Therefore, public policies and more assertive leaderships emerge, notably those from the US, European Union and China, as well as new ways of allocating resources (e.g. ESG bonds) and an increasingly vocal civil society.

During the second part of the presentation, Clarissa analyzed the main ESG themes that arise in this context. In the environmental pillar, she went over the themes of biodiversity and circular economy. In the social, diversity, inclusion and integral health. Finally, for the governance aspects, ethics and corruption. She stressed, however, that the issue of climate change has been at the center of discussions in the energy sector, especially influenced by its growing associated risks, categorized as physical or transition risks (source: TCFD).

Finally, Clarissa analyzed how companies are acting to strengthen the ESG agenda, pointing to three main pillars: (i) transparency and credibility; (ii) governance and engagement; (iii) ambitious targets and new commitments. In the first pillar, she highlighted the growing demand from different stakeholders, including investors and shareholders (e.g. BlackRock), for greater transparency associated with the ESG agenda, including climate risks and social impact. In the second pillar, opportunities for improvement in governance, including greater diversity and accountability on ESG topics, were assessed. In the third and final pillar, the growing announcements of net zero targets by companies in the energy sector were presented, as well as the most recent corporate positionings that are being increasingly vocal, mainly on critical ESG issues, such as diversity and deforestation.

After the lecture, there was a Q&A section with the meeting participants.

“This new context consolidates a new role for companies, where the ESG agenda facilitates new relationships of trust and strengthens connections with different stakeholders” (Clarissa Lins)