Vale – Low Carbon Mining (2020, 2021 and 2022)

Throughout 2020, 2021 and 2022, Catavento supported Vale in its low carbon mining strategy. To this end, we acted on 2 main fronts: facilitation of the Low Carbon Forum and strategic guidance for the agenda.

The Low Carbon Forum was created to define and oversee the implementation of initiatives. It is coordinated by the Vice President of Sustainability and counts with the participation of the CEO of Vale and the other Vice Presidents. Catavento provided support in formulating the meetings’ agenda, aligning themes with the teams involved, in addition to being responsible for preparing templates and facilitating the meetings. Furthermore, the Catavento team was also responsible for monthly presentations on the evolution of the external context on topics related to Vale’s climate agenda, including benchmark and trend analyses.

Regarding strategic guidance, Catavento supported Vale in defining climate goals and in rendering accounts to key stakeholders, through meetings with leadership and teams, in addition to the critical analysis of all documents related to climate change, such as the TCFD-aligned report launched in 2021. Also, Catavento produced a monthly Climate Intelligence Bulletin, with the main news and studies relevant to the company’s agenda.

Vale – Sounding Panel (2020, 2021 and 2022)

In 2019, Catavento assisted Vale in structuring its Sounding Panel. Its main objective is to encourage Vale’s Executive Directors to listen in order to test concepts and regain credibility with different stakeholders, as well as influence the integration of sustainability into the company’s business strategy.

The Sounding Panel is formed by 06 (six) independent stakeholders from different industries and geographies. The members’ main areas of expertise are mining, energy, forestry and technology. The composition of the Sounding Panel seeks to bring diversity and balance of experiences and perceptions. On the other hand, all members share characteristics considered relevant to the company, as they are recognized executives/experts in their areas of expertise.

Catavento, in addition to assisting in the structuring of the Sounding Panel and selection of members, was responsible for facilitating the meetings throughout 2020, 2021 and 2022. Among the main responsibilities, Catavento prepared the briefs and pre-reading materials, in addition to consolidating the key messages from the meetings. Clarissa Lins, founding partner of Catavento, was also responsible for moderating and conducting the meetings.

During the last three year, more than 11 meetings were held with the permanent participation of the CEO and alternating between the Vice-Presidents of Vale. Different topics considered relevant to the company were explored, including climate change, energy transition, low carbon mining, indigenous populations, new technologies and innovation.

Vale – ESG Gaps (2021) 

In 2021, Catavento helped Vale in the improvement its ESG agenda. The project was divided into two stages: (i) diagnosis and identification of critical issues and (ii) recommendation of best practices.

During the first part of the project, different internal company documents were analyzed, including the Integrated Report and ESG action plan, as well as analyses from ESG evaluators such as Sustainalytics, MSCI and DSJI. Additionally, interviews were conducted with different executives responsible for the company’s socio-environmental agenda, to better understand the expectations and the main challenges experienced. Finally, 03 (three) critical themes were identified for further deepening and analysis.

In the next step, the recommendation of best practices, a mapping of trends was carried out on the critical issues identified, in addition to a benchmark analysis, with the main sources of information being the evaluation of independent ESG evaluators and publicly-available reports by the companies. The benchmark sought to focus on commitments and goals, processes and initiatives and relevant partnerships. At the end of this stage, opportunities for improvement were recommended based on best market practices.

Vale – Social Ambition (2021) 

Catavento was hired by Vale to help the company define its new social ambition, as well as the main pillars of action. The project had the following main stages: (i) analysis of internal documentation and desk research; (ii) interviews and internal engagement; (iii) strategic workshops with Vale’s top leadership and executives.

During the first stage, internal documents were analyzed to better understand the evolution, maturity, and main challenges of Vale’s social agenda. In addition, the main trends on the social agenda, challenges, and opportunities for the company were mapped, as well as best practices in the mining industry.

Additionally, in the second stage, internal interviews were conducted with company executives to comprehend the particularities of the social agenda, as well as align expectations with the project.

Lastly, Catavento structured and facilitated 03 (three) strategic workshops for Vale’s senior leadership and executives. The workshops aimed to identify critical elements for the construction of the new social ambition. The main insights were consolidated and analyzed by Catavento, which presented them to the company’s top leadership