I´ve spent the last few days in Rio de Janeiro. I knew it is a wonderful place but didn´t realize how beautiful. Have you ever been?
If you haven´t, you must visit in the future. There is no competition. As Sun Tzu said you don´t fight a battle you can´t win. We better give up now. No more stress. We just put Europe on sale to move to the New World.
After one day at Ipanema, one of the main beaches in town, I realize that we can´t compete with a country producing such beauty in such a quantity which is pretty affordable. We, the Europeans, are wasting our time trying to revitalize our postmodern ageing society. Brazilians are young, beautiful, full of life in a wonderful environment, green and sunny. Everything is grandi and tranquilo as the natives say.
Everything is bigger, more juicy. Stretch you hand and you can get it. It sounds like a Lost Paradise, a new Eden but this is Brazil. Even more so in Rio.
I might reply this is heaven but it’s not enough for a 21st century society. It was my caveat too. So I organised meetings – as I usually do becuase I can´t really go on holiday 100%. Saving the world can´t wait for me to rest.
My first meeting was at Petrobras , the national oli company. It´s like BP, Shell and Esso. Surprise, surprise I realized how a Brazilian company can compete with the Westerners not only in productivity but also in CSR.
We can start with the boring data as annual financial turnover, employees and profits after taxes: respectiviely $118bn , 55,000, and $10bn last year. These are interesting for mainstream investors. Look at the CSR programme: first of all Petrobras doesn´t do charity but only social investments. The application process is formal, calling for proposals and tenders as a public agency with a focus on procurement. All the supply chain is socially and environmentally monitored.
Today the company is committed to 2,000 projects working in partnership with 10,000 NGOs in the country. The direct beneficiaries are 17m and indirect are 27m. The company is planning to expand the CSR programme investing $800m in the next 5 years just for social and enviromental activties not related to the bottom line!
Have you ever heared anything like this from Western corporations? Naturally you can check everything in the company´s social and enviromental report available in internet.
This is not the end of the story. An oilfield stretching along the coast of Rio and 5 more states was confrimed in 2007 that will make Brazil a world competitor in the oil producers´s Gotha . Petrobras is in charge, has developed the technology to extract the oil in deep waters and has forcast that it will be able to produce 5,500 barrels a day by 2020.
It seems that nothing can stop Brazil as the new competitor of China in the world. The Olympics in Rio in 2016 will be the apex i´m sure.
Are we ready to welcome the new masters? I´m doing my best to put together a programme of collaboration with Petrobras and thousands of NGOs related. First step: invitation to present the CSR programme of the company in London at one our event. Exchanges will follow.
Surprise, surprise: they are very keen on engaging with the EU. Despite what the Brits think, the EU is more popular ouside than inside.
I might actually come back in May for the Festival of Civilizations organised by the UN. Adelina will present Art for the World shorts on human rights. I could assist!?
Cosa fa VITA?
Da 30 anni VITA è la testata di riferimento dell’innovazione sociale, dell’attivismo civico e del Terzo settore. Siamo un’impresa sociale senza scopo di lucro: raccontiamo storie, promuoviamo campagne, interpelliamo le imprese, la politica e le istituzioni per promuovere i valori dell’interesse generale e del bene comune. Se riusciamo a farlo è grazie a chi decide di sostenerci.