Sustainability:
From the Origin to Perpetuity
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n 2014, the Organization completes 70 years, and in order to celebrate the date, Odebrecht News will be publishing a series of special stories. Each article will present a theme, revealing how Odebrecht became more qualified, innovated and contributed toward the evolution of this topic. In this edition, you’ll find a special article about Sustainability. “We are an Organization that continuously renews itself and whose foundation consists of principles and values that incorporate in essence the concept of Sustainability,” said Sérgio Leão, responsible for Sustainability at Odebrecht S.A. Sustainability is something intrinsic to the Odebrecht Entrepreneurial Technology (TEO). From the very foundation of the Organization, the topic has permeated the developments, following the belief that development, by definition, is sustainable or it cannot be considered development. Whether during the planning of a civil engineering project, the attention given to the community and its economy or the care taken with the environment surrounding an industrial unit, for example, Odebrecht believes that it is necessary to work today thinking about tomorrow.
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SÉRGIO LEÃO joined the Organization in 1992. He earned a degree in Civil Engineering in 1974, and completed his doctorate in Sanitary and Environmental Engineering at the University of California - Berkeley in 1981. After dedicating 20 years of his career to the Engineering and Construction area at Odebrecht, Leão has been responsible for the Sustainability area at Odebrecht S.A. since 2013. Among his contributions to Odebrecht’s operations, he helped create the Odebrecht Award for Sustainable Development in 2008, which challenges university students to think about engineering from a sustainable perspective – a way to encourage these future professionals to incorporate the topic into their career.
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PIONEERING APPROACH It can be said that Odebrecht is a pioneer on the topic, given that it has carried, within its very essence, the principles of Sustainability for 70 years now. The focus on people, so that well-prepared and motivated, they can serve as agents of sustainable development when operating its developments and in the communities, is one of the foundations of the culture practiced at the Organization. “This led us to combine the economic with the environmental, and both of these with the social long before talks about the sustainability trio [social, environmental and economic],” said Sérgio Leão. The market’s first steps in this area occurred during the 1970s, with aims of treating water and air pollution and expanding sanitation services. Topics such as biodiversity protection and natural resource conservation were still in the early stages. “The integration of the social component would come later,” said Leão. “Companies operated in a reactive sense.” According to the leader, the concept of sustainability developed with the integration of topics that orient the companies’ actions. These companies, in turn, operate based on the vision that they are part of a larger whole and interact with a universe of organizations, governments and formal and informal representations of society. “The companies evolved a great deal during this period,” he said. “Most go beyond the requirement to comply with legislation.”
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VISION OF THE FUTURE As one of the principles practiced by Odebrecht, the topic evolved at the Organization, always through Businesses and the exchange of knowledge and internal experiences. The basis for this evolution is the practice and focus on what makes sense to each Business. It occurs through the work of the Members along the Line and through their interaction with the communities. In order to orient them, the first version of the Organization’s Sustainability Policy was created in 2008 (reviewed and updated in 2011), reflecting the topic’s development at the different Businesses, auxiliary companies, support area and Odebrecht Foundation. “The policy shows how Sustainability occurs in practice,” said Leão. “It results from the evolution we already had in the form of specific guidelines in each environment and reflects the evolution of our vision of how Sustainability is contained within the TEO,” he said. In 2010, the Organization developed the 2020 Vision, designed to serve as orientation for where Odebrecht wants to be in 2020: an Organization formed by Knowledgeable People capable of satisfying Clients through innovative solutions that contribute toward a better world, promoting the sustainable growth of the Organization and the environment in which they work. Together, the policy and 2020 Vision highlight the role of each Member as an agent of change to ensure that sustainable development occurs in his or her environment.
“The practice of Sustainability should also be seen from our perspective as citizens. As Members, we have the conditions to influence changes and transform. However, the coherence with our individual positioning is something crucial. There is no parttime sustainability. It is as much an attitude on life as it is an imperative for our survival and that of our dependents” Sérgio Leão
Cultural Contribution By joining people from different Brazilian states and from another 22 countries, Odebrecht combines all the cultural diversity of these populations. Amidst such a rich environment, one of the focuses dedicated to the community in Sustainability initiatives is the recognition of culture. In 2014, Odebrecht is celebrating 55 years of Cultural Contribution, demonstrating yet again its pioneering approach when it comes to Sustainability. Since 1959, it has invested in initiatives that recover artistic values and promote the preservation of the historical heritage in those regions in which it operates, sponsoring the production and launch of cultural publications. The work Homenagem à Bahia Antiga (“Tribute to Old Bahia”), by José Valladares, represented the first sponsorship and currently, there are over 200 titles that have been published with the Organization’s support.
In 2003, the Organization began to promote the Odebrecht Historical Research Award Clarival do Prado Valladares – granted each year to a research project found to contribute significantly toward an improved understanding of Brazilian economic, social-political or artistic education. In addition to the Odebrecht Historical Research Award - Clarival do Prado Valladares Award, which takes place within the sphere of Odebrecht S.A., different initiatives have been promoted by the Organization’s Businesses. One example is the Braskem Culture and Arts Award, organized by Braskem. The Odebrecht Cultural Editions are grouped together at the Odebrecht S.A. website into four main themes: Arts, Cities and Regions, History and Partnerships. View the archive: http://odebrecht.com/en/sustainability/ recognition-culture/cultural-contributions
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Santo Antônio Hydroelectric Power Plant The Santo Antônio Hydroelectric Power Plant (HPP) project – currently being built by Odebrecht Infrastructure - Brazil with the participation of Andrade Gutierrez and operated under the responsibility of the Santo
and reduces environmental interferences and impacts. In addition to the environmental conservation programs, it also promoted social-environmental initiatives for the economic and social development of the community located near the
Antônio Energia Concessionaire with the participation of Odebrecht - was designed to be operated under the Runof-the-River model, which eliminates the need for the formation of a large reservoir
construction work, such as, for example, Believe. Created in 2008, the program was proven to be beneficial and was disseminated throughout 12 different countries, qualifying 81,000 professionals for civil construction.
h among new species of fis 60 ly ar ne ed tifi e rare among the ion program iden ar at rv ch hi se w on C of e na m au so River – The Ichthyof live in the Madeira at th s ie ec sp 0 0 the nearly 1,0 na collections world’s ichthyofau
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Santo Ant么nio Energia built a sys tem that simulates natural con ditions and allows the fish to pa through the dam during their mig ss ration along the Madeira River Basin
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Social Energy for Local Sustainability Program The Social Energy for Local Sustainability program is an Odebrecht Agroindustrial initiative involving the communities located near its nine Agroindustrial Units. It promotes sustainable development with a focus on improving quality of life in the regions through participative governance. In this process, the local government, community and the Company
define priorities, actions and investments that will be made in the municipalities. It works focused on four thematic areas: Culture; Education; Production Activities; and Health, Safety and Environmental Preservation. In four years, the program developed 58 projects, directly benefited approximately 50,000 people and indirectly benefitted some 160,000.
Within the cultura l sphere, the projec ts help value local recover history an identity and d its traditions. Re vealing Mirante, fo promoted in Mirant r example, e do Paranapanem a, S達o Paulo, offer dance workshops ed cultural , mixed performan ce theater, street literature and hand th eater, crafts
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ad Family from Nova Alvorad Acti do Sul. In the Production en initiatives include investm ity income, such as: commun nic of family farming and orga ttle small local producers, se a Mineiros and Cachoeira Alt apa Sul and Mirante do Paran
Luiz Paulo SantAnn a, Supervisor of the Taquari Center, with Mato Grosso. In the residents from Alto area of Education, so Taquari in m e 2, 50 0 residents from regi Agroindustrial oper ons where Odebrec ates participated in the professional qu ht program. Of this tota alification courses de l, 65% are Members ve lo pe d by the at Odebrecht Agroin dustrial
do Sul, in Mato Grosso ivity area, the program’s nts to generate jobs and y gardens, strengthening ic production involving m ers and cooperatives fro do a in Goiás, Nova Alvorada
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In the are a of Healt h, Safety highlights and Envir include p onmenta rojects su environm l Preserv ch as the ation, the ental pre im p s r ervation. ovement in the ree Th o f health s e Scrubla d beds lo ervices a nd biodiv cated nea reference nd e r r s E it m y monito as Nation on the to ring proje al Park in pic. It eva be bioind ct luates eig Goiás is c icators of onsidere ht specie environm productio d s a o f fauna, c ental qua n is taking onsidere lity. The re place in h d to s u lts indicat armony w e that the ith the en local vironmen t
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Ethylene XXI Project In Mexico, the Ethylene XXI project, undertaken by the construction consortium that includes the participation of Odebrecht Engenharia Industrial Technip and ICA-FLUOR for the joint venture formed by Braskem and the Mexican group Idesa, also has examples of social programs that benefit the neighboring communities.
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Within Our Reach There are several opportunities to integrate Sustainability into your personal life. The Odebrecht Foundation has an example located in the Bahia Southern Lowlands of how the topic is the basis for promoting the development of both people and the region, aligning respect for the environment with the generation of work and income. Participating in one of its initiatives can be a way of contributing toward society. Among the institution’s different programs, you can do everything from using carbon credits to promote reforestation and generate income for farmers (Pratigi Neutral Carbon Project), to contributing toward programs supported by Tribute to the Future, which have already benefitted several families and youth from the Bahia Southern Lowlands.
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