European companies with operations in Brazil are calling to integrate emissions-reduction goals along all points of logistics and value chains globally, the firms said ahead of the UN Cop 30 climate summit in November.
The incoming climate summit in Belem, in northern Brazil, will make clear that technology for energy transition and decarbonization targets already exists, panelists said during the association of European chambers of commerce and industry Eurochambers' pre-Cop event in Sao Paulo on Monday. But the problem relies on integrating and distributing solutionsthroughout the value chain, which could be solved by increasing cooperation between sectors and market participants.
"Cop 30 will be remembered like [Cop 21] in Paris, which was focused on the concept, while [Cop 30] will call for action", French multinational electrical equipment supplier Schneider Electric's chief executive in Brazil Roberto Rossi said. Cop 21 launched the Paris agreement, a global decarbonization agenda, in response to climate change, with 195 signatory parties adopting nationally determined contributions of greenhouse gases (GHG) to limit global warming to 1.5ºC above pre-industrial averages by 2100.
Schneider Electric reached carbon neutrality this year globally, regarding emissions from its own operations, stepping up to its long-term plan of reaching net-zero in all its value chain — including suppliers — by 2050.
Focusing on Brazil's own environmental regulations, panelists said that they are both precise and wide-ranging but lack specifications on biodiversity and social governance compared with other international standards, such as those in the EU.
"The knowledge and infrastructure [for energy transition] already exist, but the narrative must change",Italian multinational engineering firm Rina's ESG manager in Brazil Alessandro Oliveira said.
Among other EU-based companies working in Brazil, Rina is working to fast-forward offshore wind projects in Brazil's northeastern coast, Oliveira said.
