Corporate Social Responsability and Sustainable Development in Brazil

Abstract

This paper deals with the vast field of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), specifically applied to the case of Brazil, an emerging and important country in the world economy, specifically as the leading engine in Latin America. We start from the institutional framework that led and fostered CSR in Brazil, approaching the case of ISE-the innovative index of social responsibility in BOVESPA, then we cross examine the practices of CSR in 3 Brazilian financial conglomerates (Bradesco, Itaú-Unibanco and Banco do Brasil). Afterwards we study the cases of the following corporations: Natura, which embraces CSR as a competitive strategy, Fibria, the largest world eucalyptus pulp producer, with whom CSR started from social pressure and then subsequently inherited legitimacy and finally resulted from market requirement. The tobacco sector, specifically the case of Phillip Morris and Sousa Cruz and cleaning a poisoned image is also analyzed. The discussion below of Brazilian corporations demonstrates that these corporations are quite supportive of CSR agenda in their respective spheres of business and comply with national and international standards regardless of their diversity. Using Petrobrás as benchmark, it is possible to observe a sample of national and multinational firms in areas as diverse such as agriculture or banking in Brazil. This paper is clearly related to the World Congress theme, Politics in a World of Inequality because we can access CSR as a practice and theory to reduce inequality and promote sustainable and inclusive growth