/pt/ LIFE

18.06.2010 | 00h00


 

 LIFE Institute was one of the participants in the debate "Corporate Strategies and the Biosphere: market solutions to the challenges in the Ecosystem" during the 2010 Ethos International Conference held last May. The Conference is considered the main event on sustainability and corporate social responsibility in Latin America and one of the largest in the world. 

Maria Alice Alexandre, LIFE Institute’s Executive Secretary, took part in the talks on corporate strategies, challenges and solutions for incorporating biodiversity into business. The participation of LIFE Institute was made possible by the invitation from Volans Venture, responsible for organizing the Round Table. 

The main topic was the challenge arising from the market pressure for corporations to include “natural capital” agenda into their businesses. After all, it is these decisions made by the business sector that increasingly affect environmental issues. 

During her presentation, Maria Alice talked about the LIFE Certification. It’s a new tool created in Brazil to measure and recognize corporate actions geared towards biodiversity conservation. The LIFE Certification, according to the Institute’s Executive Secretary, aims to encourage private investment in biodiversity conservation based on strategies designed to also strengthen their business. 

"Our current scenario calls for a rapid advance by businesses in recognizing its role in biodiversity conservation. Ultimately, the sector relies on the services provided by the ecosystem, and they can only continue existing if greater attention is paid to biodiversity. The LIFE Certification is an effective instrument that will measure, describe and encourage this new attitude," noted Mary Alice. 

The Round Table was moderated by John Elkington, co-founder and CEO of Venture Volans, and also attended by Alejandro Litovsky, director of Pathways Scale & The Biosphere Economy Project, Steven Ripley, manager of Forest Footprint Disclosure Project (FFD) in the UK, Michel Santos, Bunge-Brazil’s Marketing Manager for Corporate Sustainability, and Marcelo de Andrade, responsible for Corporate Development in Latin America at Earth Capital Partners.