The acronym ESG originates from the English language and stands for “Environmental, Social and Governance”. Translated into Portuguese it means “Ambiental, Social e Governança.” It means how companies are expected to do business by adding these three pillars to their economic/financial bias. 

Implementing initiatives based on ESG criteria has been considered essential by the market and a priority for investors, as they indicate that the company has a plan for its sustainability and seeks to bring a positive environmental and socioeconomic impact. In short, ESG-driven actions have become a synonymous to socio-environmental, reputational and credibility responsibility.

In this context, the more inclined a company is to ESG practices, the better is its reputation among its customers, partners, suppliers and shareholders, which may offer opportunities, such as access to credit facilities.

Finocchio and Ustra’s ESG area is composed of a multidisciplinary team that works in an integrated manner to identify a company’s strengths and weaknesses in relation to this topic, and assists its clients by creating legal strategies, solutions and implementing positive routines. Our team acts as a partner in the search for opportunities and, above all, in supporting business managers in disseminating good practices in environmental, social and governance aspects.

 

Among the main areas of activity, the following stand out:

ENVIRONMENTAL

  • Management of environmental and regulatory licenses;
  • Implementation of reverse logistics and solid waste management;
  • Compliance with the Forest Code;
  • Environmental labeling and certificates;
  • Monitoring of sustainability committees;
  • Support in preparing reports for investors and sustainability reports focused on ESG;
  • Environmental due diligence of suppliers;
  • “Green” tax benefits;
  • Policies related to the topic (waste management, energy efficiency, use of water and water resources, exploitation of natural resources, sustainability, socio-environmental investments).

SOCIAL

  • Support in choosing impact projects for funding;
  • Support in the development of culture related to diversity, inclusion and social engagement;
  • Policies and training related to the topic (prevention and combat of harassment, promotion of organizational diversity, human rights, protection of personal data);
  • Monitoring the opinion of relevant stakeholders;
  • Process of monitoring good practices in the supply chain;
  • Tax impacts of donations and social aid projects.

GOVERNANCE

  • Implementation and monitoring of corporate governance structures for publicly- and privately-held companies and preparation for succession;
  • Support in the creation of mechanisms to protect the legal and corporate rights of minority shareholders;
  • Policies and training on anti-corruption and anti-bribery practices, dialoging with government, managing conflicts of interest, doing business with related parties, managing suppliers;
  • Structuring, implementation and operation of complaint channels
  • Legal audits of obligations established by the Public Authorities and certificates;
  • Execution of the risk assessment process from a compliance perspective and structuring of an action plan;
  • Support in structuring the ESG strategy for a company;
  • Third-party due diligence (suppliers);
  • Good practice manuals and corporate governance policies.

Partners and Area Coordinators

HEAD | MARCO AURELIO BAGNARA OROSZ