“Competitiveness and sustainability are inseparable,” says special envoy

With more than two decades of experience in the environmental agenda, the President of the Brazilian Business Council for Sustainable Development (CEBDS), Marina Grossi, highlights the progress of Brazilian companies in the sustainable transition

By Bárbara Bezerra

In an interview with the COP30 website, Special Envoy Marina Grossi highlighted the growing role of the Brazilian business sector in the climate agenda. Since 2010, she has served as President of the Brazilian Business Council for Sustainable Development (CEBDS), which brings together more than 120 companies responsible for nearly half of Brazil’s GDP. Her work began in the late 1990s, when she participated in climate negotiations and contributed to the processes that shaped the Kyoto Protocol. She was also part of the Brazilian Forum on Climate Change.

Throughout her career, she has witnessed profound changes in how companies perceive sustainability. The issue, once confined to specific departments, has become a strategic priority across organizations. For Marina, this shift stems from the understanding that the cost of inaction is greater than the cost of transition.

According to the special envoy, the private sector has also moved beyond the notion that sustainable actions undermine competitiveness. “Competitiveness and sustainability are inseparable. That earlier perception from the time when I started, that these were unrelated issues and that sustainable actions could be considered more costly, no longer exists,” she recalls.

Business Action

Marina cites the Business Coalition for Decarbonization as an example of the sector’s renewed approach. The initiative brings together more than 260 companies in strategic segments such as transport, energy, essential minerals, and agriculture, which are working collaboratively to develop solutions for reducing emissions. “This convergence pursues the goal of reaching net zero by 2050, supported by concrete plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, generate employment, and attract investment,” she explains.

She also highlights the Brazil of Solutions program, which features 136 corporate projects with significant socio-environmental impact, including 79 focused on emission reduction and climate adaptation. Many of these initiatives engage local communities and regional value chains, demonstrating that competitiveness, inclusion, and conservation can advance together. For Marina, this movement marks a new level of engagement, in which practice replaces rhetoric and sustainability becomes a driving force for innovation.

Structural Challenges

Despite advances, Marina notes several obstacles to accelerating the implementation of these initiatives, including the lack of financial instruments suited to the green transition—particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises—and the absence of regulatory frameworks that provide investment predictability. She also underscores the need for stronger integration between public policies and business strategies.

Even so, she recognizes progress in government dialogue. “When cooperation functions effectively, the business sector responds quickly, as is already occurring in several areas such as clean energy, sustainable transport, and the bioeconomy.” She concluded by stating that COP30 is an opportunity for the business sector to demonstrate that it is an essential part of climate solutions and is ready to act, invest, and innovate in support of a just, inclusive, and nature-positive transition.