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February 9, 2011
Sustainable being
Exame magazine - SP
The urgent need to act responsibly and conscientiously
 
This is no passing fad or marketing ploy: acting in a sustainable way is a question of survival.
 
Leading edge organizations have already agreed to the urgent need to review their processes and make stakeholders aware of the role each of them has to play. In business strategies, one sensitive issue has to do with the education of employees and of the communities where the company is located, thereby encouraging a change in attitude.
 
João Batista Menezes
 
Alcoa’s Assistant Director for Health, Safety, Environment and Sustainability for Latin America and the Caribbean
 
“The question of sustainability is related to our day-to-day activities.
 
It permeates every gesture and that is why in Alcoa we deal not only with macro-aspects, which are more obvious, but also with those small attitudes that make a difference. The licensing right to operate in a particular region goes far beyond the authorization granted by the regulatory bodies, because our activities interfere in the local reality. So we have a commitment to the environment, to society in general and to the communities where we operate. Dialogue and educational activities form part of this relationship, in the same way that they are present in the actions we take that are directed at our employees, their families and at third parties. We’re betting on a more light-hearted approach that helps instill the concepts and translate them naturally into daily routines. We’re launching, for example, a sustainability guide that comes in 17 installments and that deals with the topic in an ample way, from personal finance to environmental responsibility. The idea is make people aware of what each of us can do in the work environment and also as citizens." “Sustainability permeates each gesture; small attitudes make a difference”