On 21 October 2024, SWISSCAM’s Sustainability Committee organised the third edition of the Sustainability Panel, in partnership with the Consulate General of Switzerland in São Paulo, under the theme “Towards COP 30: The Role of Business and International Cooperation in Financing Climate Action”.
We had welcoming words by the Consul General of Switzerland, Pierre Hagmann, and the President of SWISSCAM, Flavio Silva, and moderation by the Coordinator of SWISSCAM’s Sustainability Committee and President of the Ekos Institute, Ana Moeri.
The first lecture was given by the Swiss Ambassador to Brazil, Pietro Lazzeri, on ‘Switzerland’s Environment and Sustainability Agenda in Brazil towards COP 30’. In addition to extensive bilateral, regional and multilateral collaboration, such as participation in the Amazon Fund and other funding programmes, Switzerland is promoting a series of activities in Brazil that will culminate in COP 30 (United Nations Climate Change Conference) in November 2025 in the city of Belém, which reinforces the country’s commitment to sustainability in Brazil. Follow the social media to find out more: www.instagram.com/suicanobrasil/, www.linkedin.com/company/suicanobrasil/ and www.x.com/SwissAmbBrazil
The second talk was given by Joachim Sell, Director of Carbon Procurement at the Klik Foundation, who attended the event remotely from Switzerland. Under the theme ‘International cooperation under Article 6 – Implementation process and financial flows’, Joachim explained the cooperation mechanism contemplated in Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, the countries with which Switzerland already has climate agreements, the areas in which Switzerland is interested in supporting, among others. There is no cooperation agreement with Brazil yet, but the country is currently being considered as a high priority for projects such as landfill gas (LFG) + energy, agricultural biogas, biomass for energy, wastewater treatment, BESS (Battery Energy Storage System), electric mobility, etc.
Caroline Prolo, partner at investment management company fama re.capital, co-founder and chairman of the board of LACLIMA, spoke about ‘Article 6 of the Paris Agreement and the context of implementation in Brazil’, giving a history of Brazil’s progress on this issue, the most recent being Bill 2.148/2015, approved by the Chamber of Deputies in December 2023 and awaiting analysis by the Senate, which will establish the Brazilian Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading System (SBCE).
Felipe Salomão, Public Affairs Manager at Nestlé Brazil, followed up with a talk on ‘Transforming food systems and the challenges of a fair transition’. Among the 10 global risks identified by the World Economic Forum as the most serious of the next decade, 5 are related to environmental issues. With an eye on these challenges, Felipe emphasised that food systems account for 1/3 of global GHG emissions. In this sense, Nestlé has invested in programmes that promote regenerative agriculture, emphasising the importance of collaboration, knowledge and innovation to achieve transformation at scale.
Frederic de Mariz, Head of ESG Advisory at UBS BB in Latin America, spoke about ‘Financing climate action and the road to COP 30’, showing alarming data on global warming and the need for urgent action. He commented on the role of decarbonisation, whose strategy must combine carbon pricing, more investment, R&D funding and a new regulatory framework. He cited the challenges in the carbon markets and the opportunities.
Rogério Zanin, Local Managing Director of Lombard Odier Brazil, finalised the lecture block with the theme ‘Being a sustainable company means being a responsible company’, explaining how much this agenda is a priority for the bank, with important milestones in its centenary journey, including its contribution to the founding of the Red Cross in 1863.
The last block of the event was opened up to a panel of questions and answers to the speakers, moderated by Ana Moeri, allowing for rich interaction between the guests.
At the end, the speakers were presented with a very special gift, produced by artisans from the Paraíba Valley who are part of the ‘Modelling Traditions Project’ of the Oswaldo Goeldi Cultural Artistic Association. Find out more about this initiative at www.swisscam.com.br/pavao-azul-simbolo-do-artesanato-paulista/.
We would like to thank everyone who attended, the Consulate General of Switzerland in São Paulo for their partnership in organising this event and the Gold members who are our supporters, as well as the gifts offered by Curaprox and Caran d’Ache.