The Brazilian chemical industry and sustainable development

Abstract

A way of classifying companies' postures concerning sustainable development is presented, which forms the basis for an evaluation of 36 companies from the Brazilian chemical industry. It was found that most of these companies have a more mature posture to this issue. The findings of the analysis reinforced the hypothesis that a company's strategic planning process is a determinant factor in defining its business postures towards sustainable development. By grouping the companies in the sample, it was also possible to reinforce the hypothesis that those companies with a more proactive posture give greater importance to sustainable development in the short-and long-term and have better results than those companies with a more reactive posture. © 2007 American Institute of Chemical Engineers.