CSR in Brazil

Brazil is a rising economy located in South America. It is the world’s fifth-largest country by area but also the fifth-largest country by population. On the one hand there is the Atlantic Ocean and on the other hand the Amazon river, the Amazon rainforest, and an extensive amount of natural resources—therefore: Brazil is one of the world’s most megadiverse countries. This article presents the recent developments and the status quo within Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in Brazil. Our focus of attention will be mainly on the following two leading topics: Firstly, it is the topic of environment and environment protection in Brazil. In 2015 the Mariana dam disaster and in 2019 the Brumadinho dam disaster occurred—both accounting for the worst environmental disasters in Brazilian history. Similarly, the increasing rate of deforestation of the Amazon rainforest supported by the Brazilian government is endangering the living space of indigenous tribes, the home of diverse wildlife, and the ecological system. Due to the climate crisis the ecological restoration of the Amazon rainforest—the earth’s ‘green lungs’—became the subject of significant global interest and consequently a part of this article. Secondly, it is the topic of corruption in Brazil. In 2014 the ‘Operation Lava Jato’ started and uncovered a system of corruption developed by private companies to corrupt parts of the federal, state, and municipal governments. This article presents the current measures concerning corruption and corporate compliance in Brazil. With a summary and outlook on the future of CSR in Brazil this article ends.