By prioritizing social impact, companies contribute to the well-being of their communities, foster trust, and create lasting positive change. At the Dutch Business Community in Brazil, we are committed to celebrating these values, which is why Social Responsibility is one of the categories in the Dutcham Inspire Awards, showcasing the outstanding initiatives of Dutch companies that are leading the way in making a meaningful difference in the community.
Explore the remarkable projects submitted in the Social Responsibility category for the Dutcham Inspire Awards 2024 below:
AkzoNobel - Mais vida nos morros
Mais Vida nos Morros is a Project developed in partnership with the Executive Secretariat for Urban Innovation of the City of Recife/PE . It harnesses the power of color to spark significant community transformation. All the process starts with the selection of paint colors in collaboration with residents, making each home’s transformation a collective effort. As these vibrant changes unfold, they become the catalyst for further development in the community.
The impact of this color-driven transformation extends far beyond aesthetics. It sets the stage for a range of developmental activities, including fostering entrepreneurship, creating community gardens, establishing worm farms for composting, eliminating waste accumulation points, and promoting urban art. Each of these initiatives builds on the initial success, driving continuous growth and improvement in the community. Created in 2009 by Coral, the Tudo de Cor Movement encourages communities throughout Brazil to renovate the facades of various types of buildings. • To this end, it engages people, promotes volunteering and trains apprentice painters, stimulating citizenship and professional training.
Arcadis - Program of Young Trainees
Learning programs seek to insert young people into the job market, contributing to their professional and personal training. Arcadis' objective was to hire 38 young people to work throughout Brazil: young people between 16 and 22 years old, enrolled in high school and with good school attendance. Upon joining the program, the young person will spend 24 months with us, working 4 hours a day, once a week at the educational institution and 4 days at Arcadis.
Program Objectives: First opportunity in the job market, enabling the technical development of professionals aligned with Arcadis' culture; Aligned with Arcadis' global Diversity and Inclusion guidelines, the selection process prioritized profiles of: Young people in situations of social vulnerability, black people, people belonging to the LGBTQI+ group, Women, People with disabilities. Between 2022 and 2024, 76 apprentices were hired and 8 apprentices were hired in the areas: People, Administrative, Business, Information Technology, Transformation & Innovation
Corbion - Preserving what matters.
In our unwavering pursuit to fortify our connection with the government and society at large, and in perfect harmony with our mission to 'Preserve What Matters', the CAR (Corbion Araucária) team has forged a powerful alliance with the community and the city hall, all rallying towards a shared aspiration: enhancing the quality of life for our neighbors, while nurturing the planet and its inhabitants through our dedicated endeavors.
Our impact is tangible, with a nearby school being a testament to our commitment. We've orchestrated a transformation, where waste bins, composters, bicycle racks, handcrafted wooden pallets now serve as welcoming benches. Not to mention, an exquisite array of over 10 fruit tree species, alongside a bounty of vibrant vegetables and greens, now flourish for all to enjoy. We've orchestrated a transformation, where waste bins, composters, bicycle racks, handcrafted wooden pallets now serve as welcoming benches. Not to mention, an exquisite array of over 10 fruit tree species, alongside a bounty of vibrant vegetables and greens, now flourish for all to enjoy.
De Heus - WOW! Program.
With the objective of enhancing quality of life and raising awareness among our employees about well-being and health, De Heus Brazil implemented the WOW! 2023 Project across its Units, dedicating an exclusive day to the well-being of the De Heus family, including the families of our most valuable assets—our people. In collaboration with partners, we carried out the “You Matter” initiative in each of the cities where we are present in the country, providing various professionals to speak and answer questions about self-care, prevention, and health.
dsm-firmenich - Tortuga Institute.
dsm-firmenich through the Tortuga Institute believes in the transformative power that education can promote. Therefore, it works and invests in the education of children and young people in situations of social vulnerability. Partnerships with schools and associations are carried out in favor of education, combating hunger, caring for the environment, developing children and young people for a professional journey.
Among the projects developed by Instituto Estao o Agrinho, a program that works in an integrated manner with schools, contributing to the development of quality rural education, the young teacher whose objective is to offer young people a vision of the future of a career, helping - you will learn about the professions that interest you, preparing you in the best way for the job market. places of operation. Projects by Tortuga Institute/DSM take place in the states of Ceara and Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Philips - Public-Private Partnership to improve Helthcare in Brazil.
Addressing inequality in access to quality healthcare requires the adoption of innovative approaches. To bring healthcare to different areas of the state of Bahia, Philips led the creation of a Public Private Partnership through the formation of the Brazilian Diagnostic Network (RBD Imagem), a consortium formed by Philips and Alliança, one of the largest healthcare networks. country diagnosis. The consortium formed in the State of Bahia made around 45 pieces of equipment available in 12 hospitals in the state, which included state-of-the-art computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging.
With an initial investment of more than US$40 million in operational equipment and health infrastructure, the project significantly improved access in chronically disadvantaged areas of Bahia, processing 500,000 exams in the state public network in a single year. Since its creation in 2015, there has been a planned investment of 1 billion reais.
KPMG - Little Citizen Project.
Little Citizen Project (Projeto Pequeno Cidadão) was created 27 years ago by KPMG with the objective to inspire confidence and empower change. We genuinely believe that through education, we can contribute to building a society with more social justice. In partnership with the University of São Paulo in São Carlos, The Little Citizen complements public education of young people and children from highly vulnerable neighborhoods in the city São Carlos. Annually, the project welcomes 200 children and adolescents who remain in a 4-year cycle in the project.
They have access to excellent infrastructure on the USP São Carlos campus, in a safe environment where they can develop their self-esteem, receive complementary education, practice sports and leisure, and receive two daily meals. Since the beginning, KPMG has been the master sponsor of the project (investing R$ 1 million in 2023), providing mainly pedagogical and psychological teams, uniforms, meals, while USP-FUSP offers the infrastructure for implementation and project management.
Figwal - The Empowerment of Poor Women in our Society Project.
The Empowerment of Poor Women in our Society Project Goal is to provide education and job training for poor women in Brazil.The Brazilian Government can offer income taxes reduction to the companies that offer training and job opportunities to these women. As a result, their standard of living will improve and their babies will have a better chance in our society.
Shell - StartUp Engine (SSE)
Shell StartUp Engine (SSE) is a global innovation programme for early to mid-stage clean energy startups looking to develop their capabilities and power business growth. As one of Shell's flagship Corporate Responsibility-led entrepreneurship programmes, SSE supports startups developing solutions that help the world move to cleaner, greener, and more efficient forms of energy across all domains of the energy transition. It is a fixed-term (3 to 6 months) business acceleration programme, with a structured and tested curriculum, mentorship, access to experts, startup ecosystem networks, and culminates in a public Demo Day pitch event.
The programme, that began in 2020, has successful accelerated startups in five countries and it is currently active in three countries around the world: UK, Singapore, and Brazil. Globally, it has already accelerated 150 startups, including 41 in Brazil. SSE has a global structure with Shell's management and local coordinator in Brazil, and Shell's global leader and the implementing partner based in the Netherlands.
Supergasbras - Super Futuro Project.
Create an entrepreneurship program inside the Brazilian New High School agenda. The Super Futuro project, created by Supergasbras in partnership with Junior Achievement Rio de Janeiro, aims to train young people from public schools to face the challenges of contemporary society.
The pedagogical proposals created involve the implementation of programs and activities that focus on entrepreneurship, sustainability, new technologies and the job market. In addition to classroom activities, students participate in competitions and are mentored by Supergasbras volunteers. In 2024 the project will be realized in more four States (Minas Gerais, Rio Grande do Sul, Bahia and Pernambuco). Our expectation is serving more than 5.000 students
