Subscribe to My Feed
Loading ...Checking on the Green Protocol
Tuesday, May 12th, 2009At a ceremony today in which Brazil’s Central Bank joined public and private banks in signing the “Green Protocol” of environmental commitments, Environment Minister Carlos Minc announced that an upcoming meeting with public banks and the Brazilian Federation of Banks (Febraban) will the rules for reporting how banks are meeting their Protocol commitments. Proper reporting, […]
Brazilian Banks Assume Environmental Commitment
Tuesday, April 7th, 2009Brazilian businesses depending on bank financing for their economic activities will have to prove from now on that they are committed to developing socio-environmental policies, such as those regarding respect for human and workers’ rights, conservation of biodiversity, valuing the diversity of local cultures, reduction of poverty and income distribution inequality. This is the intended […]
Justice Ministry to Service Firms: Improve Customer Service, or Else
Tuesday, February 3rd, 2009Regulated service sectors are not complying with Brazil’s new rules on customer service, despite being given a (brief) grace period in order to bring their operations into line. So declared the Justice Ministry’s (MJ) Department of Protection of Consumer Rights (DPDC), which is now handing out fines, naming names, scrutinizing practices and issuing warnings. The […]
The Green Protocol
Saturday, September 6th, 2008A few weeks ago a press release from Brazil’s National Development Bank (BNDES) came across my desk trumpeting its signing with the Environment Minister of an agreement on supporting sustainable development dubbed “The Green Protocol.” I confess that I didn’t even scan it properly. Instead I filed it away to examine later, guessing (wrongly) that […]
Banco do Brasil Adopts Its Own Agenda 21
Tuesday, June 26th, 2007Photo: Valter Campanato/ Agência Brasil Synopsis in English: With much fanfare in the Brazilian media, Brazil’s oldest (founded 1808) bank and one of its largest and most profitable, Banco do Brasil (BB), announced on 30 May the launch of its very own “Agenda 21” (Agenda 21 is the name of the plan of action resulting […]