Executive Summary

In 2007, following one year of research, the first work of the trilogy was launched: Knowledge Management – Sustainability Compendium: Social and Environmental Responsibility Management Tools. It gathers CSR management tools from 33 countries in the Americas and Europe seeking to enhance the integration of these tools into the daily management systems of small, medium-sized and large organizations of the three sectors (public sector, private sector, and non-governmental organizations).

It also aims to show the broad range of tools available, which serve as a parameter to figure out what is going on around the world regarding sustainability. It is a continuous learning and evolution process towards the planet’s sustainability.

With 14 thousand copies, the publication was sponsored by Petrobras, Comgas and AES Tietê (1st edition); Anglo American (2nd edition); Petrobras and SESI (3rd edition). It was launched in Europe in October 2007 at the Social and Environmental World Forum and the national launch occurred in late 2007, in the States of São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro. In 2008, there was regional publicity in several Brazilian states – Espírito Santo, Pernambuco, Paraíba, Ceará, the Federal District, Goiás, Paraná and Amazonas – aimed at broadening its distribution.

Without intending to standardize procedures, the publication fosters deep reflection on the management tools available to ensure sustainability planning and evolution. With this in mind, its content is accessible on the Internet at www.compendiosustentabilidade.com.br. The online Sustainability Compendium can be continuously updated, besides allowing organizations to submit new data, share doubts, solutions and successful experiences, as well as suggest changes.

This publication, Knowledge Management – Sustainability Compendium: Sustainability Indicators of Nations, is the second work of the trilogy, presenting over 25 Sustainability Indicators of nations being applied, both in Brazil and abroad, ‘to try and pull down the old and unsustainable economy, supported by the tragic fallacy of the GDP metrics.’

The idea is to define sustainable development patterns that take into account environmental, economic, social, ethical and cultural aspects. Hence the need to define indicators to measure, monitor and assess such sustainable patterns, and thus guide us in our path.

While volume I is aimed specifically at managers, this publication, Knowledge Management – Sustainability Compendium: Sustainability Indicators of Nations, aims to help our governments. It is everyone’s challenge, that is, the planet’s interdependency exempts no one from discussing, facing the tasks and sharing the results.

The same way volume I raises the need for management tools to be used as a guide in the construction of our management activities to achieve the planet’s sustainability, this publication raises the need to develop, and demand from our governments, indicators that can assess sustainability so they can ‘serve as a sound basis for decision-making in all levels and contribute to a self-regulated sustainability of the environment and development integrated systems’ (UN 1992)

After all, if we want to be sustainable, and demand these results from our governments, we must know how to measure sustainability. If we want to guide the economy towards sustainable development and common well-being (decreasing poverty, promoting justice and dignity to all), rationally channeling our production efforts to sustainable results, we must create assessment tools for these results. This is the only way to build a basis for political decisions and development of strategies aligned with the current state of the world – of scarcity and unsustainability.

Dialogue based on ethics in order to unite three forces – the so-called first sector, or public power; the second sector, formed by the private sector, and the third sector, represented by non-governmental organizations – will be indispensable to reach consensus about possible solutions: the acknowledgement of public policy and its indicators as a means to universalize collective interests and the integration of theory and practice of economic agents and our governments.

Not intending to present a magic, unique and uniform formula, the content invites readers to acquire knowledge that is likely to result in new ideas and constant benefits to all involved. At the same time, methodological descriptions of the sustainability indicators of nations are not exhaustive, because research methods are not always sufficiently defined, and the same applies to their variables, main factors, techniques and procedures.

This publication seeks to inform and promote dialogue. It deals with the dynamic transformation of the society’s own awareness. By disseminating these concepts, we seek to offer food for thought.

Finally, volume III, to be launched in 2010, will address protagonism as a means to push forward ‘a strong civil society that allows people, even the most vulnerable ones, to influence and monitor public policy of all levels and demand moral and financial accountability from governments for their promises to reduce poverty and social exclusion.’

The civil society can and must donate its time, talent, experience and enthusiasm. The civil society can become organized in cooperatives, non-governmental organizations, academic institutions and women, youth or traditional groups associations. Nevertheless, engagement is not restricted to formal organizations. Countless people are involved in voluntary actions that make a difference, creating broad social networks. Many civil society organizations have shown mobilization skills and have created demands that keep our leaders committed to a better world.

Enjoy your reading and roll up your sleeves.