Práticas de gestão orientadas aos objetivos de desenvolvimento sustentável e o desempenho empresarial

Abstract

This study aimed to assess the impact of adopting management practices oriented to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on the performance of industrial chemical companies. This study was conducted in two distinct methodological phases: the first of which contemplated qualitative and exploratory research to understand the phenomenon in industrial chemical facilities installed in developing and developed countries. The result of the survey of these practices was used, along with a literature review, to compose the questionnaire structure of the second phase, the quantitative one, which involved survey-type research. In the first stage of the quantitative phase, the facilitators and barriers that industrial chemical facilities face in meeting SDGs were identified based on the managers’ perception. To this end, a questionnaire was sent to companies linked to the Brazilian Chemical Industry Association (ABIQUIM) and the German Chemical Industry Association (Verband der Chemischen Industrie). This action took place from March to December 2020. The primary results regarding the practices developed revealed that “commitment of the organization’s managers,” “access to technology and innovation,” “stakeholder engagement,” and “team commitment” stood out as the main facilitators to meet the SDGs according to the surveyed managers of these industrial facilities. As for the barriers, “lack of a supply chain focused on sustainability,” “difficulty in access to technologies or inefficient technologies,” and “high costs to implement sustainable strategies or practices” were indicated as the main obstacles. In the second stage of the quantitative phase, the impact of adopting SDG-oriented management practices on the performance of Brazilian industrial chemical companies was evaluated, in which 87 companies associated with ABIQUIM participated. Our findings revealed that, in the Brazilian companies, management practices to meet the SDGs positively impact innovative, environmental, and social performance, making it possible to partially confirm the outlined hypotheses. Moreover, it was possible to note that the SDGs 8 (decent work and economic growth), 9 (industry, innovation, and infrastructure), 10 (reduced inequalities), and 12 (responsible consumption and production) are covered by several practices in the companies investigated. Nevertheless, it is important to note that some SDGs showed unsatisfactory results for the companies’ management practices, namely: SDGs 4 (quality education), 5 (gender equality), 6 (clean water and sanitation), 7 (affordable and clean energy), 14 (life below water), and 15 (life on land). Hence, we observed that issues including education, gender equality, water, energy, and life on land require special attention from industrial chemical companies in order to successfully meet all the goals of the global agenda.