The company will invest a total of BRL 1 billion in social and environmental projects over the next four years

On Tuesday, November 7, Petrobras launched the second phase of the largest public socioenvironmental selection in its history, in the year it celebrates its 70th anniversary. The company will invest approximately BRL 220 million in this call for proposals, and when considering the ongoing social and environmental projects alongside those that will be selected, it will reach a total investment of BRL 1 billion over the next four years. Applications are open for social and environmental projects aimed at the Southeast (São Paulo, Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro, and Espírito Santo) and Central-West (Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul – Pantanal biome) regions. These initiatives will complement the portfolio of over 90 projects already in progress under the Petrobras Social and Environmental Program.

“We reaffirm our commitment to society with the launch of the largest public socioenvironmental selection in our history, investing a total of BRL 1 billion over the next four years in transformative projects that will make a difference in people’s lives. We are a Brazilian company, proud of our roots, diverse and committed to the country’s development, seeking a more sustainable and inclusive future for the next generations”, said Petrobras President Jean-Paul Prates.

The second phase of the socioenvironmental selection will be divided into two calls for proposals. The first, with investments of BRL 166 million, will be focused on 23 projects (non-incentive), covering the four lines of action of the Petrobras Social and Environmental Program:  Education, Sustainable Economic Development, Oceans, and Forests. In parallel, Petrobras will allocate an additional BRL 53 million to a specific call for proposals for Education projects that qualify for tax incentives under the Sports Incentive Law.

Pantanal is the newest biome included in the socioenvironmental selection

With the inclusion of the Pantanal biome in this call for proposals, Petrobras is once again investing in conservation initiatives in all Brazilian biomes, expanding its socioenvironmental efforts beyond the communities where it operates directly. Another innovation is the inclusion of an opportunity for an environmental project to mitigate the impacts of marine litter on the Southeastern coast, as well as a social project focused on the homeless population in Rio de Janeiro.
The Petrobras Social and Environmental Program transforms the lives of communities and the environment in the areas where the company operates – and the indicators attest to this impact. “For example, we now evaluate our voluntary investments in the Petrobras Social and Environmental Program using the SROI (Social Return on Investment) methodology. It converts the environmental, social, and economic transformation resulting from the implementation of the projects into monetary values”, highlights José Maria Rangel, Petrobras’ Executive Manager of Social Responsibility.

The results are significant. “Last year, for every BRL 1 invested in socioenvironmental projects, we had an average of BRL 5 in social and environmental benefits generated for society. In this edition of the public selection, we have extended the project duration from two to three years, aiming to further enhance these positive impacts”, adds Rangel.

Applications

Applications for non-incentive projects will remain open until January 22, 2024, and can be submitted through the link available on the Public Selection page on Petrobras’ website (https://petrobras.com.br/pt/sustentabilidade/selecoes-publicas). For projects supported by the Sports Incentive Law, the application deadline is until March 4, 2024.

The selection will encompass projects with a duration of three years, and the priority target groups to be served in the proposals are: indigenous peoples, artisanal fishermen, and other traditional communities, women, black individuals, children and adolescents, people with disabilities, and LGBTQIA+ individuals. The program also has three cross-cutting themes: Early Childhood, Human Rights, and Innovation, which can be addressed in actions across all lines of activity to enhance positive outcomes.
The projects should also describe their contributions to achieving goals established in the following Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda: SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), SDG 14 (Life Below Water), and SDG 15 (Life on Land).

Online workshops on best practices for projects

During the application period, Petrobras will conduct a series of online workshops, the Socioenvironmental Track, with the aim of guiding civil society organizations on best practices in the development of socioenvironmental projects, clarifying the key aspects of the regulations and the criteria for participation in the selection. There will be five online workshops with a total of 15 hours of content over the first weeks of applications, and specific live sessions for answering questions.
The training sessions will take place on the Teams platform, and registration (free) should be done through the following link https://forms.office.com/r/T53fEjSLKF. The content will be recorded and made available on Petrobras’ YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/@petrobras/playlists).

Evaluation stages

The projects will go through the stages of administrative screening, with a focus on document analysis and compliance with the regulations; technical screening, in which the projects will be scored based on pre-established criteria; and the final evaluation stage, known as the Selection Committee.
This final stage is composed of experts in socioenvironmental issues, members of the government, academia, and representatives of civil society. The results are expected to be announced between April and May 2024, including both incentive and non-incentive projects, and the estimate is that the activities will commence in the last quarter of 2024, after final adjustments and the necessary contracting procedures.