Norberto Odebrecht Foundation is now part of the Global Waste Cleaning Network

Promoting environmental conservation is a task best done together. That is why Fundação Norberto Odebrecht's operations have always encouraged the joining of forces between organizations engaged in sustainable development - and now, it will gain more allies in the fight for environmental conservation. This is because the Foundation has just become a member of the Global Waste Cleaning Network (GWCN), an international network of companies and non-profit institutions working to promote sustainability. The GWCN, which includes members from more than 90 countries on all continents, seeks to support and empower organizations that promote actions to reduce soil, air, and water pollution, and to preserve the environment.

"Being a member of the GWCN represents joining a community of organizations that, like us, believe that the environment and biodiversity must be protected and our natural resources must be used with respect," comments Beatriz Lepikson, responsible for Social Partnerships at the Fundação Norberto Odebrecht. "It is a recognition of our commitment to sustainable territorial development," he says.

Environmental conservation is one of the Foundation's six fronts of action, which guide the actions promoted by the partner institutions of the PDCIS, the institution's social program, in areas of social vulnerability and environmental degradation. Only by 2020, for example, more than 540 hectares of areas were conserved and 70,000 trees planted in the Southern Bahia Lowlands.

Being part of the Global Waste Cleaning Network, the Foundation will be able to contribute to events and activities promoted by the network, and disseminate the conservation results achieved by the PDCIS to the international community engaged in the fight for sustainability. Therefore, Adelcio de Sousa, also a member of the Social Partnerships area, says that expectations are very positive for participating in the GWCN. "We want to contribute to the environmental discussion globally. The intention is to share the impact of our actions, which might inspire other organizations - but not only that. We also want to learn a lot from what is being done by other organizations in Brazil and around the world", he says.