By encouraging accessibility and inclusion, the wheelguide initiative helps companies to take important steps in sustainable development

In the past few months, we have seen B3, Brazil’s Official Stock Exchange, launch an index composed by the shares of public companies that stand out for their environmental, social and governance practices. In addition, XP Investimentos and BTG Pactual have put their first funds on the market with this same focus. These were not isolated movements, quite the contrary, actually.

What is ESG?

The acronym ESG, which represents this tripod of sustainability (environmental, social and governance), has definitively entered the vocabulary of the business universe and is gaining more and more space in business strategies in Brazil and abroad. It is a road of no return.

Companies, all over the world, have been required and have been dedicating themselves to applying parameters that go far beyond the financial perspective, in order to guarantee their present and especially their future. The demand comes from all sides: a more engaged society and more engaged consumers; investors who increasingly take into account the alignment with ESG principles when deciding where to invest capital and where to withdraw it from; and business opportunities that are proven viable only within this new context.

This movement is also in tune with the  2030 Agenda of the United Nations (UN), which brings 17 ambitious Sustainable Development Goalsl (SDGs) to be achieved by the end of the next decade and foresees intense participation of the private sector.

These are “extremely important ” issues, emphasizes the investor Álvaro Schocair, founder of Link School of Business (LSB).

“The companies of the future will definitely think about their performance much more broadly than the simple economic profit. This goal has already been set by many organizations and we will see the trails being covered in the years to come,” he says. Moreover: “The impact of private initiative will be significantly higher than the impact coming from the government spheres. Companies are already at the forefront and their intensity will dictate the pace of major changes.” he predicts.

The fast growing sustainable investments world market is already trillionaire, even though it is still far from its full potential. In the beginning of 2018, according to the latest report of the Global Sustainable Investment Alliance, such market had overcome the US$30 trillion mark, a 34% increase over two years. 

It should be noted that such figure only considered Europe, the United States, Canada, Japan, Australia and New Zealand, and not all the countries in the world. “Clearly, sustainable investment is a major force in global financial markets”, the study notes.

Wheelguide as an ally of inclusion

According to Bruno Mahfuz, founding partner of Wheelguide, the company contributes to the fulfillment of the following SDGs:

• Goal 8: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
• Goal 10: Reduce inequality within and among countries
• Goal 11: Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
• Goal 17: Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development

The Wheelguide Certification helps companies and enterprises to get ready to include all people in their staff and visitors, stimulating and rewarding the eradication of both architectural and attitudinal barriers.

“The certification process supports the aspects of environmental, social and governance sustainability, since the activities carried out, in addition to being guided by local norms and laws, also strengthen policies and work relations based on the values of inclusion and diversity, employee engagement, workforce training, human rights and relations with communities”

says Mahfuz

The Wheelguide App, on the other hand, favors the expansion of universal access to city spaces in Brazil and in more than 100 other countries by encouraging the evaluation of places regarding their accessibility and providing access to the evaluation data. In turn, the Wheelguide Network, which includes certified companies and enterprises, non-governmental organizations, public power and academia, join forces for the construction of a world more accessible to all.

“The distinct perspective of approach to inclusion and accessibility from enterprises returns immediate and continued value in ESG to the respective companies”, claims Bruno Mahfuz.

Source: Revista Buildings

About the Wheelguide

Wheelguide is a technology company in favor of accessibility founded by Bruno Mahfuz, a wheelchair user since 2001. The Wheelguide Certification helps companies and enterprises to prepare to include all people in their staff and visitors, stimulating and rewarding the eradication of both architectural and attitudinal barriers. The platform, which includes the wheel.guide Portal and the Wheelguide App is an information hub and offers a tool for searching and evaluating the accessibility of places. Quickly and intuitively the user signals whether there is good service, structure and conditions to welcome everyone. 

To know more about Wheelguide access: wheel.guide

To know more about Wheelguide access: wheel.guide

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Renata Lutfi
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