By Rui Oliveira, Environmental Manager, Founder and CEO of Transforme Green Services, Brazil

Transforme Green Services is a business focusing on consulting and environmental solutions that supports the generation of positive social impacts that are economically viable, socially fair, and environmentally responsible. It also promotes commercial and educational events, and engages in socio-environmental management practices, advising cemeteries, crematories, product companies, and associations on best practices and ESG innovations.

Sustainability initiatives focusing on Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG), along with the push for implementing measures to meet the companies' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), are steadily on the rise in Brazil. The funeral sector is no exception, whether driven by market demands, compliance with future regulatory frameworks, the entry of foreign investors, or management centred decision-making processes that go beyond those of “business as usual”.

The employment of sustainable strategies in the Brazilian funeral sector has become an increasingly relevant topic in recent years, as environmental preservation concerns grow across all areas of society. Companies in this sector have stood out, making Brazil a hub for best practices in sustainability initiatives, as well as innovative products and technologies. Due to the nature of their activities, cemetery enterprises are typically seen as major contributors to environmental impacts, whether through natural resource consumption, landscape modification, or waste generation. However, their operations continue to be of great importance, particularly for the services they provide to society and their contribution to public health and well-being.

Companies like Parque das Cerejeiras Memorial, located in São Paulo, have already realized that incorporating sustainability as a core value in their practice means driving positive change by connecting business, people, and the environment. For example, by incorporating nature-based solutions into its memorial park – such as a bee meliponario, a preserved area with native trees that offset carbon emissions, composting sites, a seedling nursery, as well as sculptures and artworks created exclusively for the site – it becomes a beautiful, welcoming, and holistic space. The atmosphere fosters reflection for visitors, honouring the memory of loved ones while reinforcing the company’s commitment to their sustainability report developed using the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) methodology.

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Read the spring issue of THANOS magazine - you can read online at pages 20-21