Comparative Analysis of the Sustainable Practices Based on Social …
87
The first step carried out in this study was the definition of criteria for choosing
personal hygiene, perfumery and cosmetics companies and a reference company
for benchmarking. As criteria, the companies that have the greatest influence in the
Brazilian market in this sector were selected to verify the level of development of
sustainable practices.
After selecting the companies, the sustainable practices applied were identified
and analyzed based on sustainability reports, magazine articles, news on the company
website and articles. Besides, to ensure the assertiveness of the results, self-promoting
advertisements were not used.
In the second step, the ISO 26000 standard and GRI report were selected since
they are recognized and provides guidance on sustainable practices by companies
worldwide. The main criterion of choice was the comparability and the scope of the
practices contained in the normative. The GRI report is globally applied to report
sustainability practices and the ISO 26000 standard is internationally recognized as
the standard to be followed.
Thus, in the third step, a comparative table with the sustainability criteria, separated in environmental, social, economic and governance areas, was built to compare
the practices recognized in the companies with the practices observed in the benchmark company. The benchmarking process served to identify best practices in products, services, and processes to indicate recommendations for improving practices
in these organizations (Ramos et al. 2018).
Finally, in the fourth and fifth steps of the study, the results of the quantitative
analysis were presented and discussed, as well as limitations and recommendations
for future work.
3 Results and Discussion
3.1 Selection of the Analyzed Companies
To select the companies compared in this study, it was considered the representativeness of each company in the Brazilian market. These companies are widely
recognized by consumers and, as a result, could provide more substantial impacts on
society through the improvement of sustainable practices.
According to Exame (2012), after analyzing Euromonitor data from the same
year, the companies that have the largest economic influence in the personal hygiene,
perfumery and cosmetics sector in Brazil were Natura, Unilever, Avon, P&G, and
the Grupo Boticário.
87
The first step carried out in this study was the definition of criteria for choosing
personal hygiene, perfumery and cosmetics companies and a reference company
for benchmarking. As criteria, the companies that have the greatest influence in the
Brazilian market in this sector were selected to verify the level of development of
sustainable practices.
After selecting the companies, the sustainable practices applied were identified
and analyzed based on sustainability reports, magazine articles, news on the company
website and articles. Besides, to ensure the assertiveness of the results, self-promoting
advertisements were not used.
In the second step, the ISO 26000 standard and GRI report were selected since
they are recognized and provides guidance on sustainable practices by companies
worldwide. The main criterion of choice was the comparability and the scope of the
practices contained in the normative. The GRI report is globally applied to report
sustainability practices and the ISO 26000 standard is internationally recognized as
the standard to be followed.
Thus, in the third step, a comparative table with the sustainability criteria, separated in environmental, social, economic and governance areas, was built to compare
the practices recognized in the companies with the practices observed in the benchmark company. The benchmarking process served to identify best practices in products, services, and processes to indicate recommendations for improving practices
in these organizations (Ramos et al. 2018).
Finally, in the fourth and fifth steps of the study, the results of the quantitative
analysis were presented and discussed, as well as limitations and recommendations
for future work.
3 Results and Discussion
3.1 Selection of the Analyzed Companies
To select the companies compared in this study, it was considered the representativeness of each company in the Brazilian market. These companies are widely
recognized by consumers and, as a result, could provide more substantial impacts on
society through the improvement of sustainable practices.
According to Exame (2012), after analyzing Euromonitor data from the same
year, the companies that have the largest economic influence in the personal hygiene,
perfumery and cosmetics sector in Brazil were Natura, Unilever, Avon, P&G, and
the Grupo Boticário.