The Amazon and the Future of Global ESG

By Fernanda Rios, Partner and Head of the ESG Practice.

The Amazon is no longer just a symbol of biodiversity and natural abundance. It has become one of the structural pillars of the ESG agenda in the 21st century. Its role transcends the environmental debate and emerges as a strategic variable in global economic, regulatory, and corporate governance decisions.

It is no exaggeration to say that the future of global ESG runs through the Amazon. What happens in this region influences the achievement of international climate goals, the flow of green investments, and the redefinition of production chains across multiple sectors.

The Amazon harbors around 10% of the planet’s biodiversity and plays a vital role in regulating both regional and global climate systems. It is also one of the largest natural carbon sinks on Earth, essential to maintaining any realistic path toward limiting global warming to 1.5°C, as established by the Paris Agreement.

Yet the value of the forest goes far beyond its environmental dimension. Preserving it means ensuring the stability of global markets and strengthening new economies. The Amazon is a true living laboratory of innovation, capable of driving bioeconomy, biotechnology, pharmacology, and high-value sustainable materials chains. At the same time, it stands as a strategic geopolitical asset, closely observed by multinational corporations based in the region, institutional investors, governments, and multilateral organizations.

However, this growing prominence does not come without challenges. It demands increasingly robust and effective ESG governance mechanisms.

The first challenge lies in climate and reputational pressures. Deforestation, forest degradation, and predatory exploitation threaten corporate carbon-neutrality commitments, exposing companies to reputational risks and potential trade barriers.

The second challenge concerns social inclusion and a just transition. Local communities and Indigenous peoples must be genuinely integrated into value chains. More than peripheral beneficiaries, they should be protagonists, bringing knowledge, innovation, and sustainable practices that only they possess.

Finally, there is the challenge of adapting to new regulatory frameworks. The convergence of international requirements, such as those from the ISSB, the European Union, and the SEC, with Brazil’s own regulatory agenda, including CVM Resolution 59/2023, Resolutions 217/218, and SUFRAMA Ordinance 1.860/2025, establishes a new level of corporate transparency, diligence, and accountability.

The Amazon is not just forest. It is also home to one of the largest industrial hubs in the Southern Hemisphere, the Manaus Industrial Pole, which hosts hundreds of multinational companies across sectors such as technology, electronics, two-wheel vehicles, and pharmaceuticals.

For these companies, the region represents a dual challenge: to reduce socio-environmental impacts while positioning themselves as leaders in sustainable innovation.

The opportunities are clear and undeniable. International certifications such as ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001, FSC, and RBA are no longer differentiators. They have become true market-access credentials. At the same time, climate finance and ESG-driven investments are opening new avenues for more transparent, decarbonized, and competitive supply chains. Circularity and regenerative economics, with emphasis on reverse logistics, recycling credits, and industrial bioeconomy, are consolidating as strategic pillars.

In this context, ESG can no longer be seen as a voluntary agenda. It has become a competitive, regulatory, and reputational imperative. What once appeared as an appendix to sustainability reports or marketing commitments now determines market access, capital flows, and, above all, social legitimacy.

And this is where the Amazon plays a singular role. It is not only about environmental conservation but about a strategic lever that combines geopolitics, economics, innovation, and governance. The future of global ESG will, to a large extent, be written from the choices made in the Amazon, placing Brazil in a unique position to assert itself as a global leader in sustainability.

Within the Manaus Industrial Pole, multinational companies and their extended value chains must understand that making genuine sustainability commitments is no longer optional. It is mandatory. Those capable of turning challenges into innovative solutions will become the protagonists of a new economy, where economic growth, social equity, and environmental preservation advance together for the benefit of all humanity.