What do the demands of consulting firms tell us about sustainability in an emerging country?

Abstract

Focusing on stakeholder approach, this paper investigates the current situation of sustainability in Brazilian companies through demands received by consulting firms. This research was designed on a qualitative approach, based on primary data collection from a survey with 24 consulting companies and interviews with four of the respondents of the previous stage to deepen the answers obtained. The gathered data were analysed by content analysis, with the help of Nvivo 11 software. The findings show that government is the main stakeholder that exerts pressure on companies. Organisations confuse compliance with sustainability. Apparently, sustainability is at an emerging stage of consolidation in Brazil, presenting some advances but to a much greater degree challenges to overcome. Despite finding a negative scenario, we identified many opportunities for action.