Stock exchange is the space in which companies can raise capital by stimulating entrepreneurial activity. Environmentally responsible investors seek to invest in stocks of sustainable enterprises because they are more profitable. Given this demand, the Corporate Sustainability Index (ISE) was created in Brazil in 2005 - a pioneer initiative in Latin America and the fourth indicator of this kind in the world. This index compares the performance of the companies listed on the Securities, Commodities and Futures Exchange (BM & FBOVESPA) considering aspects of the sustainability concept. It is an index of referential actions for socially responsible investments comprising companies that excel in sustainability in the long term. The purpose of this index is to create an environment for investment compatible with the demands of society`s sustainable development and encourage more sustainable practices in businesses. Investments in sustainable companies create value for the shareholder, because these companies are better prepared to face economic, social and environmental risks. Integrating the ISE is equivalent to having a quality seal recognized by the market as a company that operates under the concepts of sustainability. For the 40 companies listed in the ISE in 2013, according to standards of the National Environmental Policy Act (Law No. 10,165), interference on a territory was ranked by their potential for pollution and use of natural resources. However, Law No. 10,165 does not include in its classification the economic scale impact of the potential pollution and use of natural resources of these enterprises. When the impact of the economic scale of the members of the ISE in 2013 is considered, the original classification of Law No. 10,165 is expanded, enabling stakeholders to measure the interference of these companies in the biosphere. SABESP, CPFL ENERGIA, TELEFONICA BRASIL (Vivo), CEMIG, OI, FOODS BRF (Sadia, Perdigão, Batavo and Elegê), ELETROBRAS, BRASKEN, GERDAU, IPIRANGA and VALE are companies that require greater attention from stakeholders, because they present high potential for pollution and use of natural resources according to the extended parameters of Law No. 10,165.
ISE BM & FBOVESPA; Potential pollution and use of environmental resources; Impact of the economic scale; The National Environmental Policy Act (Law No. 10,165)
