Ministry awards 17 organizations with the More Integrity Seal

Seventeen organizations received today (23), from the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (Mapa), in Brasília, the More Integrity Seal, in recognition of the adoption of integrity practices, with a focus on social responsibility, environmental sustainability and ethics. Ministry awards 17 organizations with the More Integrity Seal

The award is divided into two categories: Green Seal, for companies and cooperatives that receive the honor for the first time; and the Yellow Seal, which awarded eight award-winning organizations, which had their certificates renewed. The companies and cooperatives contemplated will be able to use the seal’s mark on their products, websites, advertisements and publications.

During the ceremony, the Minister of Agriculture, Tereza Cristina, said that the recognition is an “action to promote the integrity of the sector”, which, according to her, cannot fail to also assess social responsibility and sustainability requirements.

“Since we started the project, we have been aligned with issues related to the environment and issues in the social and governance areas”, he said, recalling that 29 organizations have already been awarded the Mais Integridade Seal, and that the 17 awarded today join to another 12 awarded in previous years.

This is the fourth edition of the Selo Mais Integridade award. The minister said that, with the association of brands to the seal, it is even to be expected “the opening of markets that until then were considered unattainable”, with Brazilian products arriving abroad having guaranteed their “quality, sanity and with all integrity of our companies”.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture, among the benefits that can be achieved by the winners are: image gain and positive publicity among citizens and direct competition with the use of the brand on product packaging, billboards and media; recognition of potential international partners; motivational increase in staff and service providers; and better risk rating in credit operations with official financial institutions.

It also allows, according to the ministry, “greater engagement with other national corporations that relate to the international market and need to prove the practice of ESG – Environmental, Social and Governance (Environmental, Social and Governance, in Portuguese) by stakeholders”.

To receive the More Integrity Seal, the company or cooperative must prove the practice of requirements, such as having a compliance program; code of ethics and conduct; effective reporting channels, actions focused on social responsibility and environmental sustainability and promoting training to improve the organizational culture.

“In addition, it is necessary to be up to date with the labor obligations; not having fines related to the topic in the last two years; not having cases of adulteration or falsification of processes and products inspected by the Ministry’s Agricultural Defense Secretariat; to have actions of good agricultural practices framed in the goals of Sustainable Development of the United Nations; and not having committed environmental crimes in the last 24 months”, explained Mapa when informing that it is up to a management committee to analyze the documentation of candidate organizations.