"A better future for our children"

Priscila, you have been working at Melitta South America since November 2020. Prior to that, you worked as a sustainability consultant at the management consultancy PwC. What is your professional background?

I studied environmental management. In 2005, this was a completely new course of study, and I was part of the first cohort. At the same time, I studied Business Administration at another college in São Paulo.

Wait... You have completed two courses at two different colleges in São Paulo at the same time? Anyone who knows the city knows that the traffic situation is heavy and that you need a lot of time even for the smallest distances. How can we imagine your daily routine back then?

I got up at 6am. The college where I studied environmental management was in the east of São Paulo – it took about two hours to get there. Then I was at university for about four hours, then drove back for two hours, ate something and studied. At 7 p.m., I left for my second college, which was luckily close to home. I was there until 11 pm. I did the whole thing for two years...

Wow. Why did you do that?

Environmental management, as I said, was a completely new course of study at the time and it was not clear that there would ever be a sufficient number of jobs in the field. But the topic was very close to my heart, and I really wanted to study it. On the other hand, I needed a plan B for my personal sense of security in order to position myself more broadly just in case. That's how Business Administration came about.

Nowadays, no sustainable transformation expert has to worry about a lack of jobs. But fifteen years ago, the topic was less present for many people. Where did your interest in the topic come from?

I saw a lot of homeless people in my childhood – you can't avoid that in São Paulo. Even as a small child, I often asked my mother how to help these people. The impressions from that time have influenced how I see the world. When I was faced with the question of what to study, I wavered between fashion and environmental management. I then said to myself that fashion is actually not what the world needs more of – and I decided on environmental management. After all, all the issues that are at stake in environmental management – whether biodiversity, water supply or the waste problem – contribute to people's well-being. Later, I understood that no matter what you do, you can do things in a way that makes a positive impact on society.

Why is sustainable transformation so important to you?

Sustainable transformation will determine how we live in the future. The three pillars of sustainability are the environment, the economy and the social. In addition, there are overarching social aspects. All areas are closely interlinked, and their interaction influences the future of all of us. For example, due to climate change, drought, rain, floods or storms are on the rise. This directly harms farmers and farmers, but also many other sectors of the economy. At the same time, we are losing a lot of biodiversity, harvests are deteriorating, food prices are rising, which in turn is widening the social gap and destabilizing society.

Have you personally experienced the effects of climate change in Brazil?

Yes, in fact, in February of this year we had exceptionally heavy rainfall on the north coast of the São Paulo region. In one day, two months' worth of rain fell! This has led to landslides and mudslides. I was there on vacation and found it scary. And, as is often the case, the consequences of such a disaster are worst for people, who are already very vulnerable. I was very moved by the experience of this.