For the second year in a row, Natura is the name most cited by Brazilians when asked about the company that stands out the most in promoting diversity, equality and inclusion, according to Datafolha.
The cosmetics manufacturer was mentioned by 14% of respondents in unsolicited mentions, one percentage point more than last year, taking into account a margin of error of three percentage points.
Next come O Boticário (6%), Petrobras (5%) and Globo (4%). Itaú, Coca-Cola, Magalu, Banco do Brasil and C&A appear tied in fifth position, with 3% of spontaneous mentions of each; 17% of those questioned could not name any names.
For Paula Benevides, vice president of people, culture and organization at Natura, this recognition is due to a series of company policies, such as the Eleva acceleration and career program, which has already had two editions aimed exclusively at blacks.
“Since 2022, when we made this anti-racist commitment, the number of Black people in leadership positions has doubled,” says Benevides.
The company has set a goal that 25% of management positions will be held by black people by the end of this year. In 2024, this proportion was around 16%.
According to Carolina Terra, professor of organizational communication at USP (University of São Paulo), the highlight of the most cited companies is attributed to investment in advertising communication.
“All of these companies mentioned are investing in communication in obvious ways. In the case of Natura, the issue of using diverse and racially diverse people is very clear, especially in television and digital campaigns.”
Terra draws attention to the number of people (17%) who could not name any company. “This shows that this is an issue that is not within the reach of the population, of public opinion in general. It is something that is still a matter for higher authorities.”
The survey questioned workers in administrative, similar or senior positions in companies with at least 50 employees. The questionnaire was administered via an online panel between September 2 and 20.
1,200 people were surveyed in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte, Recife, Fortaleza, Salvador, Porto Alegre, Curitiba, Belém, Goiânia and Brasilia.
Datafolha also asked the same question in a stimulating way, based on the ten companies with more than 5,000 employees, with a national projection and the best positioned in the FGV/Leaf.
As in 2024, C&A is the most cited company, with 19% of mentions. Last year, the fashion retailer was mentioned by 22% of respondents in the boosted survey. At the time, another list of companies was presented to respondents.
“We seek to reflect plurality within our company because, ultimately, it is also the public who consumes and interacts with C&A,” says Cynthia Kasai, the company’s senior director of environmental, social and governance.
According to C&A, the company has already achieved its 2030 goal of having 60% of leadership positions held by women and 30% by Black, Brown and Indigenous people.
Among the organization’s initiatives that have contributed to this goal is the Black Positive Internship Program, which has taken place every two years since 2023.
In second place in the stimulated survey is Petrobras (15%), followed by Renner and Banco do Brasil, both tied with 11%.
Vivo occupies fifth place in the ranking, with 7% of mentions. In addition to these, Ânima Educação (6%), Zamp (5%), Tim (4%), Pague Menos (1%) and Cielo (1%) were also among the options. Another 20% said they weren’t sure which company stood out.
Natura, which came first in spontaneous search, was not among the alternatives in stimulated search.
According to the FGV/LeafThe cosmetics maker stood out in terms of gender equality in senior leadership, but didn’t score as high in racial and age diversity, which contributed to the company not making the final list of the nation’s 20 most diverse companies.
The differences between the organizations cited in the spontaneous and stimulated research are linked to the degree of importance that companies give to the theme of diversity in their external communication, explains Rudimar Baldissera, professor of the postgraduate communications program at UFRGS (Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul).
“Some of these organizations, like Petrobras, have diversity practices, but they don’t make it a central role in their advertising campaigns because the activity is elsewhere.”
According to the oil company, the company has implemented a diversity, equity and inclusion policy since 2023, which includes affirmative action for underrepresented groups, mentoring programs for women and benefits such as the inclusion of same-sex partners in the health plan and the use of corporate names.
Petrobras has set a goal for women to hold 25% of management positions and for blacks to hold an additional 25% by 2029.
Grupo Boticário, which came second in the spontaneous survey, claims to have affinity groups to promote exchanges between employees, training courses and a census of the diversity of the company’s employees.
Globo highlights initiatives such as the exclusive training program for black people and people with disabilities. According to the channel, 86% of managers have already been trained in diversity and inclusion and 96% in compliance.
Banco do Brasil says the company’s diversity policy involves actions such as vacancies for black people, women, people with disabilities and other underrepresented groups, training, mentoring programs and inclusive benefits and assistance.
The company has publicly committed to filling half of its management positions with women and half with black people by 2030, a higher proportion than the 30% previously established.
The same objective is also proposed by Renner, who appears in third place with the bank in the stimulated search. The fashion retailer said it has employee affinity groups, training and partnerships with entities recognized for their actions towards racial and gender equality in the country, in addition to encouraging employee self-reporting.
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