Sustentabilidade no Comando da Aeronáutica: o impacto da agenda ESG nas atividades operacionais e administrativas da Força Aérea

Abstract

Sustainability in Public Administration has gained more importance and conditioned institutions to consider the environmental, social and governance dimensions in their activities. Derived from the Triple Bottom Line Theory, the ESG agenda aims to adapt business practices, reconciling ethics, transparency, environmental and social responsibility with the core business of corporations. Since the practices of private management usually spill over to the Public Administration, the research aimed to analyze the impact of ESG principles on the strategic management of the Brazilian Air Force. The relevance of the study is justified by the growing participation of the Armed Forces, at a global level, as an actor responsible for the preservation of nature, to guarantee the means of subsistence for future generations. It is important to discover how ESG principles can influence strategic management in the Air Force, as Aeronautical field is conducive to the development of technologies that can generate great impacts in terms of sustainability. The descriptive and bibliographic research was characterized by consulting the Air Force guidelines and strategic plans, in addition to Defense Ministry documents, books and articles that deal with the application of the triple bottom line agenda. The qualitative analysis of the material made it possible to identify the occurrence of the three ESG dimensions in Air Force strategic planning and in its Value Chain, as well as it was known that most companies responsible for Air Force strategic projects adhere to the agenda. The results showed compatibility of the ESG principles with the administrative and operational activities of the Air Force, except for operational employment needs that may limit unrestricted environmental protection, indiscriminate social inclusion in the workforce and the unconditional disclosure of data on strategic investments or national defense operations. The research concluded that Air Force considered the main concepts of the ESG agenda, which were inserted in the strategic planning, through the Value Chain and the guidelines issued by the mainboard of the corporation. The results of the study may provide subsidies for harmonizing and making Air Force activities compatible with the standardization that deals with the matter, especially in socio-environmental field, since corporate governance is well established within the Institution. Furthermore, shaping the strategic planning of other government bodies, such as the Ministries of Defense and the Environment, can bring considerable contributions to the Common Good.