Latin America is a key player in the global energy transition. It is home to deep deposits of minerals crucial for the shift away from fossil fuels, along with some of the most ecologically sensitive and biodiverse territories on the planet. As geopolitical energy battles heat up within its borders, companies are quietly marching toward more sustainable operations.
Corporate Knights trained its lens on a wide universe of corporations to produce its first-ever Latin America–specific ranking. Using the Global 100 benchmarks of sustainable-economy performance indicators, it assessed 55 companies based in the region with more than US$1 billion in annual revenue.
1. Alupar Investimento
One of the largest energy companies in Brazil, Alupar’s transmission lines extend across Brazil, Colombia, Chile and Peru and generates roughly 800 megawatts from power plants it operates. The company has adopted various policies that bolster its environmental bona fides, such as “replacement and recovery of native forest vegetation” and “maintenance of biodiversity of fauna and flora” in areas where Alupar has lines or power plants. Alupar also “conducts periodic assessments of water quality downstream and upstream” of its assets and offers certified carbon credits for buyers of emissions offsets.
2. Neoenergia
Wind is a key component of energy production in Brazil, accounting for 20% of the country’s needs. Neoenergia, which provides electricity to some 37 million Brazilians, has leaned into the renewable resource, with 44 wind farms across seven states. In 2023, it launched its first wind and solar hybrid project, capable of producing up to 600 megawatts in the northeastern state of Paraíba – enough to power more than one million homes. Also, the Neoenergía Institute develops community-based programs that include funding environmental research and cultural activities.
3. Energisa
Brazilian electricity company Energisa is actively decarbonizing its operations and putting its energy transition in practice. The company claims to have avoided the production of 539,000 tons of carbon dioxide in 2024 by closing diesel and oil-fueled thermal power plants in the Amazon region. The company has contributed to the restoration of Usina Maurício Reserve, a 300-hectare private reserve in the Minas Gerais state, with tree planting.
4. Enel Américas
Based in Chile but belonging to Italy’s Enel Group, Enel Américas is one of Latin America’s main energy producers and distributors. In 2023/2024, the company increased its renewable-energy capacity 12,600 megawatts – around 98% of its portfolio. In 2023, the company reduced its carbon dioxide emissions by around one third compared to the previous year thanks to more renewable energy production and less fossil fuel generation. Enel also subscribes to a biodiversity policy of “no net loss,” with a mandate that aims to avoid having a negative impact on the environment where the company operates.
5. CEMIG
Brazilian CEMIG operates around 5,000 kilometres of transmission lines across the country and a massive distribution network spanning over 500,000 kilometres of lines, mostely in the state of Minas Gerais. It generates electricity through dozens of power stations, mainly hydroelectric but also wind and solar. CEMIG has significantly increased its internal use of renewable energy and decreased non-renewables over recent years. Cemig has pledged to cut non‑renewable energy consumption by 40% by 2027, while increasing the share of renewables in its own energy use.
Latin America Top 10 Ranking
| Rank | Company | Peer group | Country | Sustainable Revenue Momentum 2024 | Sustainable Revenue Ratio 2024 | Sustainable Investment Ratio 2024 | Letter Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alupar Investimento SA | Power transmission and distribution | Brazil | 2.8% | 84.7% | 100% | A+ |
| 2 | Neoenergia SA | Power transmission and distribution | Brazil | 7.1% | 79.5% | 97.6% | A- |
| 3 | Energisa SA | Power transmission and distribution | Brazil | 11.9% | 73.7% | 84.5% | A- |
| 4 | Enel Americas SA | Power transmission and distribution | Chile | 3.9% | 67.5% | 96.4% | B+ |
| 5 | CEMIG | Power transmission and distribution | Brazil | 8.9% | 75.3% | 55.3% | B |
| 6 | Engie Brasil Energia SA | Power Generation | Brazil | -1.5% | 96.4% | 99.7% | B |
| 7 | Companhia de Saneamento Basico do Estado de Sao Paulo SABESP | Water and sewage treatment | Brazil | 13.3% | 33.1% | 100% | B |
| 8 | Telefonica Brasil SA | Telecom providers | Brazil | 9.7% | 8.4% | 68.5% | B- |
| 9 | Companhia Paranaense de Energia | Power Generation | Brazil | 5.4% | 82.2% | 87.1% | B- |
| 10 | Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile SA | Pesticide and fertilizer manufacturing | Chile | N/A | 29.2% | 0.7% | C+ |
6. Engie
Engie’s gas network is Brazil’s largest, crossing about 4,600 kilometres of territory, but almost 100% of the energy the company generates itself comes from renewable sources like wind, hydro and solar. The company has reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by at least 41% since 2017, and also reduced its waste generation and water use. The company touts multiple sustainability awards, including placing 21st on the 2025 Corporate Knights Global 100 ranking.
7. Sabesp
The Company of Basic Sanitation of the State of São Paulo (Sabesp) provides comprehensive sanitation services, including drinking water supply, sewerage and final disposal of wastewater for nearly 30 million people. Last year, Sabesp took part in IntegraTietê, a sanitation program centred in São Paulo city’s Tietê River. Among some 50 initiatives is its Partners for Impact program, which includes environmental management policies around waste and emissions, along with inclusion and social development with communities, such as job creation and education partnerships.
8. Telefônica Brasil
Through its subsidiary Vivo, Brazil’s largest telecommunications company has launched a long‑term forest‑restoration project in the Amazon that will, over 30 years, restore and protect about 800 hectares of degraded land, with the planting, regeneration and conservation of more than 900,000 native trees in one of the most deforested areas of the forest. The company uses 100% renewable energy in its operations, and has committed to achieving net-zero emissions by 2035.
9. Paranaense Energy Company
Brazilian Paranaense Energy Company (Copel) is the main electricity distributor in Paraná state and operates in nine other states in Brazil. It was the first Brazilian electricity company to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange, in 1997. Copel has committed to reaching carbon neutrality among its Scope 1 emissions by 2030, and, after divesting from coal‑ and oil‑fired thermal plants, now generates 100% of its electricity from renewable sources, mostly hydroelectric power. It has tapped into Paraná’s major chicken-producing industry with pioneering biogas projects that repurpose poultry waste into electricity, and others that convert biogas into renewable hydrogen.
10. Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile (SQM)
Chilean Chemical and Mining Society is a major producer of lithium, potassium nitrate, iodine and industrial chemicals, with most of its resources and plants in the northern Atacama Desert in northern Chile, a region rich in minerals. In early 2026, it entered into a major partnership with Ivanhoe Electric for a copper exploration project. The company has come under significant scrutiny for its water usage in a highly arid region, in particular from local Indigenous communities and environmental groups. The company says it is committed to responsible practices and in 2024 invested US$33 million in areas such as environmental evaluations, environmental monitoring and mitigation measures, industrial waste management, and hazardous substance management. That year, according to its last report, the company did not receive fines or sanctions from environmental law enforcement.
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