Scania Brazil's Patricia Acioli Turns Community Action into Sustainability Strategy
Patricia Acioli, Scania Brazil's sustainability chief, says meaningful change starts with listening to communities, not grand gestures.
- More than 11
- 2020
- 10th in 2026
What Happened
Patricia Acioli, Head of Corporate Communications and Sustainability at Scania Brazil, has spent more than eleven years at the company shaping sustainability as something embedded in business strategy rather than bolted on. A former journalist, she leads major sustainability projects, supports the shift to climate-friendly transportation, and reports on progress. Since 2020, she has led Scania Brazil's social impact agenda, which aims to contribute to a better world through education, safety, and acting as a 'Great Local Player' in communities.
- Converting organic waste into biogas for household use, reducing costs for families
- A community garden
- Educational programs for young students
- Nature conservation projects
- Production of furniture made from recycled PET
“Social impact is not an accessory; it is foundation and gives coherence to the purpose of Scania.”
Acioli also launched 'Sustainable Talks,' a series of events that brings companies, policymakers, academia, and other stakeholders together to shift the mindset from competition to collaboration. She says the outcome has been a broader understanding that the energy transition depends on enabling conditions such as infrastructure, regulation, renewable fuels, financing, and collaboration. This year marks the tenth anniversary of Queen of the Road, an initiative Acioli created to recognize women in transport. It has evolved from a conversation about empowerment to one about creating environments where women are encouraged to speak up and lead.
“Leadership isn't about sitting further away from reality; it's about staying close to people, understanding their needs.”
As part of TRATON Group, Acioli says Scania Brazil regularly exchanges knowledge and benchmarks initiatives with other brands. Fredrik Nilzen, Scania's Head of Sustainability, takes part in Group-level sustainability forums, and she works closely with Priscila Rocha, Head of Sustainability at Volkswagen Truck & Bus, to exchange ideas. Acioli describes herself as a 'solutions activist' and in 2025 received Scania's internal Eva Nyström Scholarship for innovation and sustainability.
Why this matters
This profile shows how a truck maker treats social impact as central to sustainability, not a side project. Acioli's work pairs community initiatives like biogas and education with industry-wide efforts such as Sustainable Talks and the women's platform Queen of the Road. It illustrates that corporate sustainability can go beyond emissions to include people, communities, and collaboration.
Terms in This Story
- ESG
- Environmental, Social, and Governance criteria used to evaluate a company's sustainability and ethical impact.
- CSR
- Corporate Social Responsibility, a company's initiatives to assess and take responsibility for its effects on social and environmental well-being.
- Biogas
- A renewable fuel produced from organic waste, used for heating, electricity, or as vehicle fuel.
- PET
- Polyethylene terephthalate, a recyclable plastic commonly used in bottles and packaging.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.