A municipality in São Paulo state achieves Platinum level in international audit and consolidates its leadership in governance, transparency, and measurable sustainability indicators.
São José dos Campos made its mark on the global sustainability agenda by receiving, during COP 30 in Belém, the first urban ESG certification on the planet. The official delivery of the certificate by the Brazilian Association of Technical Standards (ABNT) took place on Monday morning (17), at the stand of the Council of Architecture and Urbanism (CAU), and represents a milestone in quality infrastructure applied to city management.
The certification, based on the international standard ISO 37125 and the unprecedented technical procedure PE-515.01 developed by ABNT and recognized by Inmetro, attests that São José dos Campos adopts rigorous, transparent, and verifiable methods to measure and monitor its 133 ESG indicators — environmental, social, and governance. The municipality has achieved Platinum level, the highest classification in the system, which also includes bronze, silver, and gold categories.
Evidence-based governance
For investors and project developers, certification offers a strategic advantage: the guarantee that municipal public policies are traceable, auditable, and internationally comparable. The process not only assesses intentions but also demands technical compliance and credibility of the information used by public management—a central element for investment decisions based on concrete evidence.
Among the 133 indicators audited are: control of greenhouse gas emissions, internationally certified urban afforestation, efficient solid waste management, access to health and education, security, social inclusion, administrative transparency, and citizen participation in municipal decisions.
Solid technical base
The achievement of ISO 37125 expands an already established portfolio of certifications. In 2022, São José dos Campos became the first Brazilian city to simultaneously obtain ISO 37120 (urban services and quality of life indicators), ISO 37122 (smart cities), and ISO 37123 (resilient cities) certifications. In 2023, 2024, and 2025, the municipality underwent rigorous annual recertification processes and maintained Platinum level status in all three standards.
Together, these certifications form an integrated basis for evaluating urban performance, recognized by the ISO 37100 family of standards, which allows for the comparison of results from sustainable policies and investments on a global scale.
Verifiable infrastructure
The initiatives that support the certification include real-time air quality monitoring, efficient waste management through Voluntary Delivery Points (PEVs), an extensive network of cycle paths, the implementation of urban gardens, the primate preservation program in São Francisco Xavier, the revitalization of springs, and environmental education actions in municipal schools.
The certification process was coordinated by the Technological Innovation Park (PIT), in partnership with the City Hall, and validated by ABNT, the only Brazilian standardization body.
International credibility
“ABNT’s role is to transform sustainability commitments into measurable and verifiable methods. São José dos Campos shows that it is possible to unite public management, innovation and international standardization to provide technical support to the urban ESG agenda,” said Mário William Esper, president of ABNT, during the award ceremony at COP 30.
The certification positions the municipality as a global benchmark in smart, sustainable, and resilient cities, offering investors a business environment backed by audited indicators, data transparency, and a verifiable commitment to sustainable development.
Regarding ISO 37125
The international standard ISO 37125 defines ESG indicators for cities and establishes environmental, social, and governance criteria based on global standards. Certification is granted after an independent technical audit, which assesses the conformity, traceability, and credibility of the information used by public management.
