“To have a big dream requires the same effort as having a small dream.”
Erasmo Carlos Battistella swears by these words and it has made a huge difference. He is not the one to shy away from dreaming big. He also tirelessly works towards achieving his dreams. Years of inspiration and effort have got him to where he is now. He is the CEO of BSBIOS, a biodiesel production company, and the recently became the chairman of the Board of Directors of the Association of Biofuel Producers of Brazil (APROBIO).
Since he was a child, Battistella was interested in the agro-industrial sector. He got the idea for BSBIOS standing in a line at a bank where he learned about biodiesel. The idea checked the boxes of both of his favorite sectors, it required an industrial complex and used agricultural produce as raw material. Battistella decided to set up a biofuel plant.
In April 2005, Battistella founded BSBIOS, intending to produce high-grade biodiesel. For BSBIOS’ location, Battistella chose Passo Fundo (PR). The decision was a strategic one as he wanted the plant to be close to the source of the raw material needed to produce biodiesel. The company was highly successful, and shortly after opening the first plant, Battistella opened another plant in Marialva (PR). Under his leadership, BSBIOS became the first company in Brazil to produce export-quality biodiesel, with its customers being spread out across 32 countries. According to the National Agency for Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels (ANP), BSBIOS is the largest producer of biofuel in the country. In 2019, the company amassed R$ 3.34 billion in revenues. Battistella is highly sought after for his expertise and knowledge of the biofuel industry.
He is the perfect candidate to advocate and lobby on behalf of the industry for its continued betterment and has been doing this as the director of the Board of Directors for APROBIO. APROBIO has been playing a key role in the development of Brazil’s national biofuel policy. Under Battistella’s leadership, APROBIO continues to advocate for the interests of this industry. “I want to share my experiences through this new communication channel and build a journey of reflection and knowledge about the most advanced form of bioenergy, to build a better and more sustainable world. I count on everyone who wants to contribute to this journey and together build a legacy for future generations,” said Battistella.
In addition to advocacy for the biofuel industry, Battistella is also engaged in dialogue and capacity-building. He was invited to join the Institute of Studies for Industrial Development (IEDI) as an adviser. He has been a member and an active participant of the organization since. IEDI hosts multiple meetings with a focus on innovation. These meetings are attended by leaders from all industrial sectors of Brazil, “I have participated in meetings where we can learn a lot because the topic is innovation. We have representation from practically all industrial sectors in Brazil. It is a highly representative forum.”
Battistella is also fascinated by the green energy transition. He believes that the green energy transition needs more attention and resources. Battistella is concerned that there is no unified strategy to facilitate the green transition and that serious work needs to be done in this field to ensure that the planet remains habitable for future generations.
In this regard, he thinks that Brazil can make great contributions in the coming years to facilitate the green transition. This is because Brazil has been leading by example and it has proven to the world that biofuel will be central to the green transition. Consequently, Battistella has doubled up his efforts on facilitating the green transition, nationally and internationally. When he met the President of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, Battistella spoke to him about the importance of biofuels for a successful green transition and the role that Brazil could play in facilitating it globally. The meeting was also attended by the Minister of Agriculture, Francisco Turra.
Internationally, Battistella has been engaging with the United Nations considering that the international organization is an important forum for coordinating green energy transition efforts worldwide. Last year, he participated in the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26). He attended the conference as the CEO of BSBIOS and did a presentation called “Biofuels – a real solution”. Battistella brought the attendees’ attention to the large share enjoyed by biofuels in the Brazilian energy sector. He shed light on the role Brazil could play in the coming years and how there was a need to adopt a unified and concerted effort toward fighting climate change. “In Brazil, biofuels are seen as clean and sustainable energy for the future, the result of a beautiful history of public policies and private investments that developed this national heritage and made the country a world reference,” he said.
Earlier this year, Battistella also attended an event at the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). The event was hosted at the UN General Assembly Hall in New York. It was organized to build an alliance between the public and private sectors to improve the tourism and biofuels sectors. There was a discussion about the responsibility of governments and international organizations in accelerating the energy transition. The event also highlighted the importance of biofuels in the process of decarbonization.
On a personal level, Battistella has started a blog that posts about the production of biodiesel in Brazil. This blog aims to generate discourse and share expertise about biofuels, for example, HVO (for passenger and cargo transportation) and SPK (renewable aviation kerosene). These fuels are not very popular in Brazil, but they are gaining popularity thanks to Battistella’s efforts.
Battistella has earned widespread recognition for his efforts. He represents a new breed of Brazilian business leaders that has been revolutionizing the country with their innovative thinking. Dinheiro Rural, a Brazilian magazine, included Battistella in their list of 100 most influential people in the agribusiness sector in Brazil. In 2012, O Estado de S. Paulo awarded him the Young Leadership Award.
