In line with the themes identified in the materiality process, we present quarterly the most relevant indicators for Cogna relating to the first quarter of 20261; information on previous years can be found in full in our Sustainability Reports. To access the ESG indicators for previous years, select the desired year using the button.
Highlights
Highlights of the 1st Quarter of 2026
Advances in ESG that transform society and strengthen our commitments
During the first quarter of 2026, Cogna consolidated initiatives that reinforce our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, expanding programs, strengthening strategic partnerships, and qualifying our leaders for an increasingly representative culture. These achievements reflect the purpose that drives us: to empower people and organizations to build a better version of themselves.
Top 1% Global – Sustainability Yearbook 2026
Cogna is highlighted, for the fourth consecutive year, in S&P’s Sustainability Yearbook, one of the most prestigious global publications on corporate sustainability, and has achieved, for the first time, leadership in its sector – Diversified Consumer Services. From a universe of 9,000 participating companies, only 848, distributed across 62 sectors, were included in the 2026 yearbook, with 28 being Brazilian companies.Cogna also achieved a significant milestone by joining the Top 1% Global, being the only Brazilian company in this select group of global leaders in this edition. This recognition is the result of a consistent trajectory of evolution and the integrated work of more than 80 areas of the Company, reflecting the continuous strengthening of our ESG practices and commitment to generating sustainable value.
Return to the B3 Efficient Carbon Index (ICO2)
Cogna has rejoined the ICO2, the B3 Efficient Carbon Index, which evaluates and recognizes companies listed on the Brazilian stock exchange with the best carbon efficiency, considering not only the level of emissions, but also the quality of management, the transparency of information disclosed to the market, and alignment with best practices for mitigating climate change. The return to the index recognizes the Company’s consistent trajectory and the evolution of its climate management practices. The exit in the previous cycle was related to a methodological update, subsequently revised in this cycle. As part of the continuous evolution of the carbon inventory, Cogna also launched an internal survey on commuting to work. The initiative seeks to incorporate more accurate data into the calculation of Scope 3 emissions, contributing to the advancement of the Company’s climate goals.
Signing of the REIS Pact – Business Network for Social Inclusion
Cogna formalized its adherence to REIS – the Business Network for Social Inclusion, becoming the only company in the education sector to join this select group of signatories. Founded in 2012 from an employability forum at Serasa, REIS now brings together around 70 companies committed to the inclusion of people with disabilities that goes beyond legal compliance. The network provides a powerful space for exchanges and benchmarking between companies, with monthly meetings, bi-weekly technical committees on employability, legal, communication and partnerships, as well as thematic forums and CEO meetings. The agreement reinforces Cogna’s commitment to concrete affirmative action, which includes leadership training, inclusive hiring programs, and an active self-declaration campaign, inviting employees to identify characteristics that qualify them as people with disabilities and to participate in available development programs.
| Supported Organizations and Movements | |
|---|---|
| Global Compact | Since 2010 |
| Ethos Institute | Since 2021 |
| LGBTI+ Business Forum | Since 2021 |
| WEPs – Women's Empowerment Principles - UN Women | Since 2021 |
| Citizen Company | Since 2021 |
| Clean Company - Business Pact for Integrity and Against Corruption | Since 2022 |
| Brazilian GHG Protocol Program | Since 2022 |
| Mind in Focus Movement – Global Compact | Since 2023 |
| Net Zero Ambition Movement – Global Compact | Since 2023 |
| Race is Priority Movement – Global Compact | Since 2023 |
| 100% Transparency Movement – Global Compact | Since 2023 |
| Women Lead Movement – Global Compact | Since 2023 |
| MOVER - Movement for Racial Equity | Since 2025 |
| REIS Pact - Business Network for Social Inclusion | Since 2026 |
| Seals and Certifications | |
|---|---|
| FSC – Forest Stewardship Council | Since 2006 |
| WOB – Women on Board | Since 2021 |
| WEPs – Women's Empowerment Principles - UN Women | Since 2021 |
| Company Friendly to Justice | Since 2021 |
| Clean Company - Business Pact for Integrity and Against Corruption | Since 2022 |
| Great Place to Work • 29th edition of the GPTW ranking of the 175 Best Companies to Work for in Brazil; • Companies with 10,000 or more employees - Cogna Educação; • Companies with 1,000 to 9,999 employees - Somos Sistemas de Ensino; |
Since 2022 |
| Racial Equality Seal – City Hall of São Paulo | Since 2022 |
| Carbon Disclosure Project | Since 2022 |
| S&P Global ESG Score – Sustainability Yearbook Member 2023 Recognition as an Industry Mover |
Since 2022 |
| Great Place to Work – Women | Since 2023 |
| Brazilian GHG Protocol Program Gold Seal |
Since 2023 |
| Women360 Movement | Since 2025 |
| Great Place to Work – Ethnic and Racial | Since 2025 |
| ESG Indices | |
|---|---|
| TEVA – Women in Leadership (TEVAELAS Index) | 2021 and 2023 |
| Corporate Sustainability Index (ISE B3) | Portfolio 2022/2023 Portfolio 2023/2024 Portfolio 2024/2025 Portfolio 2026/2027* |
| Great Place to Work Index (IGPTW B3) | 2022/2023 Portfolio |
| Efficient Carbon Index (ICO2 B3) | 2022/2023 Portfolio 2023/2024 Portfolio 2026/2027 Portfolio |
| Corporate Governance Index – New Market (IGC-NM B3) | 2026/2027 Portfolio |
| Index of Stocks with Differentiated Corporate Governance (IGC B3) | Portfolio 2026/2027 |
| Bloomberg Gender-Equality (GEI Index) | Portfolio 2023 |
| Great Place to Work (Editorial Market) | Portfolio 2024 |
Learn more about our recognitions, indices and ratings in sustainability.
Environmental
| SDG | GRI | Water capture2 | Unit. | 1Q2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 303-3 | Groundwater | m³ | 20,013 | |
| Municipal supply | m³ | 54,828 | ||
| Total | m³ | 74,841 |
Highlights and Notes:
1Q2026
- In the quarter, total water intake reached 74,841 m³, stable compared to 1Q2025 (+2%) and below 4Q2025 (-31%), reflecting the school holiday period, which reduces the presence of students in educational units;
- Regarding the source of intake, there was an increase of 8.26 p.p. in the share of municipal supply compared to 1Q2025 and 4.78 p.p. compared to 4Q2025, with a corresponding reduction in groundwater during the period.
| SDG | GRI | Energy consumption | Unit. | 1Q2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 302-1 | Total energy consumed | GJ | 41,782 | |
| Percentage of energy from renewable sources3 | % | 90% |
Highlights and Notes:
1Q2026
- In the quarter, total energy consumption decreased by 1% compared to 1Q2025 and by 7% compared to 4Q2025, reflecting stability in the volume consumed. The percentage of energy from renewable sources remained at 90%, stable compared to 4Q2025 (0.25 p.p.) and with a slight decrease compared to 1Q2025 (-0.78 p.p.).
Social
Highlights and Notes:
1Q2026
- During the quarter, we conducted awareness campaigns on strategic dates, highlighting Trans Visibility Month and International Women's Month — the latter with two thematic panels, reinforcing our commitment to visibility and respect for diversity;
- We advanced to the second phase of the Ascender Program, with 53 participants and 60 mentoring sessions held, consolidating the development of female leaders and strengthening our talent pipeline in strategic positions;
- We launched the Creating Bridges Program, aimed at the career development of People with Disabilities, expanding opportunities for professional inclusion in the company and reinforcing our commitment to diversity;
- We conducted a massive campaign for racial self-declaration and classification of People with Disabilities, accompanied by training for leaders in our units, promoting greater accuracy and awareness in internal diversity data;
- We promoted structured literacy and training actions, including racial literacy for the Saber editorial team and inclusive recruitment training for the Talent team, qualifying our leaders and processes for an increasingly inclusive culture.
* Indicators presented progressively, that is, they refer to the total accumulated since the beginning of the year, which is why we do not present variations relative to previous periods.
Highlights and Notes:
- Since 2017, we have maintained our Social Project Management System (PT-BR), which enables the monitoring, improvement and transparency of social projects carried out by our Higher Education Institutions, as well as the sharing of good practices in our network;
- We encourage the implementation of social projects that serve communities located around our campuses through service learning, experiential education so that students engage in activities that meet human and community needs, along with opportunities for reflection aimed at achieving the desired learning outcomes;
- We maintain a Corporate Volunteering Program anchored in Somos Futuro, an acceleration program for students from public schools maintained by the SOMOS Institute. Our employees participate as interviewers during the selection process and accompany the entire educational journey of the students in the role of mentors. This year, additionally, we also held career meetings.
- The following corporate volunteering activities also took place during the semester: Blood donations, Volunteer Interview - Somos Futuro Program, and DEPEN Essay Contest.
Highlights and Notes:
1Q2026
- In the context of preventive health, we highlight the February edition of the "Health Space Moment" dedicated to "Lilac Month." In reference to World Rare Disease Day (February 28th), the initiative promoted awareness of pathologies such as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), Multiple Sclerosis, and Muscular Dystrophies, reinforcing the importance of early diagnosis, empathy, and inclusion as pillars of the overall well-being of our employees;
- The increase in training indicators was driven by the onboarding of new hires and the strategic anticipation of Fire Brigade training, carried out to ensure the prompt replenishment of the fire brigade staff. The density of this technical content contributed to the greater permanence of employees in training activities;
- The control measures adopted and the culture of prevention continue to be effective in ensuring that the rates of accidents with serious consequences and deaths remain at zero, preserving stability and safety in all units.
Governance
| SDG | GRI | Diversity on the Board of Directors | Unit. | 1Q2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 405-1 | Female | % of people | 33% | |
| Male | % of people | 67% | ||
| Total | Number of people | 6 |
Highlights and Notes:
- In August 2025, there was a change in the composition of the Board with the departure of board member Luiz Alves and the appointment of board member Eduardo Mestieri;
- 50% of the seats on Cogna's Board of Directors are occupied by people belonging to minority groups, such as women and LGBTQIAP+. One of the goals of Cogna's Commitments for a Better World is to have representation from these groups in at least 1/3 of the positions by 2025. The goal was met and exceeded in 2022.
*There are 4 cases in the investigation process.
Highlights and Notes:
1Q2026
- In the quarter, cases registered on the Confidential Channel decreased by 27% compared to 1Q2025 and remained stable compared to 4Q2025 (-1%), reflecting a natural adjustment after the channel's expansion cycle throughout 2025;
- Complaints of discrimination increased by 50% vs 1Q2025 and 29% vs 4Q2025, data still under investigation. There were no confirmed cases of discrimination in the quarter, and anti-corruption indicators remain unchanged.
Highlights and Notes:
- We have not recorded any significant sanctions or fines related to economic and social aspects, except in the normal course of business. Cogna has been working hard on the labor prevention front, having mapped the main causes of contingencies and drawn up robust action plans to manage this risk with reviews and adjustments to procedures.
Highlights and Notes:
1Q2026
- We have seen an increase in reported privacy-related cases, directly impacted by the implementation of cookie bars in our digital environments, in compliance with the General Data Protection Law (LGPD). The adoption of this mechanism has increased transparency and facilitated access for data subjects to support channels, directing questions and requests more effectively to the privacy portal.
| Footnotes | |
|---|---|
| SDG | Sustainable Development Goal. Indicate goal to which the actions monitored contribute. |
| GRI | Global Reporting Initiative. List the GRI standard indicators related to the data monitored. |
| ND | Indicator discontinued or not measured in the quarter. |
| 1 | Quarterly monitoring of a selection of material indicators. For further information, consult our Sustainability Reports, available here. |
| 2 | Based on invoices from sanitation concessionaires. |
| 3 | Acquired from the free energy market. |
| 4 | Segmentation adopted from 2022. Takes into the account the positions of CEO, vice presidents reporting directly to the CEO and all directors. Up to 2021, the data were consolidated for positions not reporting directly to the CEO and reported in the Senior management segment. |
| 5 | Reporting of the segmentation was stopped in 2022. The history consolidates the data of the CEO, vice presidents (reporting to the CEO or not) and directors. |
| 6 | Management, senior management and leadership positions not reporting directly to the CEO (regional directors, unit directors and vice presidents). |
| 7 | Course coordinators, teachers and tutors. |
| 8 | Corporate coordination, specialists, adjuncts, assistants and analysts. |
| 9 | Indicators reported on semi-annual basis (2Q and 4Q). |
| 10 | Since 2021, the indicator includes all the employees undergoing training in the period, not only new hires. |
| 11 | Total hours of training/employees trained. |
| 12 | Total accidents (with and without leave)/ Total man/hours worked (MHW) x 1,000,000. |
| 13 | Work-related injury (excluding fatalities) from which the worker cannot recover fully to pre-injury health status within 6 months. Formula: Number of injuries/MHW x 1.000.000. |
| 14 | (Accidents with leave + Fatalities)/ MHT x 1,000,000. |
| 15 | Fatalities/ MHW x 1,000,000. |
| 16 | The amounts referring to 1Q2022, 2Q2022 and 3Q2022 were equalized in 4Q2022 considering the total amount of invoices from concessionaires received in the respective quarters – considering the different closing deadlines for each location. |
| 17 | Indicators measured from the first quarter of 2023. |
| 18 | It also includes minor injuries treated in the workplace. |
| 19 | Accidents that cause injury or limitation of the worker's capabilities for a period of more than six months. Does not include deaths. |
| 20 | Accidents resulting in lost time and deaths. |
* In line with the topics identified in the materiality process, Cogna reports every quarter its most relevant ESG indicators. Information about previous years can be found in our Annual Sustainability Reports. Click here.