Petrobras — Ethics Grade F

Petrobras receives an overall ethics grade of F (18/100) on CancelCo's corporate accountability database. Sector: Energy. Market cap: Large Cap.

Category scores

• labor: 50
• privacy: 80
• consumer: 40
• environment: 20
• humanRights: 30

Documented incidents (3)

• Operation Car Wash (high, 2014) — Known as the largest corruption scandal in Latin American history, executives at Petrobras accepted billions in bribes from construction firms in exchange for inflated contracts, leading to jail time for top politicians.
• Guanabara Bay Spill (high, 2000) — A major pipeline rupture released 1.3 million liters of heavy oil into Guanabara Bay, destroying mangroves and devastating local fishing communities. It is considered one of Brazil's worst environmental disasters.
• Investor Deception Settlement (medium, 2018) — The company settled a massive class-action lawsuit in the US brought by investors who claimed the company's value was artificially inflated by the systemic corruption and bribery scheme.

Documented good deeds

• Decarbonization Investment — Allocated $600M toward a new decarbonization fund specifically for low-carbon R&D and pilot projects in Brazil.

Ethical alternatives

• Equinor — Significantly higher transparency and lower corruption risk as a state-owned entity.