Implementing the circular economy is one of Portugal’s biggest environmental challenges – Sustainability
The transition from a circular economy to a circular economy is critical to achieving a more sustainable world, but a society still has a route to achieve a linear path to achieve a path to a profit margin that can bring so many resources to nature. The panel on “Circular Economy”, at the ESG conference of Negócios Sustentabilidade 20|30, which took place on October 20, at Estufa Real, in Lisbon, and which was moderated by Helena Pereira, professor emeritus at the Instituto Superior de Agronomia de Lisbon and jury of the National Sustainability Award, in the circular economy category.
The debate made it clear that Portugal is far behind in this area, with circularity rates of around 2%, one of the lowest in Europe. But at the global level the numbers also show circularity rates. The “Cirity Gap Report” gives that a linear economy currently consumes 100 tons of content materials and more figures of about 90% of these resources, citing the circular level 8.6%.
There is a gap between public and legal policies, among other barriers. Joana Maia Dias
professor at the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto
With a view to reversing this model, Joana Maia Dias, professor at the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto, said that “we have to accelerate” towards the circular model, but stressed that “there is a gap between public and legal policies, among other barriers , which are out of step with our reality”. From its political perspective, there are entries at the technical and technological, legal, regulatory, market, economic and social levels. From this range, Joana Maia Dias highlighted “the need for awareness and training for behavior change”. However, “people’s effort can only go up to a point determined by the conditions they have”.
It seems that no one in the country is bothered by the fact that we repeatedly fail to meet recycling targets. Ana Trigo Morais
CEO of Sociedade Ponto Verde
Waste management is, in fact, a problem that the country does not have to solve. For Ana Trigo Morais, CEO of Sociedade, “a lot is missing and the will to change things”. Appearing “I’m getting too much”, because no one will look like the waste sector, which cannot start being treated with recycling and reuse recycling targets and start not going through us to enter landfill 64% urban that we produce” , and “landfills are not an environmental solution”.
It is a complex problem that interferes with the organization of cities, spatial planning and various “players”. Ana Trigo Morais also criticized that this is a sector that is permanently awaiting legislation and not one where “many strategic plans are made, but they are not carried out”. The CEO must still be realistic so that the objectives are met, stating that “the serious problem of public policy legislation in Portugal” should be made clearer. In addition, “the time has come to act” and to increase the 2% rate of circularity in Portugal “help and manage as interfaces for the integration of the activity”, she added.
Plastic can be recycled several times, but for that you have to get a quality recycler. Carlos Rodrigues
director of Silvex
As a plastics producer, Silvex is one of the “stakeholders” in this sector. In the same way, the problems that can be considered are not problems for the environment, considering that they are, but of the management that has been made for its end of life. On this path to sustainability, “the company already produces biodegradable packaging, made from corn and potato starch, whose end of life must be compost”, exemplifies Carlos Rodrigues, director of Silvex. On the other hand, they also recycle plastics. “Plastic can be made several times, but that has to get plastic from a quality reuse”, he added, so the recycling company was a unit of unit that receives the end of life, of good quality from several customers, and quality the new life.
The sector needs to change as it has not changed in the last 20 years. Filipa Pantaleão
EGF technical direction
Filipa Pantaleão, technical director of EGF, also highlighted that “the sector needs to change as it has not changed in the last 20 years”. In the case of EGF, they can effectively contribute to the recycling goal, however, “the sector lacks accountability”. In order to face the high production of waste by the Portuguese per day, around 1.5 kg per day, Filipa Pantaleão believes that collaboration is necessary between all the “players” of the sector and mimicking the pragmatism of the Netherlands.
Semos being closer to customers, having more products close, also determine food consumption. Miguel Silva
COO of the DAY
Miguel Silva, COO of DIA, highlighted that food retail is in a chain that represents, in terms of waste and carbon production, around 5% to 7%, “but this does not remove our responsibility for the entire chain, because 40% comes from what is related to raw materials and almost 50% comes from consumption”. Being in the middle of the chain, he pointed out that “if we manage to be closer to customers, having more fresh products, we also reduce the waste of food products. transformation in 2019, with clear goals, such as reducing 20% of its waste going to landfill.
In an intervention that should start right at the beginning of the line, speakers also highlighted the importance of product design and innovation as ways to reduce the potential for waste.