Conferência da AmCham na Católica debate oportunidades e desafios da Sustentabilidade

Boosting sustainable business practices, debating the challenges of sustainability and launching a platform for dialogue that brings together companies, experts, leaders and the public and academic sectors were the objectives of the conference ‘Going Sustainable: Opportunities for Portuguese Companies in the USA and Europe’, promoted by AmCham Portugal - the American Chamber of Commerce in Portugal.

The event, which took place at the headquarters of the Universidade Católica Portuguesa (UCP) in Lisbon, was attended by the President of UCP, Isabel Capeloa Gil, who emphasised that ‘talking about issues such as social responsibility and sustainability is not a fad’.

‘At the university, in our two business schools in Lisbon and Porto, the area of sustainability is central to the definition of graduate training, executive training and also in the areas of research and consultancy, so it couldn't make more sense for us to host this AmCham event,’ he added in his welcome speech.

The president of AmCham Portugal, António Martins da Costa, pointed out that ‘Portugal, due to its strategic location and innovative spirit, is in a unique position to capitalise on this transformation [of sustainability].’ ‘We have brought together some of the main Portuguese companies that are at the forefront of this transition, in key sectors, but also academia and the government, to share their understanding, their perceptions, their challenges and visions for a sustainable Portugal,’ he stressed.

The conference was divided into three panels, which included members of AmCham Portugal - an organisation of which UCP is also a member - and representatives from companies such as Santander, BA Glass, The Loop Co, Efacec, Grupo Brisa, Grupo Mota-Engil, TAP, The Navigator Company and Hovione.

‘There's a clear realisation that either we slow down or our resources run out. Sustainable development, the circular economy and renewable energies are a whole range of challenges,’ warned the Secretary of State for the Environment, Emídio Sousa. And he pointed out some opportunities, for example in the area of waste management, which both academia and companies should take advantage of.

‘Instead of constantly extracting resources from the planet, we have to use the resources we already have to the limit. It's the circular economy,’ he emphasised.