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This paper aims to introduce a new sustainable business excellence model, called Knowledge Management Excellence Model 21 (KMEM21), a theoretical framework that combines Knowledge Management and Business Excellence Models (BEMs), proposing an approach applicable to organizations to directly contribute towards achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The paper through a qualitative-exploratory methodology makes an analysis and benchmarking, emphasizes the integration of Knowledge Management and three specific Business Excellence Models (Management Excellence Model (MEG) from Brazil, Baldrige Excellence Framework, and EFQM). This integration uncovers relationships between organizational concepts associated with Knowledge Management and BEMs, which contributes to new insights in the literature regarding these concepts' interplay. BEMs are presented as tools that can catalyze the power of Knowledge Management towards achieving SDGs. However, it's noted that the existing BEMs might not be adequate, as the goal extends beyond organizational improvement and excellence to encompass sustainable development aligned with SDGs. The article suggests that specific organizational concepts, identified through a literature review and aligned with Knowledge Management and BEMs, can be selected as indicators associated with the constructed KMEM21 and the SDGs. These indicators are intended to form a bridge between the new model and the SDGs. However, given the comprehensive nature of the theory, model development, application, result acquisition, and analysis, the article's primary contribution will be in its focus on elaborating the instrument and technique, demonstrating the creation of a theoretical framework for the SDGs. Future works will showcase the application of the proposed KMEM21 method in five Brazilian organizations, members of Global Compact, to compare the achieved objectives and the results obtained with the organizations' performance and their sustainability reports. [Display omitted] • There is a visible relationship between knowledge management and business excellence models, aided by shared organizational concepts. • Achieving the SDGs in organizations can be done by using the traits incorporated into knowledge management and business excellence models. • The Knowledge Management Excellence Model 21 represents an original approach, acting as a new sustainable business excellence model. • A comprehensive model can be constructed using a methodology that incorporates an instrument, a technique, and a method. • KMEM21 presents a strategic path that aligns with business excellence principles and the sustainable development objectives, offering a framework for organizational success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green Buildings Labels (GBL) are indicated as one of the means with the potential to contribute to sustainable development. Worldwide, more than 850,000 green buildings have already had their project and development helped by just three of the GBLs (LEED, BREEAM, and BASIX). Brazil, however, has only 874 LEED-certified projects. Aiming to propose strategies to foster the adoption of GBL in the country, this paper developed an interpretative model involving barriers to them in Brazil. For this, the technique of Validated Interpretative Structural Modeling (VISM) was developed aiming to add statistical validity to interpretative models even in situations of research with small sample sizes. VISM is a modeling technique that incorporates the simplicity of Interpretative Structural Modeling (ISM) with the significance testing procedures of Partial Least Squares - Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). Adopting the VISM, the barriers model was then developed in five steps: (1) identification of indicators; (2) definition of constructs; (3) identification of relations between constructs; (4) validation of relations between constructs; and (5) creation of the conceptual model. As a result, VISM proved to be an effective innovative modeling technique in the development of models for exploratory research and presents results consistent with the reality studied. Regarding the model developed, the main barriers identified by the study to the adoption of GBL in Brazil are: "environmental protection mechanisms"; "costs and return on investment"; "mistrust of the benefits from GBL"; "corporate and public awareness"; "maturity and market economics"; and the "project, construction, and operation of green buildings". • The paper develop a model of barriers to adoption of green buildings labels in Brazil. • The paper present the technique of Validated Interpretative Structural Modeling. • The technique can help exploratory research with small sample sizes. • ISM models with circular and cross relationships can be validated. • Environmental protection mechanisms and costs hinder green buildings labels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the significance of international conferences for higher education institutions (HEIs)’ promotion of sustainability. The paper has undertaken a detailed review of the scientific literature on strategies of HEIs to promote sustainability, hence identifying eight HEIs strategies that these institutions can adopt to become more sustainable (developing an Institutional Agenda, promoting Research, improving Teaching, enhancing green Campus Operations, stimulating community Outreach, and promoting Knowledge Dissemination). Based on this review, and focusing on knowledge dissemination, particularly on the academic events (conferences, seminars and workshops), 69 international academic conferences on sustainability were selected for analysis (from 2012 to 2016). From these conferences 21 proved suitable for a text mining analysis due to the data availability - i.e. articles published online. These articles were organized and submitted to the Collocations Extraction process, creating a list of important terms for each conference, based on their frequency in the articles. Furthermore, the relevance of these terms was tested using the Google Trends tool, to evidence the frequency of their Google searching. Finally, two conferences were selected for a more in-depth analysis, exploring their results and contributions (REGSA and LINKS conferences) to promote sustainability. The main results of the paper outline that international conferences have become important HEIs’ strategies to promote various issues of sustainability, through sharing knowledge, experiences, projects, initiatives and methods. It can be noticed a high interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary character of these events, illustrated by the multitude of promoted topics and participation, but also an increasing interest to actively involve stakeholders in discussing and promoting sustainability and sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alternative fuel vehicles (AFV) are a promising alternative to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the transportation sector and ultimately, to contribute to a more sustainable society. Within the current commitments of the Brazilian Government to international agreements, in terms of emissions reductions by 2030, some new policies have been implemented, in order to incentivize the diffusion of AFV in the country. Yet, how will these policies contribute to the goal of increasing its fleet in the long-term, how long will it take and what are the differences (if any) among the policies, in terms of their effectiveness, are questions that remain unanswered. In this sense, the main aim of this paper is to investigate the impact of public policies in the long-term diffusion dynamics of AFV in Brazil. In order to do so, a system dynamics model is developed, based on the Generalized Bass Diffusion model, the Cobb-Douglas function and the learning curve theory. The model is used to test four different policies and some uncertainties related to: (i) the exemption of the import duty; (ii) the reduction of the motor vehicle property tax; (iii) the exemption of the tax on manufacturing goods; and (iv) a banning regulation for internal combustion engine vehicles in the long-term. The results highlight the importance of the current incentive policies but at the same time call for reinforcing efforts in order to increase the AFV fleet to significant values by 2030. Conversely, the banning regulation obtains a higher diffusion rate, but only achieves significant values by 2060. The paper concludes by showing the main contributions and policy implications of the effectiveness of the four policies studied as well as some suggestions for future work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2015, the United Nation (UN) launched 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) as part of an Agenda to be achieved by 2030. The target is having a global plan of action, aiming at universal peace and social and environmental justice. For this, 169 goals were drawn. The objective of this research is to discuss the congruence between mining activity and the SDG, starting from experiences of the scientific literature and the observation of one mining activity. For this purpose, the Web of Science and Scopus databases were used, with the keywords "sustainable development goals" and "mining". The Coordination of Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES) Portal was used to search papers that relate each one of the SDG to mining. Visits were made to three crushed stone mining industries, located in Monsenhor Gil, Piauí, Brazil, in order to follow the production process of the diabase mineral. From the research in the literature, it was possible to verify that there are several possibilities of reaching the 17 SDG in the mining sector, such as in the promotion of jobs (SDG 8), contributing to the reduction of poverty (SDG 1) and hunger (SDG 2), among others. From the visits, it was observed that the compliance with SDG related to the promotion of jobs, the improvement of income for community's residents, and the infrastructure of the environment are common to all mining or business activities that reach remote and poor areas. This is clear when identifying mining regions that have lost their economic importance once the local development ceases. If the visited industries left the place, it would cause great loss to the residents that depend on them for their jobs. There is a small number of women on the staff, setting up disrespect for SDG 5 regarding the achievement of gender equality. The nature of the activity itself does not justify the asymmetry that possibly happened under the influence of a sexist culture that imposes what is a man's job or a woman's job. Another point is the lack of investment in inclusive education for employees and for residents of the region. In addition, these industries do not recover the degraded areas, compromising the achievement of SDG 13, in regard to combat climate change and its impacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fundamental differences between the dimensions of sustainable development have been identified by researchers and many assessment tools have been developed in several countries. This paper introduces the development of a methodology for determining the weight of each dimension employed in sustainable construction assessment through the use of assessment tools that use the Brazilian indicators of sustainable development in accordance with the Commission on Sustainable Development, and also through the utilization of a database provided by the Brazilian Geography and Statistics Institute (IBGE). Firstly, the Sustainability Panel tool was employed to reveal separately the status of dimensions in sustainable development (environmental, social and economic) and then it was made a statistical analysis of the results for each region in Brazil (north, northeast, midwest, southeast and south). The solution presented in this paper aims to reduce the inconsistencies found in the adjustments of the assessment tools considering regional differences based on political actions included in governmental agencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During almost 20 years of political debate on the nature of Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES), these schemes have been characterized mostly as a non-market approach, even though attempts to transform them into market instruments has persistently recurred in these debates. One notable example is the materialization of Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) in Brazil, where a sustainable development discourse dominates national forest governance at the expense of a carbon commodification discourse. This research paper adopts a Foucauldian approach to plot the epistemological foundations of the market logics that still influence REDD+ institutionalization in Brazil to a large extent and thereby reproduce what we define as a ruptured dependence on nature. More specifically, we recognize ruptured dependence in the three building blocks of market instruments, namely singularization, monetary valuation and appropriation. Our analysis shows that REDD+ institutions have retained the singularization and monetary valuation of emission reductions, even though the appropriation processes have rejected the possibility of exchange and instead emphasized the national ownership of emission reductions. However, appropriation remains a highly politicized process that is sensitive to criticism and open to calls for alternative approaches that are closer to ruptured dependence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The objective of this paper is to test a procedure for assessing the adoption of sustainable practices in higher education technological institutions services, known as institutes of technology and polytechnic universities. The model, named Sustainability Assessment for Higher Technological Education (SAHTE), consists of 134 criteria that cover five aspects: 1) Governance/Policies, 2) People, 3) Food, 4) Energy/Water, 5) Waste/Environment. This structure is based on international frameworks and standards as GRI, AISHE, SAQ, GreenMetric, Green Report Card, and Campus Ecology. Seven higher technological education institutions are studied, providing data for testing the SAHTE model, as well as auditing the adoption of sustainability practices. The case studies, besides direct observations and document analysis, collected data from 170 interviews to faculty, staff, and students, and they show the lack of governmental incentives toward sustainability in Higher Education Institutions (HEI). Although, there is no external incentives that contribute for the adoption of best practices as green offices, the studied institutions show isolated initiatives that mostly are related to solid waste management. There is a consensus among the studied HEI directives that their educational programs does not address properly sustainability issues, which create a barrier for the academic community to perceive the importance to develop a sustainability model for managing HEI institutions. Sustainability in these organizations could be approached in the perspective of service operations and connect their contribution to value creation. In turn, that hinders the implementation of selective waste collection, for instance, a basic service operation that is still incipient in at least six of the seven institutions analyzed. In technological education, the correct treatment and disposal of laboratory waste offer a great opportunity to raise awareness among students, collaborators, and the community while preparing students for situations they will possibly face in companies. The results obtained by the SAHTE model may be useful for planning and developing policies concerning sustainable development, especially in service operations at the HEI examined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This research paper identifies and quantifies the main criteria that define Corporate Sustainability (CS) based on data from large Brazilian companies participating in B3 (Brasil , Bolsa , Balcão), the Brazilian stock exchange. The data is derived from the 2015/2016 Corporate Sustainability Index (ISE) report. Initially, we applied Principal Component Analysis (PCA) on a sample comprised of sixty companies. Then, we organized and classified the scores for each criterion. Doing so, we are able to create a list of eighteen preponderant CS criteria, with respective components and dimensions. This list can be used as a reference for academic or practitioner studies. Notwithstanding, the main contribution of the present research is to unveil the inefficiency with which the social dimension is managed on CS issues. This gap related to the difficulties of assess and valuate social actions invites new studies on the way these aspects are being addressed on corporate level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Higher education institutes (HEIs) have made a deep commitment to prioritizing sustainable development (SD). Their task is to support practices that improve conditions in societies with respect to ecological, economic, and social issues, e.g., tackling the wicked problems of the world. In this case study, which took place at Feevale University (Feevale), Brazil, and at Häme University of Applied Sciences (HAMK), Finland, the following topics were studied: (1) whether there are international and national SD steering policies that might be relevant to higher education development in these particular universities; (2) whether this steering has impacted HEI's own SD policy and steering; (3) whether such in-house operations are affecting SD content within curricula; and (4) how a pedagogic approach influences the incidence of SD-oriented content at the bachelor's degree level. The analysis of policy level data was based on international and national policy papers recognized separately in both universities. As an indicator of the university's level of commitment to sustainability activities, we measured the incidence level of UNECE's SD themes in the curriculum. A hermeneutical approach was applied to the analysis to demonstrate possible systemic interactions between (inter)national SD policy and SD education at HEIs. At HAMK, some evidence was found of a national level top-down steering process in the university's SD activities. At Feevale, the enhancing of SD education is more of a bottom-up process. International steering appeared to be weak in both universities. The study uses unique quantitative data to show how the incidence of SD content in the curriculum is related to the pedagogical approach in each university [content (Feevale) vs. competence (HAMK)]. It was concluded that differences in national SD steering policy and pedagogical approach in the HEI led to divergent curricula structures in relation to the volume of the SD education between the two HEIs. Regardless of such a divergence, an appropriate balance between epistemic and ethical SD competences should be guaranteed for all bachelors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The consolidation of the biorefinery concept has the potential to contribute to the sustainable development of agro-industrial regions, particularly in developing countries. The industrial symbiosis (IS) approach can leverage this potential through industrial cooperation, fostering new businesses, innovation and job creation coupled with reduced environmental impacts. We argue that coupling the biorefinery concept and the IS approach would invigorate traditionally agricultural regions, relying on endogenous vocation to promote sustainability. The purpose of this study is to examine the potential for development of an agro-industrial symbiosis network (ISN) from the construction of a biorefinery in the Norte Fluminense region (Brazil) – a region that has become highly dependent on oil & gas revenues but still has a tradition in agriculture and agro-industry. In this paper, we present the scenario analysis performed to design the agro ISN and an initial quantification of potential benefits. Four scenarios were developed (reference, short, mid and long terms) with the support of a synergy matrix and material flow analysis. Eighteen waste streams were identified and sixteen were addressed through the scenarios. In the long-term scenario, 14 productive activities could compose the agro-industrial symbiosis network, 8 of them as newcomers. “Quick-wins” were identified as residues in the reference scenario (CO 2 , fusel oil and used yeast) that could be absorbed by industries currently operating in the region. The emission of respectively 350 thousand and 55 thousand tonnes per year of solid waste and CO 2 would be avoided in the long term. Also, the production of succinic acid would provide additional revenue of at least US$19 per tonne of bagasse, adding higher value to the feedstock in comparison to electricity production. This study can prompt current recycling regulation towards multi-sectorial arrangements, which can better contribute to regional resilience than the single-sector reverse logistics’ arrangements that became recently mandatory with the National Policy on Solid Waste. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A constant evolution in the efficiency of production systems and government policies has enabled the control of the environmental impact of production activities and encouraged companies to develop strategies to achieve more sustainable operations. Despite this, more needs to be done to reduce the risks of globalised production activities. In this context, evidence suggests that Lean Manufacturing (LM) and Cleaner Production (CP) make a positive contribution to the environmental performance of organizations. However, very little has been reported in the scholarly literature regarding the convergence and divergence of these two approaches. This work therefore attempts to take advantage of the synergies of LM and CP by proposing a Lean Cleaner Production Benchmarking (LCPB) method to assess the practices and culture regarding the application of CP in companies. The method considers the management aspects of people, information, products, suppliers and customers, management and processes, as well as the LM practices that contribute to a more eco-efficient production. LCPB uses a methodology based on benchmarking that was applied to 16 Brazilian manufacturing companies in order to assess their practices and performances regarding CP. The method seeks to provide a diagnosis to verify whether CP is effectively carried out by the companies, and what their performances are regarding actions beneficial to the environment. The application of LM practices that contribute to CP was also evaluated through the proposed LCPB method. The paper contributes to the theory by proving further evidence of the compatibility and synergies of LM and CP. In addition, it proposes a novel method that enables the analysis of companies' practices and performances related to CP, assesses their actions associated with sustainability, and contributes to identifying points where there is a lack and difficulty regarding CP. The proposed method helps to relate LM and CP activities, indicating that companies that seek to apply LM concepts are those that present high CP practices and performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crop-livestock-forest (CLFi) and crop-livestock (CLi) systems are among the most recent agricultural developments in Brazil, and aligned with the principles of cleaner production. Such integrated systems can provide at least three types of product from the same land area over a defined period. This paper presents a holistic sustainability evaluation using life cycle assessment to compare combinations of integrated and conventional systems in the Brazilian Cerrado region. The study assesses a comprehensive set of indicators in the three sustainability dimensions: environmental, economic, and social (socio-eco-efficiency). By prioritizing CLFi, the production area to meet the demand of grains, meat and energy for 500 Brazilians, from 2007 to 2014, reached 70 ha, while the conventional systems would need 420 ha to meet the same demand. This result shows that it is possible to increase production to meet the growing food global demand without the need of expanding the agricultural frontier, preserving the remaining forestland. CLFi combinations systems decreased 55% in climate change potential (2389 t of CO 2 equivalent), when compared to the conventional systems. It was also observed that the more integrated systems improved the quality of employment, promoted future generation investments in society, and decreased the total production costs in 54%, when compared to conventional systems. Therefore, intensification achieved through good practices such as association, rotation, and succession by an agroforestry system, optimization of inputs (including water, energy, fertilizers, and crop protection agents), land use, soil quality, biodiversity and social aspects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper presents the first findings of an ongoing multi-national research project between universities in Brazil, Chile and the UK funded by the UK Economic and Social Science Research Council (ESRC) and the Department for International Development (DFID). The Choices project seeks to analyse contextual understandings and practices of ethical consumption in Chile and Brazil. In a further step, it explores how ethical consumption and public procurement can be associated and used to foster sustainable development. The paper presents the outcomes of the first stage of the project, an extensive literature review considering the developing trends towards “ethical”, “sustainable”, “responsible” and “conscious” consumption in both countries. Chile and Brazil are former developing countries, and although they both now have growing ethical consumption movements, we argue that these are shaped by the specificities of each country's political, economic and institutional trajectories. In one case, Chile, ethical consumption has arisen from market forces, with lead actors being companies, consultancies and citizen and consumer organizations. Brazil, on the other hand, provides also a very interesting case for studying how ethical consumption is embedded in another Latin American context: it has a larger state sector and a domestic market size to give the state, and thus the consecutive centre-left governments, great regulatory power, since it can control firms' access to this market. Both cases showed the increasing role of corporate social responsibility discourses and practices interfacing with concepts of ethical consumption. As a consequence, the paper identifies a risk of firstly, “greenwash” and “whitewash” by large companies and secondly, of having small producers struggling to market their products. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The Amazon rainforest is one of the world''s greatest natural wonders and holds great importance and significance for the world''s environmental balance. Around 60% of the Amazon rainforest is located in the Brazilian territory. The two biggest states of the Amazon region are Amazonas (the upper Amazon) and Pará (the lower Amazon), which together account for around 73% of the Brazilian Legal Amazon, and are the only states that are serviced by international airports in Brazil''s north region. The purpose of this paper is to model and forecast sustainable international tourism demand for the states of Amazonas, Pará, and the aggregate of the two states. By sustainable tourism is meant a distinctive type of tourism that has relatively low environmental and cultural impacts. Economic progress brought about by illegal wood extraction and commercial agriculture has destroyed large areas of the Amazon rainforest. The sustainable tourism industry has the potential to contribute to the economic development of the Amazon region without destroying the rainforest. The paper presents unit root tests for monthly and annual data, estimates alternative time series models and conditional volatility models of the shocks to international tourist arrivals, and provides forecasts for 2006 and 2007. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper aims to evaluate the perception of experts on the contribution of the Brazilian industrial sector in terms of sustainable development, focusing in particular on three of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) presented by United Nations (UN). A survey was conducted with professionals from Brazilian industry in order to identify their perceptions. It obtained sixty one answers and the collected data was evaluated technically and descriptively by TOPSIS analysis. It was found that Brazil has been carrying out some relevant actions, both sporadic and planned, with significant opportunities for improvement. Comparatively, the most cited contributions are those related to increasing productivity and technological modernization, which contributes to the inclusion of young people in the labor market, improving resource efficiency and the minimization of environmental degradation. Conversely, the least cited contributions are those related to the stimulation of sustainable consumption and negotiation with small companies. Therefore, the authors believe that the findings of this research could be useful for professionals and academics as guidance. It is also important to mention that no similar paper was found with an academic basis, which reinforces the originality and the contribution of this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Rational use of water can be a powerful tool to promote sustainability on university campuses. Other than resource and financial savings, it aims to support technological and behavior innovation towards a more balanced relationship between human activities and nature. This work reports on a water saving program case study, led by a research group at a university in the northeast of Brazil. It describes and discusses methods used and results obtained. From 1999 to 2008 the program reduced per capita water use by half at the university. It has brought significant resource savings to the institution. Internal results foster the implementation of cooperative projects between the university and public and private partners. All these projects involve engineers, social workers and undergraduate students from different courses. However, internal and external results have been insufficient to guarantee the internalization of the program in routine activities of the university. The permanence of the program still depends on the research group that created and manages it. The paper also presents the difficulties faced in sustaining a program like this at a Brazilian university and discusses future action to be taken to achieve the program's goals. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The Brazilian experience of more than three decades in the development and production of fuel ethanol from sugarcane has been an example of the technical and institutional requirements for the sustainable development of second generation ethanol (lignocellulosic ethanol) production. The main goal of this paper is to demonstrate the positive sugarcane conditions for the development of second generation ethanol. In order to do that, different industrial scenarios are considered to discuss technical and economic aspects of present and future sugarcane biorefineries. Furthermore, a carbon balance is performed to assess the added value to the carbon present in different sugarcane biorefinery products. The current Brazilian sugarcane production, which is processed in more than 400 mills, is around 600 Tg y−1, occupying an area of 78,000 km2. It can supply 84 Tg of bagasse at no cost and about 42 Tg of trash, which can be processed as a lignocellulosic material for ethanol production or other higher added value products in a biorefinery – as carbon balance results showed that a biorefinery is able to add value to the carbon presented in the sugarcane – using second generation technologies. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: As the concept of sustainable development is more accepted and incorporated by institutions, it becomes necessary to evaluate the performance of the national economy based on new methods and not only on economic indicators. Despite the importance of sustainability to the preservation of natural ecosystems and services, there is no agreement in the world scientific community concerning a methodology to evaluate that concept. In the last decade, two scientific tools have been extensively used worldwide to measure the human impact on nature: Ecological Footprint and Emergy Synthesis. Papers trying to combine them, and to obtain more accurate results have appeared in scientific literature, of which approach is an important one. Unfortunately, some weak points of the original methods still remain in the new approaches proposed. The objective of this work is to discuss some weak points found in the Ecological Footprint and Emergy Synthesis and to use the positive aspects and potential improvements from both methodologies at a national level. Emergy deals with the notion that all energy that is used directly and indirectly in a process to deliver an output product, flow or service should be accounted for. A new definition for Biocapacity was introduced meaning “the natural area''s capacity of receiving renewable energy”, rather than “usable biomass” as proposed by the conventional Ecological Footprint methodology. The questions to be answered by the proposed methodology are how much land would be equivalent to consumption, if products were generated solely by the use of natural renewable resources (Emergetic Footprint), and how much land would be available in the system considering world''s average capacity of receiving renewable energy (Emergetic Renewable Biocapacity). A new category called “areas not occupied by humans” is included in the Biocapacity. It is composed of open ocean, deserts and frozen land (areas excluded from the conventional Footprint method). Footprint or consumption means the load imposed by humans on the environment and was grouped in categories: cropland, forestry, animal products and energy resources. Ecological Fooptrint using Emergy was used to assess Brazil as a case study, resulting in a Biocapacity of 62.2ghaperson−1 and a Footprint of 41.9ghaperson−1, using data from 2004. The positive aspects of the approach proposed are: (i) its ease of application at global and national scales; (ii) the indicator of consumption (Footprint) accounts for the direct and indirect energy used to generate products and services; (iii) a new category considering areas excluded from the conventional method was included in the Biocapacity calculation, which can be a valid step towards the evaluation and assessment of services provided by nature. On the other hand, the approach has as main limitations: (i) it is not possible to make comparisons between the Biocapacity and Footprint for each category; (ii) there is a need for a handbook with well-explained calculations of emergy intensity factors. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Equating eco-efficiency with the business link to sustainable development is clearly limited, especially with the new paradigms brought up by Corporate Social Responsibility, which has shown that the private sector’s contribution to sustainable development can go far beyond the sphere of pollution control. It is necessary to give eco-efficiency a broader meaning so that it can support the quest for sustainable development. This requires the inclusion of social aspects, leading to a kind of eco-social efficiency. The present paper illustrates this idea by comparing Brazilian production and use of ethanol from sugarcane, in the context of the National Alcohol Program (Proalcool), with biodiesel production and use, in the context of the Biodiesel National Program (PNPB). Despite the problems presented, PNPB was designed to encourage companies to align productivity concerns with social ones, what could be the beginning of the here called eco-social efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) was originally tailored for restructuring rules and values regarding environmental protection, through interdisciplinary work. EIA has developed as a tool for decision-making for the implementation of projects which potentially pose significant environmental impacts. This paper reviews the sustainability and interdisciplinarity assumptions inherent in EIA. It illustrates through a case study of a proposed landfill extension in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, that these principles can arise more from informal knowledge processes than from legal ones. It can be shown that interdisciplinarity is often misunderstood as multidisciplinarity or simple knowledge clustering, and sustainability has no common definition amongst EIA practitioners, but that there predominates an understanding which delivers weak sustainability, driven primarily by social and economic goals. The conclusion is that EIA cannot achieve the original vision set out in the world''s first legislation adopted in 1970 unless a learning-organization approach is taken whereby: the critical role of informal knowledge is recognized; informal knowledge is properly managed by EIA teams to engender a common understanding of sustainable development goals; interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary working practices are adopted. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The process of raising public awareness around the world concerning the need to apply criteria of sustainable development was basically set in motion at the Rio de Janeiro Summit in 1992. There it was decided that the most suitable context for fostering the process is the local level, and the Local Action Plan forms a basic element in this process. Some preliminary studies have shown the evidence of great advancement in the creation of Local Action Plans in municipalities. However, their execution is frequently paralyzed by a lack of necessary resources and suitable State policies. The aim of this paper is to verify the effect that different factors might have on the degree of progress made by the Local Action Plan in the municipalities of the European Union. The results show that the public works policies of the EU and the governments of the member states fail to impact the level of commitment of municipal governments; however, when the supporting policy originates from administrations closer to the municipality and are made concrete in the form of economic support and technical advice, they prove to be relevant. Strictly political factors, such as stability, have a more limited yet significant effect on the execution of Local Action Plans. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]