FIEPA announces sustainability commitments at the Industry Innovation and Sustainability Summit.

The Amazonian industry aims to leave an important legacy that goes beyond COP30. The Federation of Industries of the State of Pará (FIEPA) presented, this Tuesday, the 18th, at the SESI Creative Industry House, a set of commitments aimed at strengthening the socio-bioeconomy, combating deforestation and illegal burning, and consolidating the circular economy as a structuring axis of the productive sector. The announcements were made during the Industry Innovation and Sustainability Summit, an event that brought together business leaders, authorities, experts, and various partner institutions.

The meeting, held in partnership with the National Confederation of Industry (CNI), is part of the COP+ Journey, a multi-sectoral movement led by FIEPA. During the program, the three structuring programs that will permanently comprise the Federation were announced: the Socio-bioeconomy Program, the Program to Support the Fight Against Deforestation and Illegal Burning, and the Circular Economy Program.

The Summit also marked the launch of the Guide to Sustainable Practices for the Amazon Industry, developed by the COP+ Journey with a focus on guiding small and medium-sized enterprises on possible paths for adopting sustainable production models. The material brings together guidelines, concepts and suggestions for good practices aligned with contemporary environmental and social demands, and is available on the COP+ Journey website.

Alex Carvalho, president of FIEPA and the COP+ Journey, explained that the material was developed to especially support micro and small businesses.

“This guide translates ESG to the Amazonian reality, bringing together tools, support programs, methodologies, certifications, and mechanisms capable of making our companies more competitive, more transparent, and more resilient,” he stated. He also highlighted the strategic role of the Amazon in the global climate agenda. “The guide shows how the Amazonian context, with its unique biodiversity, its environmental challenges, and its economic opportunities, can drive a development model based on low carbon, conservation, and innovation,” he said.

Deryck Martins, technical coordinator of the COP+ Conference, reinforced the need to expand access to information and strengthen industries' preparedness for environmental and productive transformations. "The idea is to think of sustainability as a competitive advantage. The market already demands this, and it will increasingly become part of industries' business," he stated.

Marcello Brito, executive secretary of the Legal Amazon Consortium, highlighted the importance of ongoing dialogue between government, businesses, and society for the advancement of socio-environmental policies. “This dialogue has already yielded results. More than 30,000 people, organized and contributing, participated in our actions throughout the state,” he stated.

Combating deforestation and wildfires

Among the announcements, the Program to Combat Illegal Deforestation and Burning stood out, starting this year and continuing until 2030. The initiative involves industries and agro-industries in Pará and is structured in three stages: diagnosis, to map illegalities and calculate the economic losses generated by predatory practices; engagement, with the participation of companies from sectors directly linked to production, such as meat, timber, and grains; and direct action, with the identification of critical points of deforestation and burning and the sending of this information to the competent authorities.

Francisco Victer, president of the FIEPA's Thematic Council for Legislative Affairs and leader of the initiative, described the program as "a historic step by the productive sector in confronting deforestation and illegal burning. Today, industry and agribusiness recognize that it is not enough to avoid predatory practices; it is necessary to act actively to combat them. We are committing to identifying irregularities, supporting control actions, and showing, with data, that sustainable production is not only possible but also economically more advantageous. By combating deforestation, we contribute directly to reducing emissions, protecting the Amazon, and strengthening the competitiveness of the sector itself," he stated.

Sociobioeconomy as a strategic path

The Sociobioeconomy Program, developed in partnership with the Bem da Amazônia Institute and the Center for Advanced Amazonian Studies of the Federal University of Pará (NAEA/UFPA), aims to strengthen policies and businesses that value the standing forest and the Amazonian peoples.

The initiative includes diagnosing industrial production and bioeconomy jobs, conducting in-depth studies on the sector's economic, social, and environmental impacts, creating a georeferenced digital platform to map value chains, and producing reports to guide strategic decisions by public and private managers.

The program will also include a Bioeconomy Observatory, focused on the constant monitoring of the sector, using a methodology developed by Professor Francisco de Assis Costa (NAEA/UFPA).

Circularity as a permanent policy

Another announced legacy was the Circular Economy Program, which will now be permanently integrated into FIEPA's agenda. The initiative aims to work with public authorities in formulating reverse logistics and solid waste management policies. The program includes mapping and disseminating good industrial practices, as well as training and support actions for implementing circularity solutions.

During the presentation, Deryck Martins explained that the Circular Economy represents a structural change in the production model. "The circular economy allows us to anticipate this scenario, innovate, and build new solutions, from the origin of the material to its reintegration into the production chain," he stated.

Martins also emphasized that the program was structured to function in an integrated way with the existing ecosystem within the Federation. "The idea is not to create a parallel environment, but rather to strengthen what we already have, working with the other FIEPA System organizations and strategic partners to accelerate the adoption of circular practices and build a solid governance model," he said.

A Working Group will also be created in partnership with SEMAS, responsible for directly developing and regulating standards that strengthen the circular economy in the state, especially with regard to reverse logistics and waste treatment.