Under the theme 'Sustainability', João Bessa, Technology Manager at Fibrenamics, began by explaining the impact of materials on society, explaining some sustainable development strategies, touching, in particular, on the strategies of circular economy and bioeconomy.

At a later stage of the webinar, during the discussion time, João Bessa mentioned that, although there is a greater sensitivity on the part of companies concerning environmental sustainability, largely driven by both the media and legislative pressure, there is still a need to change the mindset of the Portuguese business environment.

In this line of thought, an imminent danger arises from Greenwashing. This method often practiced successfully, seeks, in short, to take advantage of the increased public interest in environmental issues to stimulate or maintain the number of business transactions, without the entity in question adopting environmentally-friendly measures. 
To combat this danger, Luísa Magalhães, Executive Director of the Smart Waste Portugal Association, advocates the need to clarify information and raise awareness among companies, to help them give the correct destination to their waste and change the operating methods of the entire value chain.

Simultaneously, another point listed was the existing barriers to the circular economy. About them, Luísa Magalhães pointed out the excessive legislation for the use of recycled materials in industry; the excessive waiting time; the unjustified cost for SMEs; the lack of financial incentives for companies, and the existence of an erroneous stigma about the lack of confidence in recycled materials, as the main barriers to this theme.

Regarding the role of Associations such as Fibrenamics and Smart Waste Portugal in society, Luísa Magalhães concluded:

"Our role as an Association is to promote empowerment and innovation, fostering collaboration between universities, associations, companies, and consumers."

Watch the full webinar on 'Sustainability' here.