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Summary

 Brazilian and foreign researchers discussed, for three days (21, 22 and 23 November, 2007) at the University Paulista (Campus Indianópolis), The Role of the Cleaner Production (CP) in the Sustainable Development of Modern Societies, during the 1st Workshop International Workshop on Advances in Cleaner Production.

The international event was organized by the Postgraduate Program in Production Engineering (PPGEP-UNIP), master and doctorate, and counted with the partnership of the Paulista CP Roundtable, (forum with participation of CETESB, SABESP, FIESP, CIESP, SENAI and IPT among others), Brazilian Association of Production Engineering (ABEPRO) and the Journal of Cleaner Production, which is the most important scientific publication in the area.

The efforts of the Vice-Dean of Post-Graduate Studies and Research of UNIP for the success of the International Workshop are responsible for the infrastructure, including teachers and students of the Tourism course, integrating the Support Committee of the Workshop, and the UNIP Chorus, which provided a masterly presentation. The financial and institutional support received from FAPESP, FINEP, CNPq, SABESP and the Brazilian Navy was remarkable.

The Organizing Committee considered the first international workshop held in Brazil was extremely productive, reaching fully its seven (7) goals. 

(1) The purpose of academic information exchange has been fully achieved. It was a significant number of participating academic institutions (111 universities and faculties). Seventy-five (75) academic contributions were presented. The quality of the work presented resulted in an invitation by the Journal of Cleaner Production (JCP), for a special issue of the journal containing the papers presented at the Workshop.

(2) Presentations of recent achievements in CP were made by a significant number of companies. Seventeen (17) cases of success were presented in oral form and twelve (12) plenary sessions reporting institutional cases also were part of the activities. The event provided the contact between academic knowledge and corporate experience (63 companies in the industrial sector and 51 public sector companies sent participants to the event).

(3) The sharing of knowledge between more developed and emerging economies was another of the goals achieved. Example of this was the participation of the invited speakers: Donald Huisingh, editor-in-chief of the JCP and senior scientist on sustainable development at the University of Tennessee (USA); Jeffrey Burke, executive director of the United States National Pollution Prevention Roundtable (NPPR); Pedro Ochoa George, professor at the University of Cienfuegos (Cuba); Gilberto Huet de Bacellar Sobrinho, advisor of the Environment Management, Department of Ports and Coasts of the Brazilian Navy; Osvaldo Luiz Gonçalves Quelhas, president of ABEPRO and associate professor of the Federal Fluminense University and Fernando Cardozo Fernandes Rei, president of Sâo Paulo’s environmental agency, CETESB. Fernando Rei received a tribute, offered by the of the event organizing committee, for his contribution to the dissemination of CP concepts in Brazil

(4) The discussion of common problems and routing of solutions was extensively covered by the plenary sessions, oral presentations, workshops, and the meeting promoted by the Ministry of Environment (MMA). At the workshop working groups were formed to discuss attitudes needed to contribute to sustainable development in modern societies. This activity was coordinated by the editor-in-chief of the JCP and co-directed by the executive director of NPPR-USA. Fifty-nine (59) participants of the workshop, from the most varied sectors, were invited to reflect and answer the following questions: (A) What is the significance of a sustainable society? (B) What are the practices of the present society which need to be changed? (C) What can be done to make progress towards a sustainable society? and (D) How progress towards a sustainable society can be measured? What types of indicators can be used?

(5) The increase in international relationship through individual and institutional contact was a goal achieved. In the event, an agreement of cooperation between the UNIP and UCf (University of Cienfuegos) of Cuba was solemnly signed.

(6) The meeting of Paulista Roundtable members and the MMA has happened in specific sessions: in the forum sponsored by the MMA, with twelve (12) State Environmental Foundations, and the Meeting directed especially to the Paulista Roundtable, coordinated by the Executive Director of NPPR U.S.

(7) The deepening of the discussion in the fundamental theme of the event, The role of Cleaner Production in the Sustainable Development of Modern Societies, was the central concern of the event.