Faculty of Engineering: another step on the path to Sustainability

Another step on the path to Sustainability

Text: Helena Peixoto Photo: reserved rights

Ever since its early days, the Faculty of Engineering has been sensitive to contribute for sustainable development balance – indeed, being the first higher education institution in the country to produce its own Sustainability Report. It has now made another commitment towards a more sustainable world and is among a group of pioneering institutions who have together formed “a Governmentthe Pact and one of the five pioneering higher education

supported collaborative innovation platform” to encourage the creation of a circular economy for plastics.

In February 2020, a total of 55 organizations undertook to join this government-signed commitment to set up “a collaborative innovation platform, united by a common vision of a circular economy for plastics in Portugal, whereby of the Sea, as well as being under the High Patronage

they never become waste.” The various signatories included agents in the plastics value chain and NGOs together with several academic associations and institutions, including the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto (FEUP).

Openly collaborative, the Portuguese Plastics Pact aims to lead by example and serve as an inspiration in the transitional movement from plastics to a circular economy. To this end, the signatory bodies pledge to undertake actions that by 2025 will enable all newly manufactured plastic to incorporate, on average, 30% recycled plastic in new packaging and guarantee that 70% of used packaging is effectively recycled, through A further aim is to ensure that, by 2025, all plastics used in packaging are reusable, recyclable or compostable – an undertaking that involves “the entire industry, from production to distribution”. Another highlight is the commitment to draw up a list of all unnecessary singleuse plastics and a plan for their disposal, promoting redesign, reuse and new ways of delivering products.

The Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto, under its Commission for Sustainability, is thus a signatory to institutions who are jointly committed to this initiative, which will strengthen continuous efforts to promote the values of sustainability and circularity promoted by FEUP.

Coordinated by the Smart Waste Portugal Association, the Portuguese Plastics Pact has the support of the Ministry of Environment and Climate Action, the Ministry of the Economy and Digital Transition, and the Ministry increased recycling and collection.

of the Presidency of the Republic, and part of the global Plastics Pact Network endorsed by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. Benefits of joining the initiative include access to an exclusive platform for exchanging knowledge, learning and best practices with other Plastic Pacts worldwide.

Charter for sustainability

In accordance with the continuous effort towards promoting the values of circularity and sustainability, at the end of October 2019, FEUP hosted the 1 st Sustainable Campus Conference (CCS 2019). Held in its Auditorium, the event involved more than 250 participants – including over 25 rectors/presidents – from Portugal’s leading Higher Education institutions. Under the slogan “Sustainable Development: Higher Education Institutions as Agents of Change”, the proceedings culminated in 28 public education institutions signing a declaration of commitment from Higher Education Institutions to sustainable development. This event, promoted by the Sustainable Campus Network and organized by FEUP’s Sustainability Commission, was also an opportunity to reflect and exchange experiences on initiatives and projects that can bring about real change in terms of campus sustainability and the adoption of new practices in people’s daily lives.

According to Ana Carla Madeira, responsible for FEUP’s Sustainability Commission, “Higher Education Institutions should inspire a ‘culture of sustainability’, seeking to function as models by incorporating the pillars of sustainability at all levels of decision making”.