University of Évora | Weekly Register
Sustainability is increasingly central to value chains around the world, and a key theme in business orientation, strategy planning and public policy, and in motivating consumer purchasing decisions. According to the Brundtland Report’s best-known definition of sustainable development: “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”, sustainability is linked to economic growth, social equity, food security, and ecology (protection of natural resources). However, the complexity and breadth of the concept, and its specific dimensions and facets, mean that it can be vague, analyzed and interpreted from different perspectives, and a great current challenge due to the difficulty of application in practical terms.
While many of the chemical and physical phenomena related to sustainability can be generically quantifiable, others, such as social, cultural, environmental and landscape issues (immaterial values), are subjective and can be affected by particular territorial conditions. Hence the importance of defining the key elements of sustainability of Alentejo olive oil, a process that, although complex, will serve as a technical guide for increasingly sustainable socioeconomic and environmental management systems, linked to premium quality production and a recognized and remunerated context of biodiversity conservation in accordance with the provisions of the European Union’s New Green Deal and the United Nations’ Agenda 2030. To this end, the Alentejo Olive Oil Sustainability Program (PSAA) is being developed, a recently approved project whose main promoter is Olivum – Associação de Olivicultores e Lagares de Portugal, in partnership with the University of Évora and CONSULAI.
In the case of the team of researchers from the University of Évora, the PSAA comes in the wake of lessons learned with the PSVA (Sustainability Program of the Wines of the Alentejo), which follows the same philosophy, principles and purposes of supporting the improvement of environmental, social and economic performance of the main relevant activities of the region (in this case olive oil), promoting knowledge and recognition of sustainability performance as a tool for responding to market opportunities and needs and for the global affirmation of the Alentejo brand. To the multidisciplinary team from the University of Évora and the knowledge and experience with the PSVA, specialists in other areas such as Natural and Cultural Heritage, Biodiversity and Climate Neutrality were added.
The olive oil sector in the region, although known for relevant investments in modernization and good productive and qualitative results and yields, in the investment in new technologies and renewable energies, and in the incentive to job creation, faces urgent challenges related to the promotion of competitiveness through best practices and aggregation of market value, and an intelligent communication that advances the image and value of Alentejo olive oil, with reference to all the pillars of sustainability. The main objectives of the PSAA are: i) support all stakeholders in improving the environmental, social and economic performance of olive growing; (ii) to promote the sustainability of olive oils in the region and their recognition in the market; and (iii) develop a tool to induce, measure and monitor the sustainability performance of Alentejo olive oil and meet market demand. The reference of sustainability of the Azeito do Alentejo, the distinct areas of intervention and the different criteria and levels of sustainability are being defined within the framework of the PSAA, in a joint work and a participative and inclusive approach by the Academy (University of Évora), Olivum and its associates, CONSULAI and other economic agents, entities, researchers and stakeholders in the theme. Identifying cooperation and coopetition needs and opportunities that foster a favorable business environment and induce competitiveness and value addition, are additional objectives of the PSAA. The ultimate purpose of the PSAA is to have a quality certificate that attests that the region’s olive oils are produced in a sustainable way in the economic-social-environmental dimensions, that they contribute to regional development, and that they are recognized and valued in the markets for their good practices.
November 30, 2022
