Challenges and Future at the 2nd INSURE.Hub Conference
INSURE.hub seeks to be at the forefront of promoting innovation, sustainability and regeneration and as such organized its 2nd conference, where it brought together voices from different quarters of society involved in disruptive innovation processes, circular, sustainable and regenerative.
The event, which took place on November 17 at the Porto Regional Centre, was attended by MDS as a partner and presented the latest national and international developments on the topic of sustainability, innovation, and regeneration. The goal? To inspire to change, through the power of examples and the positive impact they generate in society.
João Pinto, vice-president of the Porto Regional Centre and professor at Católica Porto Business School, Manuela Pintado, professor at Escola Superior de Biotecnologia and director of the Biotechnology and Fine Chemistry Center, and António Vasconcelos, co-leader of Planetiers New Generation, opened the event. The INSURE-Hub co-leaders opened the conference with a presentation of their mission, objectives and partners, also making reference to a "new era of projects", which aim to respond to the major milestones and challenges ahead, putting into practice the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the European Ecological Pact Strategy and the goals set for Europe 2030.
João Pinto highlights the "opportunity that this project has to provide an interdisciplinary approach for partners and stakeholders" and also the importance of "articulation with ecosystems". Manuela Pintado mentioned that "this is the time for disruption and to interact with different systems" and, in this sense, the "partners are really committed to support this transformation". António Vasconcelos mentioned that it is an "honor for Planetiers to collaborate with the Porto Regional Centre" and in this way contribute "to put Portugal at the forefront of sustainability and innovation in the European Union."
"We are committed to leaving our sustainability footprint", said Peter Hanenberg, vice-rector of the Universidade Católica, during his speech that closed the morning part of the conference, which was marked by 10 academic presentations on different research topics. The vice-rector also stressed the vocation of the Catholic University campus in Porto for multidisciplinarity and the importance of the mission of INSURE.Hub, an initiative that aims to create an international ecosystem of transdisciplinary knowledge that promotes circular, sustainable and regenerative business solutions, powered by disruptive technologies.
Compromise, enthusiasm, energy
INSURE.Hub, which results from the mobilization of the Porto Regional Centre, through its Faculties - Católica Porto Business School and Faculty of Biotechnology - and Planetiers New Generation, assumes as its mission the sharing and transfer of knowledge, as an essential tool for the pursuit of the demanding task of promoting sustainability and showing innovative and differentiating paths.
"Commitment, enthusiasm and energy": for Isabel Braga da Cruz, Pró-Rector of Universidade Católica, this is what INSURE.hub is like, a vibrant international ecosystem. The president said, during the opening session of the afternoon of the conference, that there are already 50 entities involved in this initiative and also recalled that a post-graduate course in "Innovation for Sustainable & Regenerative Business" has just been launched, a training, scheduled for February 2023, which aims to prepare professionals with the knowledge and skills necessary to transform current management models and evolve towards a clean and circular economy, in accordance with the objectives of the European Ecological Pact. The president also said that the conference is another opportunity to "deeply analyze and understand these very relevant topics" and to share knowledge "that can be applied in different organizations."
The afternoon began with the presentation of different case studies, followed by the intervention of the speaker Paul Hodges, chairman of New Normal Consulting & Infinity Recycling, The World Economic Forum Global Expert, under the theme "In the wake of a perfect storm: an urgent call to Sustainable Action". Paul Hodges began by saying that he has been living in Portugal for 3 years and that he is "passionate about taking Portugal in a new direction": "renewable energies are the way forward", he stated.
The speaker also called for action and mobilization of all, stating that "Portugal has its opportunity here": "Do we want to resign or do we want to move forward? A speech that was marked by different appeals, challenges, and invitations to the adoption of renewable and alternative energies.
Building sustainability in a turbulent future. But how?
This was followed by a round table discussion on the theme "Building a robust and sustainable future in turbulent times", which included the participation of Ana Salomé Martins, Executive Board Member of Symington Family Estates; José Manuel Pereira Ribeiro, chairman of Lipor; Filipe Araújo, vice-president of Porto City Hall; Mário Vinhas - COO of MDS; and also Paul Hodges.
José Manuel Pereira Ribeiro mentioned the importance of this theme for the company of which he is president because "Lipor deals with the waste of about 1 million people". The president of Lipor also noted that "it's a shame we didn't have the opportunity to talk about sustainability 20 years ago".
Ana Salomé Martins, during her speech, noted that it is necessary to "deal with the problem as an ecosystem" and that "a systemic problem needs a systemic solution." "We are facing a great challenge," she added.
"We must all be involved," the vice president of the Porto City Council (CMP) began by mentioning. Filipe Araújo stated that "if we want to reach the 2030 goals, we have to do it together" and that in "Porto there is 70% reuse of glass and 50% to 60% of paper and plastic 20% to 30%." About plastic specifically, the CMP vice president states that "we can do much more than we are doing now."
Mário Vinhas stated that "sustainability is the middle name of MDS." "We face the need to change our culture and we will only succeed if we implement the right processes," he added. The MDS COO also noted that "change must be sustainable and rapid."
Innovation and sustainability mandatory to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050
The closing session of the event was attended by the Secretary of State for Regional Development, Isabel Ferreira: "Given the presentations today, the initiatives related to the circular economy become obvious and this is aligned with the socio-economic context". For the Secretary of State "innovation and sustainability are mandatory to achieve the goal of carbon neutrality by 2050".
"We all recognize the mandatory nature and usefulness of implementing the circular economy guidelines" and "we are all more aware of the great challenges to be overcome by 2050," she also mentioned.
No início da tarde decorreram apresentações de diferentes casos de estudo: "Inovação circular e disruptiva" (Amyris - Annie Tsong, Chief Strategy & Product Officer), "Estratégia empresarial no contexto desafiante da sustentabilidade" (SONAE - Sónia Cardoso, Head of Sustainability, SONAE SGPS), "Investimento e financiamento sustentáveis" (KPMG - Martim Santos, Senior Manager KPMG Advisory, Business Transformation and Sustainability), "Digital Transformation and Sustainable Business" (MDS - João Vieira, Director Geral de Tecnologia de Operações), "From waste into product" (LIPOR - Benedita Chaves, Chefe da Unidade de Investigação, Desenvolvimento e Inovação) e "Sustainability as a key element of Leadership" (Corticeira Amorim - Alexandra Godinho, Chefe de RH). Fez parte, também, do evento um momento musical interpretado pela Atlantic Coast Orchestra, seguido da entrega do MDS Best Papel Award, atribuído a João Almeida, mestre em Finanças pela Católica Porto Business School.
Throughout the event, different networking moments were provided to help the exchange of ideas, perspectives and knowledge, all essential conditions for progress and for the development of a more sustainable world. It is INSURE.Hub's vocation to create bridges between academia and companies and organizations. This second conference will materialize and strengthen the mission of this innovative international ecosystem.
