We recently started the series “The Business Sector and the Ocean” to discuss sustainability issues in the context of 'Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development', declared by the UN to promote actions in favor of the 2030 Agenda and the sustainability of the ocean. In this text we will address the issue of water, which is always present in business discussions, whether for water security and direct use in production processes, for the management of resources in river basins, for the development of sustainable businesses and technologies that can increase profits and reduce social impacts, or for the role of the business sector in basic sanitation issues. And in this discussion, where does the ocean fit into the business vision of the future?
To understand this connection, we need a systemic approach: businesses depend on water resources which depend on climate which is regulated by the ocean. Therefore, for a future vision of the role of water in production processes it is necessary to consider the fundamental role of the ocean in the hydrological cycle and how much impacts on ocean health will be reflected in the business sector and human health. Vision Brazil 2050 CEBDS considers acting responsibly and sustainably in relation to water and also encompasses raising awareness among all stakeholders (supplier chain, customers, consumers, governments and community) within the scope of the river basins, as well as the importance of native vegetation for the water sources. We need to add to this scenario that the increase in the frequency and intensity of extreme events The variability of droughts and rains in different river basins increases the degree of unpredictability of water security. Therefore, considering the responsible use of natural resources to achieve universal access to treated water and sewage requires including the central role of the ocean in regulating this process.
Regardless of the direct relationship with the ocean in the production process, every company can reorient its processes in favor of the ocean. A healthy and predictable ocean that maintains its ecosystem services, such as regulating the hydrological cycle, is a clean ocean. There are different opportunities for 'ocean-friendly' actions, from operational improvements to the development of new businesses, methods and technologies that promote the reduction in consumption, recycling and reuse of water, waste management and the replenishment of aquatic ecosystems, considering the sustainability of river basins and seas. Thus, actions for the conscious use of water and management of effluents in rivers, lakes and bodies of water contribute to minimizing the impacts of pollution on the ocean. The reduction of plastic waste, such as those carried out by Braskem recognized with the OCS Blue seal; and for the management of post-consumer waste, such as the investment of Lwart for waste collection and disposal are examples of direct positive impacts on rivers which, as a result, minimize pollution that reaches the ocean.
The relationship between rivers, seas and the business sector goes beyond production processes and is also related to basic sanitation and social and environmental aspects. human health. Sanitation is essential for social, economic and environmental transformation and is a shared responsibility between the public and private sectors, just like water. In Brazil, more than 50% of the population does not have basic sanitation, while most of the large Brazilian cities are in the coastal zone, which intensifies the impact of sewage pollution in the ocean and the public health risk in the coastal area. At the end of the 2000s, it was estimated that in just one year companies spent R$ 547 million in compensation relating to hours not worked by employees due to gastrointestinal infections.
Therefore, for the business sector, the Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development is an opportunity to lead how behavioral change and investment in scientific and technological development for sustainable business through the responsible use of natural resources, including the ocean, can benefit environmental, human and business health.
This text is the result of a partnership between CEBDS, UNESCO and the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, both bodies that are leading the implementation of the UN Decade of Ocean Science in Brazil.
Text authored by:
Ronaldo Christofoletti
Institute of the Sea of the Federal University of São Paulo
Coordinator of the Maré de Ciência Program
member of Communication Advisory Group for the UN Ocean Decade – IOC UNESCO
