Socio-technical network actors on sugar cane ethanol: arguments regarding sustainability

Author(s)

Franciele Gomes

• Document type: Master's Dissertation
• Press: São Carlos.
• Institution: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Escola de Engenharia de São Carlos (EESC/SBD)
• Defense date: 2014-05-30

Examining board members

Tadeu Fabrício Malheiros; Thales Haddad Novaes de Andrade; Maria Carmen de Mello Lemos

• Advisor: Tadeu Fabrício Malheiros

Abstract

Since the mid-1960s new themes have become increasingly matters of concern in global society. Among these subjects, the relation between human actions with the environment came to be seen and discussed in many different sectors of society, which arranged a new dimension of development that would encompass other variables than economic growth, such as those regarding social and environmental areas (Sachs, 2009a and 2009b; Veiga, 2010). Nevertheless, academic discussions highlight the fact that this term lacks a concise framework of meanings, what acquires a multidimensional characteristic. Within this debate, the prominence of Brazil in the production of alternative fuels builds the basis of this research, which aimed to weave stronger relations between these two issues, specifically, sustainability and sugarcane ethanol. Thus, this dissertation tried to understand what are the translations of sustainability in sugarcane industry, ie how the topic of sustainability is being strategically defined by the actors that relate directly to the sugarcane ethanol and, therefore, achieve a junction between this and the main aspects of sustainability in the literature on the issue. To achieve the goals, Actor-Network Theory has been used as a methodological tool. In this sense, sustainability is embedded as the main actor of the research, because it causes changes in several actors to which it associates. The resultsemphasise the fact that interdisciplinarity is incipient in the sector, largely due to failures and difficulties in disseminating information and data and the low participation of different sectors in the discussions. One consequence of the lack of dialogue between the areas is the fact that the sector translates sustainability based approach called Triple Botton Line. In this sense, a more integrative susteinability view loses relevance, as it\'s clear a practical and theoretical emphasis in one of the three dimensions of the approach, namely, the economic, which is operationalized through investments in technological innovations. Despite this challenge the sugarcane sector itself, points this lack of integrative paradgms in a negative way. For a more desirable state of this sector , it is essential that your current state is cleared in its intricacies, allowing the formulation of sustainability tools. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 11/15743-3 - Socio-technical Network Actors on Sugar Cane Ethanol: arguments on sustainability
• Grantee: Franciele Gomes
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master