Indústria de alimentos e bebidas no Estado da Paraíba: contribuição socioeconômica e comportamento ambiental sob a perspectiva empresarial

Abstract

Starting from the relationship between the economic system and the environment, this paper seeks to highlight elements of the economic literature on innovation, industrialization, the environment and the role of companies in sustainable development. In this sense, the general objective of the work is to investigate the food and beverage industry and its recent behavior related to this paradigm. Specifically, economic and social aspects of the researched sectors are analyzed and whether companies in the state of Paraíba have incorporated the environmental variable into their organizational and productive strategy. Data and reports from the Banco Nacional de Desenvolvimento Econômico e Social (BNDES), the Confederação Nacional da Indústria (CNI) and the Associação Brasileira da Indústria de Alimentos (ABIA) were used. We also used reports published by companies studied and data collected with a company in the food sector through an applied questionnaire. It was possible to verify the actions of local companies aligned with the sustainable development proposal, either by the more rational use of natural resources, by the search for alternative sources of energy, by means of recycling and commercialization of waste and also by the conduct of social actions. The conclusion is that the data obtained suggest the existence of a socioenvironmental concern on the part of the Paraíba companies investigated in this study.