In this spirit, I attended the Sustainable Business COP in Paris today as USP’s representative and the USPproClima Center’s coordinator. The event, organized by the National Confederation of Industry, is a private sector initiative to propose concrete solutions for COP30, which will be held in Belém in November. I coordinate the working group on the circular economy alongside Ambipar’s CEO, our partner in USPproClima.
The delivery of the first draft of recommendations to Ambassador André Corrêa do Lago, COP30’s president, was a milestone. More than just a symbolic gesture, it is the start of a route of commitments that should take shape by August, with suggestions based on innovation, economic viability, and environmental responsibility.
Circularity: a new development model
The circular economy represents one of the most solid and realistic pathways of tackling the climate crisis. The model breaks with the linear logic of “extract, produce, discard,” promoting regenerative cycles in which materials are reused, products’ shelf lives are extended, and design is rethought from the start.
We’re not just talking about recycling. The current model needs to be replaced by strategies that integrate the so-called 9Rs: Rethink, Reduce, Reuse, Repair, Refurbish, Remanufacture, Repurpose, Recycle, and Recover. This requires dialogue between governments, companies, academia, and consumers.
However, progress is slow: according to the Circularity Gap Report 2025, only 7% of global materials are reused. Even so, the opportunities are huge: it is estimated that the market gains from the circular economy could exceed 4.5 trillion dollars by 2030.
It is in this context that the university is strategically inserted. Projects such as USPproClima, resulting from a partnership between USP and Ambipar, exemplify how science can provide evidence, train new leaders, and foster sustainable solutions.
The academy’s mission is not just to diagnose problems, but to present well-founded and viable alternatives. With USPproClima, we develop proposals that are in accordance with the market and environment, combining scientific knowledge, technological innovation, and social impact. As Ambassador Corrêa do Lago pointed out at the event, this needs to be a COP of implementation. And implementation requires concrete examples.
More than ever, science, the productive sector, and public policy must work together. The circular economy is not a trend — it’s a necessity to ensure that we have a future.
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English version: Nexus Traduções, edited by Denis Pacheco
