Keywords: knowledge sharing, sustainability

A program to establish environmental parameters and connections between companies located in the Sao Leopoldo Tech Park with different nationalities, customs and practices related to environmental criteria and market segment. The program is developed in a collaborative way and aims to be the first green park in the Americas.

The need to establish parameters and environmental connections between park companies gave rise to the Greentech Park program. The focus on sustainable production emphasises good practices and ecological alternatives, coupled with a growing market and consumer demand for socio-environmental responsibility, make it fundamental to accept the challenge of integrated production with the environment. The program aims to inspire employees and disseminate environmental initiatives to improve or maintain environmental quality through reducing energy and material consumption, as well as minimizing the impact of production. It covers the use and disposal of products and services promotion and dissemination of good practices in processes, products and services and employee training to understand environmental management in the park. The program promotes sustainability as a way for organizations to add value to their business, respecting the level of entrepreneurship and environmental maturity of each organization, looking for a synergy that helps reduce the consumption of resources and waste generation of the park as a whole.

The Greentech Park program is innovative in proposing its own methodology for continuous improvement. It is structured according to the parks reality and specifications for environmental protection. It maintains synchrony with certification methodology and management systems in the park and Unisinos itself. The program has a self-implementation and certification plan without any external certification body. Operated by the members of the Tecnosinos group, it follows a replicable method, without adding costs to the participating organizations. It guarantees the environmental policies practiced in the park, which are in accordance with required environmental practices. The program technical committee involves all companies and startups in the park of Renewable Energies and Socio-environmental Technologies, Tecnosinos managing team and a sustainability research group from Unisinos in the composition and execution of the work plan.

The program impact is based on a pilot in which around 50 companies participated for a period of two years, and 10% rose a level from the first year. The program plans to increase the engagement of resident companies in environmental issues. The program will ensure companies respect the ecosystem around them through sustainable practices and consequently reducing their costs, and will train more companies and employees. To support this goal, in 2017 all 80 companies the park will participate in the program. Tecnosinos has consolidated companies as anchor of the program, such as SAP, which has its LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified buildings. Investments continue to be made in the park""s buildings, such as the one called Partec Green, an ecofriendly building that will also receive LEED certification. This building will increase the new companies park capacity and is an example of sustainability standards. Since 2004, the University responsible for the park executive management, has received ISO 14001 certification which certifies that the institution complies with all norms to reduce the impact of its activities on the natural environment. Unisinos becomes the first university in Latin America to obtain this certificate.

The whole park community benefits. The companies have a new perspective of the ecosystem of work in relation to practices aimed at preserving the environment. As a result, all employees related to these companies are also made aware of environmental impact reduction practices.