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On August 25, Insper released the Manifesto for Sustainability, a document that reflects the school’s vision of the role of education, science, and innovation in building a more just and balanced future. The initiative outlines strategic priorities to address challenges such as climate change, biodiversity preservation, and the reduction of social inequalities, reinforcing the need to transform global dilemmas into effective local solutions.
Photo: Diego Ubilla (@dubillafoto)/Insper – Launch Event of the Insper Manifesto for Sustainability, held on 08/25/2025. Priscila Claro, Undergraduate Programs Director, and Vinícius Picanço, Coordinator of the Advanced Program in Sustainability, jointly lead Insper’s Center for Sustainability and Business.
Professor Vinicius Picanço, coordinator of Insper’s Advanced Program in Sustainability (PAS) and one of the Manifesto’s co-authors, highlighted below how the document bridges global and local perspectives while emphasizing the preparation of leaders able to think systemically. According to Picanço, this represents a fundamental step toward consolidating Brazil as a global benchmark in sustainable practices—closely aligned with EnANPAD 2025’s theme, which explores the relationship between management, identities, local experiences, and global challenges:
The EnANPAD 2025 theme emphasizes the importance of acknowledging local identities and experiences in the pursuit of sustainable solutions. How does Insper understand this relationship between the local and the global in its work and in the Manifesto?
The phenomena driving sustainability challenges are global. Climate change, for example, is a shared problem, although its impacts are felt differently across regions. This is where the local dimension becomes essential.
The Manifesto is anchored in three central dilemmas: climate change, biodiversity loss, and social inequality. These affect populations worldwide, yet effective responses must be tailored to local contexts, which impose distinct needs and conditions.
This is particularly emblematic in Brazil for two reasons. First, the main driver of climate change here is not energy, as in developed countries, but deforestation and land use. Second, Brazil’s continental scale means that the effects are widespread and varied.
Global impacts must be considered, but they must also be translated into local policies to be effective. The Manifesto reflects this perspective, emphasizing diversity, representation, leadership development, and applied knowledge.
Therefore, to speak of sustainability is to speak of the “to-from”: the back and forth between global and local perspectives. This is at the heart of the Manifesto. Although Insper has global connections, it remains a local institution. It understands the importance of connecting with universities, companies, and public actors from other regions, who understand their own contexts.
It is not enough to discuss the federal or state government and overlook municipalities, because that is where life happens. Education, healthcare, transportation – everything happens in the municipality. Whether urban or rural, it does not matter: daily life takes place at this level. Therefore, the territory is crucial, as it brings very specific contexts that must be considered.
EnANPAD 2025 suggests rethinking management models that often fail to meet emerging demands. How can the Manifesto for Sustainability and Insper’s efforts help develop leaders equipped for this scenario?
There is a quote from Jay Forrester, a systems thinker, that says: “Today’s problems are the effects of last century’s short-term solutions.” Short-term decisions can be tempting for their quick results, but they often generate harmful long-term consequences.
The Manifesto affirms that sustainability is both a path and a result. It cannot be only one thing or the other, and it requires structural, long-term change.
Therefore, preparing leaders with new tools and ways of thinking, especially from a systems perspective, is essential. Thinking systemically means seeing the interrelationships between things. Climate emergencies, biodiversity loss, and social inequalities do not exist in isolation: they are connected, and it is in this intertwining that the key to generating effective responses lies.
This vision is among Insper’s core competencies. It incorporates systems thinking in the classroom and in several other areas. Sustainability in management means recognizing that organizational problems do not occur in isolation, but rather within economic and social systems, on a planet with clear biophysical limits.
The Manifesto aims to transform Brazil into a global leader in sustainable practices. How can this vision connect to the discussions emerging from an event like EnANPAD? It is symbolic that the meeting will be held in the Northeast, in Aracaju. Just as it is symbolic to hold COP30 in the Amazon, in Belém. These events shed light on territoriality, on the microspace where life truly happens.
Thinking of Brazil as a leader revives an old aspiration. Brazil has often tried to take off, but obstacles have stood in the way. Nevertheless, sustainability could be the winning strategy. Brazil’s soft power has long been based on this and has consistently relied on leadership and skilled people in this area. Insper draws inspiration from this history and believes it can do even more to establish Brazil as a global leader.
Insper’s role within the ANPAD ecosystem is to improve management, prepare leaders, and develop knowledge and tools so managers can embrace this vision and put it into practice. Time is short: sustainability requires a long-term vision, but the effects are already evident.
The Manifesto emphasizes the goal of making Brazil a global leader in sustainability practices across both public and private sectors. This involves managing companies, governments, regulatory agencies, and public enterprises. To regain and strengthen this leadership, it is essential to clearly reclaim the agenda, ensuring that managers integrate it into their decision-making.
It was previously mentioned that sustainability is shown in the Manifesto as both a journey and an outcome. How does Insper plan to turn this vision into tangible actions and real societal impact?
The main action stemming from the Manifesto is the creation of the Insper Sustainability Platform, designed to integrate market and societal demands with the school’s expertise.
Today, much is happening related to this topic, but in a fragmented way. For example, the Center for Studies in Cities works on climate adaptation, climate justice, community resilience, and urban mobility. Other examples include the Global Agro Center, which has focused heavily on environmental issues in agribusiness, and the Sustainability Center, led by Professor Priscila Claro and me (Professor Vinicius Picanço), which conducts research and offers courses that integrate sustainability into organizational strategy and operations.
The platform will collaborate efforts, design even more effective projects, and leverage resources. The Manifesto is the guiding principle, and the platform aims to transform Insper into a hub for sustainability, fostering meetings and collective actions on this urgent and vital issue.
Vinicius Picanço is coordinator of the Advanced Program in Sustainability and the Sustainability and Business Center at Insper, where he is also an assistant professor. He is an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Strathclyde (UK), holds a PhD in Production Engineering from Danmarks Tekniske Universitet (DTU), and was a visiting researcher at MIT. He also earned a Graduate Certificate in Logistics and Supply Chain Management (GCLOG) from MIT. Picanço is a board member of The Good Food Institute and an affiliated researcher at MIT’s Food and Retail Operations Lab (FaROL). His applied research focuses on the environmental and social impacts of supply chains. Beyond academia, he has founded award-winning startups in Brazil and a sustainability consultancy in Denmark, bridging theory and practice to deliver impactful solutions.
To learn more about the Insper Manifesto for Sustainability, visit:
https://www.insper.edu.br/pt/quem-somos/manifesto-insper-sustentabilidade