Ecoinovação: uma análise setorial brasileira

Abstract

The growing concern over the environmental impacts of productive activities has increased the relevance of eco-innovation as a strategic instrument to reconcile economic development and sustainability. In the Brazilian context, characterized by strong structural and sectoral heterogeneity, the adoption of innovative practices with environmental potential occurs unevenly across industrial sectors. In this regard, this study aims to analyze eco-innovation in the Brazilian industry from a sectoral perspective, seeking to understand how the innovative capacity of different sectors relates to the potential adoption of environmentally sustainable practices. The research adopts a qualitative approach, based on the analysis of secondary data from the Innovation Survey (PINTEC), conducted by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE). The analysis considers indicators of product and process innovation, expenditures on research and development, cooperation for innovation, obstacles faced by firms, and the objectives associated with innovative activities. The results reveal significant sectoral heterogeneity in the innovative capacity of Brazilian industry, indicating that sectors with higher technological intensity and greater investment in R&D exhibit a higher potential for the incorporation of eco-innovations. In contrast, traditional sectors tend to adopt incremental innovations, often driven by regulatory pressures and the pursuit of productive efficiency. The findings suggest that eco-innovation in Brazil predominantly occurs in an indirect and structurally constrained manner, highlighting the need for differentiated public policies that take sectoral specificities into account in order to foster a more sustainable pattern of industrial development.