The Integration of Sustainability into Geographical Indications: A Path to Sustainable Territorial Development
Geographical Indications; Sustainability; Territorial Development.The worsening of global crises such as climate change and social inequality demands a reassessment of prevailing development models. In this context, sustainable development practices that reconcile economic progress with environmental and cultural preservation gain relevance. Geographical Indications (GIs) emerge as a potential mechanism for valuing local products and promoting sustainability, preserving the natural and cultural resources of the territories to which they are linked. This project aimed to investigate how GIs can integrate sustainability as a guiding component of their conceptual framework. To achieve this, the study sought to understand the historical and structural development of GIs and explored the possibility of including sustainability as part of their theoretical foundation. The proposed study compared practices adopted in the GIs Regulation of Use of Portugal and Brazil, analyzing stakeholders’ perceptions regarding the integration of sustainability criteria. Additionally, it will examine whether the inclusion of sustainability criteria for GI recognition could be achieved through amendments to current Brazilian legislation. The study also proposes a comparative analysis between the Portuguese and Brazilian contexts on this topic, facilitated by an academic mobility program in Portugal, in partnership with the School of Communication, Administration, and Tourism at the Polytechnic Institute of Bragança (IPB).