Driving 2030 Agenda: Research for Societal and Business Sustainability - Centre for Social Sensitivity and Action (CSSA) Goa Institute of Management, India

Over the last couple of decades, Portugal started a green revolution by investing in renewable
energies. Today, the country’s main energy sources are based on renewables such as solar,
wind and hydro energies, having reached almost 80% of the national energy consumption in
the first quarter of 2020. It is internationally recognised for its efforts in addressing climate
change and investing in energetic sustainability. Yet, the investment in social sustainability
has not received the same attention as modern slavery reports have come to light in recent
years, particularly among migrant workers working in Beja, the region known for producing
most of the country’s renewable energy. Migrant workers from South Asian countries such
as Nepal, India and Thailand, and Eastern European countries such as Bulgaria and Romania,
arrive in Beja through smuggling or human trafficking, ended up trapped in exploitative
working and living conditions, which go by underreported and under investigated. Using a
case study methodology, this paper will analyse the blind spots in the country’s ESG strategy
and investment in the face of modern slavery in its “green” region by using an inclusive
innovation framework. It argues that it is not possible to become closer to being sustainable
if there is a high human price for environmental sustainability and not all voices are part of
innovation and progress. Further, it puts forward a need for holistic approaches towards
sustainability.

Key words: ESG, energy, innovation, migration, modern slavery, sustainability.