Ecocapitalism and Sustainable Development

The rapid certification of Environmental Management Systems in accordance with the ISO 14001 international standard could mean that capitalism is reforming itself from an ecological point of view by adopting processes that make production activities compatible with environmental preservation. Field visits to 8 certified companies - Bahia Sul Celulose-BA, Riocell-RS, Eliane Gres Porcellanato-SC, Hering-SC, Les Bernaches/GR Restaurantes de Coletividade-SP, Alpargatas-Santista Têxtil-SP, Tetra Pak-SP, Brasilamarras-RJ - and document analysis led us to reflect: is an eco-capitalism announcing itself and is the quest for certification its proof, a materialisation of the corporate race towards sustainable development? The interpretation of the data indicates that the starting point refers to market values, albeit diversified: 1) the search for image gain with the aim of institutional marketing; 2) the establishment of a market differential; 3) the social legitimisation of polluting products and production processes. A sustainable eco-capitalist paradigm is questioned and, dialectically, possibilities and potential for the planet are pointed out.