This study investigates Brazilian consumers’ purchase intentions for sustainably packaged products, applying the theory of planned behavior enhanced with environmental concern, knowledge, willingness to pay more, and trust. Data were collected from 509 participants via an online questionnaire, using convenience sampling. The questionnaire, based on previously validated scales, examined attitudes toward purchasing, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, environmental variables, and purchase intentions. Descriptive analysis pointed out the prominence of environmental concern, positive purchasing attitudes, and purchase intentions. Principal component analysis reorganized variables into seven components, while cluster analysis identified three distinct consumer profiles: those prioritizing cost and information, environmentally conscious young consumers, and individuals influenced by social factors, with a strong sense of consumption control. The study reveals a widespread concern for the environment among respondents, highlighting the need for societal and political advancements in support of sustainable consumption practices.

Brazil is one of the world’s biggest beef producers and its largest exporter. However, beef cattle ranching is a leading cause of deforestation and habitat conversion in the Brazilian Amazon, which challenges sustainable development. We adopted the triple bottom line (TBL) as a guiding theory of sustainability and assumed the necessity of a production system-specific approach. Based on an integrative literature analysis, we aimed to assess sustainability pillars in beef cattle production. The Web of Science, Scopus and Science Direct databases were searched for studies on mitigating the adverse impacts of beef cattle production before the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak. We found 108 references in these databases, 46 of which met the criteria for eligibility assessment, and ten studies were selected for textual cluster analysis and thematic synthesis. The review shows emergent research themes on sustainability in beef cattle production. It also elaborates a conceptual model of the sustainability pillars in the technique, science, and social aspects of the beef cattle sector that may guide the managerial and political strategies for the beef cattle supply chain in Brazil and other emerging markets. This study indicates that sustainable beef cattle development requires new digital technologies and ideas about sustainable supply chain management, which provides human, environmental, and animal welfare.

Geospatial analyses have gained fundamental importance on a global scale following emphasis on sustainability. Here we geospatially analyze images from Landsat 2/5/7/8 satellites captured during 1975 to 2020 in order to determine changes in land use. Sentinel-3B OLCI (Ocean Land Color Instrument) images obtained in 2019 and 2021 were utilized to assess water resources, based on water turbidity levels (TSM_NN), suspended pollution potential (ADG_443_NN) and the presence of chlorophyll-a (CHL_NN) in order to temporally monitor the effectiveness of Brazilian legislation currently in force. This work on sustainability standards was applied to a hydrographic basin dedicated to agricultural production located in southern Brazil. Satellite images from Landsat 2/5/7/8 (1975 to 2020) and Sentinel-3B OLCI (2019 and 2021) revealed that changes in land use, vegetation cover and water in the Capinguí Dam reservoir detected high concentrations of ADG_443_NN (3830 m⁻¹), CHL_NN (20,290 mg m⁻³) and TSM_NN (100 gm⁻³). These results can alert the population to the risks to public health and harm to hydrographic preservation, capable of covering large regions.

Concerning sustainability and food production, efforts are made by social, political, and environmental actors to enact changes in production and consumption patterns and adopt new management models and instruments. Hunger, waste, poor distribution of food, and low diversity affect many countries, and small family farmers are abandoning their activities due to the challenges which minimize the possibilities of contemplating SDG 12. Local production and SDG 12 favor access to safe and cheaper food, thereby encouraging food security and minimizing food waste. Focus groups and interviews were conducted with the participation of local actors in 16 municipalities in southern Brazil. The study took a qualitative research approach and content analysis was used as a mode of investigation. It was then possible to provide assistance to the decision-making process of local and regional public authorities in terms of development to support sustainable production and consumption. This study highlights the contribution of family agriculture to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), specifically SDG 12. The study presents guidelines and means of implementation for a more sustainable family agriculture, as well as attributes to the challenges of the sector. With this approach, it was possible to connect the problem with the solutions, classifying them by thematic axes.

Family farming is relevant for the generation of employment and income in the countryside. The objective of this study is to analyze the challenges and potentialities in the socioeconomic dynamics of agriculture through the institutional food market in the area of operation of a family farming cooperative. A qualitative case study was carried out in the north of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, through eighteen in-depth interviews. Data were analyzed using the content analysis method, considering five categories: economic, social, environmental, food security, and family succession. The results indicate that labor shortage and excessive bureaucracy are constant challenges. Furthermore, effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, lack of information, and lack of succession are among the main challenges of the institutional market from the perspective of the social agents participating in the research. On the other hand, the institutional commercialization channel, via the National School Feeding Program, is a consolidated public policy in the region, and one of the greatest benefits identified was the increase in the income of the cooperative members. Among the main potentialities of the institutional market from the agents’ point of view are income guarantee, institutional relations, support from cooperatives and technical assistance and rural extension, women’s involvement, and productive diversification. The results can support the implementation and strengthening of similar programs in other countries.