José Tiago Sousa – economist, PhD candidate in Climate Change and Sustainable Development Policies, and ESG-focused strategist – has taken part in yet another site visit under the “ESG à 5.ª” initiative promoted by IAPMEI (the Portuguese Agency for Competitiveness and Innovation). The visit, hosted by REvigres, a leading Portuguese ceramic tiles manufacturer with nearly 50 years of experience and five major international design awards to its name, provided an opportunity to observe how sustainability is being translated from strategy into practice on the factory floor.
With a solid academic foundation – a Bachelor’s in Economics and a Master’s in Finance from the Faculty of Economics of the University of Porto (FEP), and currently a PhD candidate at NOVA FCT in partnership with the Institute of Social Sciences of the University of Lisbon – Sousa brings a rigorous analytical perspective to the ESG field. His Master’s dissertation examined “Social Responsibility in the Banking Sector: Evidence from Europe,” exploring the financial impact of social responsibility on bank profitability, and his ongoing doctoral research continues to investigate the intersection of climate policy and sustainable development.
Professionally, Tiago has accumulated extensive hands-on experience in sustainability. He served as Senior Technician for Social Responsibility and Sustainability at FEP, where he developed and implemented sustainability strategies across the institution and embedded social responsibility principles into its operations and culture. He also worked as an ESG Officer at TLG Global, gaining practical experience in ESG reporting, Green Bond processes, financial compliance, and the development of institutional sustainability strategies. Currently, he serves as an Advisor at LIBRE Portugal, an international non-profit dedicated to Sustainable Development and Energy Efficiency, where he leads the implementation of sustainability management standards and organizes trainings for the “International Sustainability Specialist” (L-ISS) certification.
His international footprint in sustainability is equally notable. Tiago has participated in European projects in Romania and Hungary focused on sustainability and the UN Sustainable Development Goals, where he led the Portuguese team. He was also the winner of the Cidadania Ativa award from the University of Porto in 2019, in recognition of his national and international humanitarian trajectory, including his participation in the first mission of the European Solidarity Corps in Norcia, Italy. More recently, he has publicly engaged in policy debates, warning about the potential unintended consequences of the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) on vulnerable communities and global inequalities – a reflection of his conviction that environmental policy must be designed with social justice at its core.
The visit to REvigres – which has obtained ISO 50001 certification for its Energy Management System and recently launched a new production line aimed at innovation and carbon neutrality – reinforced Sousa’s belief that ESG is not a passing trend but the new standard for competitiveness. “These site visits are irreplaceable,” he noted. “Sustainability isn’t built in reports alone – it’s built on the shop floor, in the teams, and in the processes.”
Tiago thanked IAPMEI for its continued role in supporting Portuguese companies on their ESG journey and REvigres for its transparent sharing of its sustainability pathway.