City of Braga enticed local businesses to join mobility pact

The local administration sets itself as the torch-bearer of positive change, responsibility and action

Back in 2019, the Braga City Council realized, after conducting its first municipal Sustainability Report, that 65% of emissions in that Portuguese city came from motorized traffic. Following that, the local authorities started working with Portugal’s Business Council for Sustainable Development (BCSD) to develop an initiative that would bring important private stakeholders on board with the idea of sustainable mobility.

Thus, the Braga Business Mobility Pact (PMEB) was born and on 9 June this year, 30 major companies from the city came together for a signing ceremony, affirming their commitment to the local government that they will integrate measures for a vibrant mobility ecosystem. Apart from the mayor of Braga, Ricardo Rio, the President of the Portuguese Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, was also in attendance for this important moment.

Organizing collective cross-sectoral action

With that step, the Municipality of Braga has shown itself as a pioneer in taking environmental action both on local and national levels. The project promotes the adoption of sustainable or inclusive mobility actions by the signatory entities.

Among the actions that companies commit themselves to initiate are:

• Increasing the promotion of electric vehicles for personal use and in operations fleets;
• Increasing the number of charging stations in parking lots;
• Implementing a strategy for efficient route management, so as to avoid running out of charge or having a car not fully charged and to solve the ‘last mile’ problem;
• Adding and prioritizing information on multimodal transport and soft mobility on their corporate websites and email communication with customers, suppliers and visitors (for instance, regarding usage and parking lots).

Participation in this pact allows signatory companies to reduce their carbon footprint, access and share knowledge about sustainable mobility, and improve relationships with other companies, organizations and local institutions. To this end, companies and institutions must have an address or operations in the municipality of Braga and commit to at least two actions, out of the 28 presented by the PMEB.

Grupo Navarra, one example of a signatory, is the company that hosted the pact signing ceremony. It is also one of the 500 biggest and best Portuguese companies, and it contributes positively to the local community, employing 800 people and ensuring gender equality.

It stands out for its various environmental practices, including the installation of photovoltaic panels at the Group's headquarters, and the renewal of the corporate fleet to 100% electric vehicles and other plug-in hybrids.