Impactos socioambientais da indústria do vestuário sobre a atividade agrícola no Alto Vale do Itajaí – Santa Catarina

This article focuses on the changes operated in the industrial textile and clothing production in the upper Itajai Valley. It looks for to characterize this segment and the main entrepreneur barriers in the adoption of social and environmental management practices. The research presents a qualitative and quantitative approach, once it combines the techniques of semi-structured interviews to questionnaires application. The study results showed that the industrial cluster in question is characterized as informal. With regard to management practices, it was observed that there is a lack of information and adoption of these new management forms. Besides, other impacts were identified: the action of laundries and stampings that leads to degradation of water resources and soil; the young farmers migration to urban activities and their change in habits and family life modes; and also in the production modes which result in the exotic species planting in farms, what bring about problems with water resources and land use; and, finally, the incidence of labor exploitation and degrading working conditions. It was pointed out, however, rooms for maneuver that indicate the gradual internalization of the social and environmental dimension by local actors.