In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, some industries settled in Cubatão, such as the industries of dye, paper (Anilinas and Fabril) and the Henry Borden hydroelectric plant, which ensured much of force for the city of São Paulo. With an existing complete structure of rail and road network, it expanded its connections with the Porto de Santos, Baixada Santista as a whole and Planalto Paulista, with the improvement of the Caminho do Mar (1925) and the inauguration of Via Anchieta (1947) roads.
These factors contributed to Cubatão becoming an attractive location for the industrial expansion of São Paulo in the following years. In the 1950s, with the start-up of the Presidente Bernardes de Cubatão Refinery (RPBC) and then with the implementation of Companhia Siderúrgica Paulista (Cosipa), the industrialization began. These two companies became milestones of industrial development and profound social changes in the municipality. The geomorphic characterization of the region was decisive in the choice of this location for the implantation of the then largest industrial pole of Latin America.
The protected area between the mountains of Serra do Mar prevented the dispersion of pollutants, generating some environmental obstacles in the 1980s. With this, the Center for Integration and Development (Cide) was born, with the main purpose of bringing together the companies involved in the process to implement a Pollution Control Program. From this measure, all the polluting sources were controlled and the Serra do Mar recomposed itself, making the positive result of the program recognized by the United Nations (UN) in 1992 and giving visibility to Cubatão as a city that reinvented itself.
As a result, Cide and its associated companies have committed to the development of the City. It joined forces with the Public Power, Communities and other organs and launched in 2005 the Agenda 21 – The city that we want. The strategic planning, which is based on the methodology adopted by several countries during Eco 92 focusing on the Environment, includes many other topics such as Logistics, Urbanism, Industry, Commerce, Services, Tourism, Housing, Basic Sanitation, Health, Education, Culture , Sport, Income generation, Social Assistance, Security and Public Administration, with all its actions aimed at the sustainable development of Cubatão until 2020.
In 2012, Cubatão and its Industrial Pole were recognized as a symbol-city of sustainability in the Rio + 20 event. At the same moment, Agenda 21 – A story made by many hands was launched, an update of the actions foreseen in the same strategic planning.
The Industrial Pole of Cubatão, a national and international reference in the basic industry segment, remains in constant growth and innovation, prepared to act in the midst of the new Industrial Revolution, Industry 4.0. Currently, Cide promotes the campaign Cubatão – The Opportunity Factory, an action jointly with the Municipality of Cubatão to attract manufacturing industries. The city has more than 2 million m2 to install new industries in this segment and a legacy of success built by many hands.