Gestão de embalagens vazias de agrotóxicos - logística reversa em pequenos municípios brasileiros: o caso do município de Bom Repouso, MG

O Brasil assumiu e mantém desde 2008 o primeiro lugar mundial em consumo de agrotóxicos e, tendo em vista este uso intensivo, é possível estimar a grande quantidade de embalagens vazias de agrotóxicos (EVAs) geradas todos os anos no país. Com a promulgação da Lei 9974 de 2000, a criação do Instituto Nacional de Processamento de Embalagens Vazias (inpEV) em 2001 e a implantação da Política Nacional de Resíduos Sólidos (PNRS) em 2010, a destinação adequada das EVAs por meio da logística reversa passou a ocorrer de maneira mais eficiente, chegando a um percentual de 94% de devolução em 2014 segundo dados do INPEV. No entanto, este processo foi originalmente concebido para atender grandes áreas rurais, com economias de escala que o favorecem, e portanto não está adequado à realidade de pequenas comunidades rurais, geralmente com infraestrutura precária e mais isoladas. Sendo assim, ainda é comum nos municípios de pequeno porte que essas embalagens sejam queimadas, armazenadas em locais não adequados ou simplesmente abandonadas no campo. Dessa forma, o objetivo deste estudo foi analisar a gestão de EVAs em pequenos municípios agrícolas brasileiros, com foco no processo de logística reversa, a partir de um estudo de caso. Este foi realizado em Bom Repouso, MG, município de 10500 habitantes, caracterizado pela produção de morango e batata, com mão de obra familiar e uso intensivo de agrotóxicos. As seguintes etapas de pesquisa foram desenvolvidas: entrevistas semiestruturadas com os atores da cadeia de logística reversa de EVAs; levantamento documental; análise comparativa entre a quantidade de embalagens vendidas e a quantidade total de embalagens devolvidas entre os anos de 2012-2013 e 2013-2014, bem como um levantamento dos agrotóxicos mais comercializados no município. Verificou-se que, no período 2012-2013, a quantidade de embalagens vendidas foi cerca de 30 vezes maior que a de embalagens devolvidas, e para o período entre 2013-2014 a mesma relação foi da ordem de 26 vezes. Além disso, a massa total de embalagens devolvidas corresponde a apenas 3,3% da massa de vendidas no período 2012-2013, e 3,8% para 2013-2014. Ou seja, aproximadamente 96% das embalagens comercializadas em ambos os períodos não foram devolvidas à central de Pouso Alegre. Além disso, há produtos extremamente tóxicos para a saúde e para o meio ambiente entre os 20 mais vendidos no município. Não estão estabelecidas políticas públicas municipais voltadas à gestão desses resíduos, como pode ser verificado através das entrevistas e do levantamento documental. Dificuldades relacionadas ao armazenamento das EVAs até o momento da devolução e seu transporte até a Central de Recolhimento foram apontadas pelos entrevistados como principais motivos para não cumprir suas responsabilidades e, consequente, descartar inadequadamente esses resíduos.

Reciclagem de resíduos eletroeletrônicos: um estudo cinético da lixiviação ácida de ferro de placas de circuito impresso de microcomputadores.

O aumento no consumo mundial de novos aparelhos eletroeletrônicos aliado à redução no tempo de vida útil destes equipamentos tem como principal consequência ao meio ambiente a geração de resíduos. No Brasil, com a instituição da Política Nacional de Resíduos Sólidos, criou-se a obrigatoriedade legal da responsabilidade dos fabricantes pela logística reversa dos equipamentos eletroeletrônicos, incentivando pesquisas para o desenvolvimento dos métodos de reciclagem e tratamento dos materiais descartados. O processo de lixiviação foi avaliado como alternativa à etapa de separação magnética presente nas atuais rotas hidrometalúrgicas para recuperação de metais valiosos de placas de circuito impresso. Para avaliar a composição das placas, foi realizado ensaio de dissolução em água régia. As amostras foram moídas e submetidas a ensaios de lixiviação com ácido sulfúrico nas concentrações de 1 e 2mol/L, às temperaturas de 75ºC, 85ºC e 95ºC, durante 24 horas. Com ácido sulfúrico 2mol/L a 95ºC, o tempo necessário para se obter 100% de extração do ferro foi de 2 horas. Nestas condições, não foi detectada a presença de cobre dissolvido. A cinética da reação é controlada por reação química e obedece a equação .=1(1)3. A energia de ativação aparente do processo equivale a 90kJ/mol.

The contribution of modularity to green operations practices

This paper discusses the possible contributions from modularity and industrial condominiums towards enhancing environmental performance in the automotive industry. The research described in this study is underpinned by a review of journal articles and books on the topics of: modularity of production systems; green operations practices, and the automotive industry and sustainability. The methodology is based on theoretical analysis of the contribution of the modular production system characteristics used in the automotive industry for Green Operations Practices (GOP). The following GOPs were considered: green buildings, eco-design, green supply chains, greener manufacturing, and reverse logistics. The results are theoretical in nature; however, due to the small number of studies that investigate the relationship between modularity and sustainability, this work is relevant to increase knowledge in academic circles and among practitioners in order to understand the possible environmental benefits from modular production systems. For instance, based upon our analysis, we could deduce that the existing modular production systems in the automotive industry may contribute in different ways to the implementation of GOPs. In all types of modularity, product simplification through the use of modules can enhance environmental performance and facilitate further activities such as maintenance and repair contributing to a longer life of cars on the road. Moreover, modules will make automobiles easier to disassembly, so increasing the chances of reuse of valuable components and a better final disposal of scrap. Regarding the potential benefits of each type of modularity, it is expected that modular consortia will have a better integration of environmental practices with suppliers and seize on high efficiency during manufacturing and logistics compared with conventional production systems.

Green operations initiatives in the automotive industry:an environmental reports analysis and benchmarking study

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to focus on investigating and benchmarking green operations initiatives in the automotive industry documented in the environmental reports of selected companies. The investigation roadmaps the main environmental initiatives taken by the world's three major car manufacturers and benchmarks them against each other. The categorisation of green operations initiatives that is provided in the paper can also help companies in other sectors to evaluate their green practices. Design/methodology/approach: The first part of the paper is based on existing literature on the topic of green and sustainable operations and the "unsustainable" context of automotive production. The second part relates to the roadmap and benchmarking of green operations initiatives based on an analysis of secondary data from the automotive industry. Findings: The findings show that the world's three major car manufacturers are pursuing various environmental initiatives involving the following green operations practices: green buildings, eco-design, green supply chains, green manufacturing, reverse logistics and innovation. Research limitations/implications: The limitations of this paper start from its selection of the companies, which was made using production volume and country of origin as the principal criteria. There is ample evidence that other, smaller, companies are pursuing more sophisticated and original environmental initiatives. Also, there might be a gap between what companies say they do in their environmental reports and what they actually do. Practical implications: This paper helps practitioners in the automotive industry to benchmark themselves against the major volume manufacturers in three different continents. Practitioners from other industries will also find it valuable to discover how the automotive industry is pursuing environmental initiatives beyond manufacturing, apart from the green operations practices covering broadly all the activities of operations function. Originality/value: The originality of the paper is in its up-to-date analysis of environmental reports of automotive companies. The paper offers value for researchers and practitioners due to its contribution to the green operations literature. For instance, the inclusion of green buildings as part of green operations practices has so far been neglected by most researchers and authors in the field of green and sustainable operations. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited.

Modularity and industrial complexes:perspectives for green operations in the automotive industry

This paper discusses the possible contributions from modularity and industrial condominiums towards enhancing environmental performance in the automotive industry. The research described in this study is underpinned by a review of journal articles and books on the topics of: modularity of production systems; green operations practices, and the automotive industry and sustainability. The methodology is based on theoretical analysis of the contribution of the modular production system characteristics used in the automotive industry for Green Operations Practices (GOP). The following GOPs were considered: green buildings, eco design, green supply chains, greener manufacturing, and reverse logistics. The results are theoretical in nature; however, due to the small number of studies that investigate the relationship between modularity and sustainability, this work is relevant to increase knowledge in academic circles and among practitioners in order to understand the possible environmental benefits from modular production systems.

Készletgazdálkodás és visszutas logisztika

A modern gazdaság egyre inkább szembesül a természetes erőforrások beszűkülésével. A meg nem újuló erőforrások készleteinek csökkenése a gazdaság szereplőit arra kényszeríti, hogy korlátozottan rendelkezésre álló ásványi anyagokat megkímélje. Ez a koncepció vezet a fenntartható fejlődés vállalati gazdálkodásba történő átültetésének szükségességéhez. A dolgozat célja a környezettudatos anyag- és készletgazdálkodás matematikai modelljeinek vizsgálata. A környezettudatos anyag- és készletgazdálkodást a magyar szakirodalomban az utóbbi időben nevezik visszutas logisztikának, inverz logisztikának, de néha hulladékkezelési logisztikának is. A magyar szóhasználat tehát nem egységes a terület megnevezésére. Angol elnevezése azonban meglehetősen egységes: „reverse logistics”. E kifejezésnek legtalálóbb magyar megfelelője talán a visszutas, esetleg reverz logisztika. A jelenleg is használt inverz logisztika kifejezést azért nem javasolt használni, mert annak angolul az „inverse logistics” felel meg, amit csak nagyon szűk körben – főleg Japánban - használnak a nemzetközi irodalomban, ezért fordítási zavart okozhat. Európában és az Egyesült Államokban a „reverse logistics” terjedt el. Így a terület magyar elnevezését a dolgozatban visszutas logisztikának választom.

Waste Not, Want Not: Managing Perishables in Small and Medium Retail Enterprises

Purpose of this paper:
Recent literature indicates that around one third of perishable products finish as waste (Mena et al., 2014): 60% of this waste can be classified as avoidable (EC, 2010) suggesting logistics and operational inefficiencies along the supply chain. In developed countries perishable products are predominantly wasted in wholesale and retail (Gustavsson et al., 2011) due to customer demand uncertainty the errors and delays in the supply chain (Fernie and Sparks, 2014). While research on logistics of large retail supply chains is well documented, research on retail small and medium enterprises’ (SMEs) capabilities to prevent and manage waste of perishable products is in its infancy (c.f. Ellegaard, 2008) and needs further exploration. In our study, we investigate the retail logistics practice of small food retailers, the factors that contribute to perishable products waste and the barriers and opportunities of SMEs in retail logistics to preserve product quality and participate in reverse logistics flows.

Design/methodology/approach:
As research on waste of perishable products for SMEs is scattered, we focus on identifying key variables that contribute to the creation of avoidable waste. Secondly we identify patterns of waste creation at the retail level and its possibilities for value added recovery. We use explorative case studies (Eisenhardt, 1989) and compare four SMEs and one large retailer that operate in a developed market. To get insights into specificities of SMEs that affect retail logistics practice, we select two types of food retailers: specialised (e.g. greengrocers and bakers) and general (e.g. convenience store that sells perishable products as a part of the assortment)

Findings:
Our preliminary findings indicate that there is a difference between large retailers and SME retailers in factors that contribute to the waste creation, as well as opportunities for value added recovery of products. While more factors appear to affect waste creation and management at large retailers, a small number of specific factors appears to affect SMEs. Similarly, large retailers utilise a range of practices to reduce risks of product perishability and short shelf life, manage demand, and manage reverse logistics practices. Retail SMEs on the other hand have limited options to address waste creation and value added recovery. However, our findings show that specialist SMEs could successfully minimize waste and even create possibilities for value added recovery of perishable products. Data indicates that business orientation of the SME, the buyersupplier relationship, and an extent of adoption of lean principles in retail coupled with SME resources, product specific regulations and support from local authorities for waste management or partnerships with other organizations determine extent of successful preservation of a product quality and value added recovery.

Value:
Our contribution to the SCM academic literature is threefold: first, we identify major factors that contribute to the generation waste of perishable products in retail environment; second, we identify possibilities for value added recovery for perishable products and third, we present opportunities and challenges for SME retailers to manage or participate in activities of value added recovery. Our findings contribute to theory by filling a gap in the literature that considers product quality preservation and value added recovery in the context of retail logistics and SMEs.

Research limitations/implications:
Our findings are limited to insights from five case studies of retail companies that operate within a developed market. To improve on generalisability, we intend to increase the number of cases and include data obtained from the suppliers and organizations involved in reverse logistics flows (e.g. local authorities, charities, etc.).

Practical implications:
With this paper, we contribute to the improvement of retail logistics and operations in SMEs which constitute over 99% of business activities in UK (Rhodes, 2015). Our findings will help retail managers and owners to better understand the possibilities for value added recovery, investigate a range of logistics and retail strategies suitable for the specificities of SME environment and, ultimately, improve their profitability and sustainability.

A logística reversa e suas implicações na sustentabilidade: um estudo de caso de uma organização intermediária da cadeia reversa do ramo de sucatas

A sociedade impõe relações conscientes e saudáveis entre ela, consumidor, meio ambiente e economia de custo. Considerando os processos de retorno e descarte de resíduos, desenvolveram-se técnicas para que haja equilíbrio nas dimensões econômica, ambiental e social, sendo uma delas a logística reversa. Esse método minimiza as quantidades de resíduos descartados e promove seu reaproveitamento como fonte de matéria-prima em novos processos produtivos. No presente artigo, desenvolveu-se estudo de caso em uma recicladora que há doze anos coleta, classifica e separa materiais sólidos de indústrias do Distrito Industrial do Rio Grande (RS) para vendê-los a siderúrgicas e/ou comercializar subprodutos em condição de reuso no mercado local. Esse estudo tem por objetivo a análise das relações existentes entre as atividades logísticas reversas da recicladora em questão e as três dimensões da sustentabilidade. Tal análise justifica-se ao evidenciar como ocorre o processo de utilização da prática de logística reversa por uma organização intermediária, apontando-se sistematicamente as implicações ambientais, sociais e econômicas decorrentes de sua gestão.

Collection of waste batteries in Portugal and Brazil

Selected papers from the 3rd Edition of the International Conference on Wastes: Solutions, Treatments and Opportunities

Estrategias de logística inversa que permitan la reutilización de llantas usadas

Esta investigación busca desde la logística inversa, mostrar como un producto tan implementado y desechado por la sociedad, puede generar un nuevo uso, e incluso la reintegración total de sus materias primas a la cadena de suministro, mostrando la estrecha relación que existe entre la logística inversa y la reutilización de productos fuera de uso. Para esto se analizara el manejo actual que tienen las llantas en Bogotá, planteando su flujo y dando a conocer el principal punto de falencia, que es la recolección y los diferentes sitios de acopio de estas. Los neumáticos o llantas son desechados anualmente en Bogotá sin medir las consecuencias ambientales que esto trae consigo, pues las quemas a cielo abierto de estos materiales y su almacenamiento inadecuado generan altos riesgos para su entorno y el medio ambiente. Además, el manejo inapropiado de llantas es una de las principales razones por la cual pasan a ser obsoletas al poco tiempo de uso. El proceso de fabricación de llantas es muy similar al proceso de cualquier producto, pues en resumen este cuenta con la implementación de sus materias primas, proceso de manufactura, una inspección final y como resultado un producto terminado, que al ser vendido muchas compañías se libran de la disposición final de las llantas. Pero ahí radica un punto a favor para la logística inversa, donde esta buscara la manera de darle un nuevo ciclo de vida a este producto, a través del reciclaje y la reutilización. Mediante esta investigación, se busca captar los principales lugares de acopio de llantas usadas en Bogotá, de manera que estos serán nuestros principales puntos de información para el proyecto, que permita plantear y definir de manera clara estrategias y conclusiones cualitativas.

Reverse resource exchanges in service supply chains:the case of returnable transport packaging

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to understand how reverse resource exchanges and resource dependencies are managed in the service supply chain (SSC) of returnable transport packaging (RTP). Design/methodology/approach: A single case study was conducted in the context of automotive logistics focusing on the RTP SSC. Data were collected through 16 interviews, primarily with managers of a logistics service provider (LSP) and document analysis of contractual agreements with key customers of the packaging service. Findings: Resource dependencies among actors in the SSC result from the importance of the RTP for the customer’s production processes, the competition among users for RTP and the negative implications of the temporary unavailability of RTP for customers and the LSP (in terms of service performance). Amongst other things, the LSP is dependent on its customers and third-party users (e.g. the customer’s suppliers) for the timely return of package resources. The role of inter-firm integration and collaboration, formal contracts as well as customers’ power and influence over third-party RTP users are stressed as key mechanisms for managing LSP’s resource dependencies. Research limitations/implications: A resource dependence theory (RDT) lens is used to analyse how reverse resource exchanges and associated resource dependencies in SSCs are managed, thus complementing the existing SSC literature emphasising the bi-directionality of resource flows. The study also extends the recent SSC literature stressing the role of contracting by empirically demonstrating how formal contracts can be mobilised to explicate resource dependencies and to specify, and regulate, reverse exchanges in the SSC. Practical implications: The research suggests that logistics providers can effectively manage their resource dependencies and regulate reverse exchanges in the SSC by deploying contractual governance mechanisms and leveraging their customers’ influence over third-party RTP users. Originality/value: The study is novel in its application of RDT, which enhances our understanding of the management of reverse exchanges and resource dependencies in SSCs.