Prevenção de resíduos: um estudo de caso na indústria calçadista brasileira

Abstract

The footwear industry is characterized by intense natural resources input and large and diverse waste generation, many of which are hazardous, offering risks to the environment as well as human health. A wide variety of materials are used in the products, which hampers the treatment of post-consumption waste, worsening the scenario for the issue of waste in the footwear industry. Waste prevention aims at preventing or reducing both quantitative and qualitatively the waste flows, and thus, the environmental impacts caused by them. The adoption of prevention activities in the footwear industry contributes to the mitigation of several impacts associated with this product's life cycle. This research had the objective of studying waste prevention in the Brazilian footwear industry, as to unveil and systematize existing initiatives and practices, discussing them in light of the literature on the subject and identifying the challenges and opportunities for their progress. The conceptual basis of Industrial Ecology was used to analyze the findings. A descriptive-exploratory single case study with multiple analysis units was conducted aiming at answering the research questions: i) How have waste prevention activities been occurring in the footwear production?; ii) What are the challenges and opportunities for the progress of waste prevention in this area? The research found that waste prevention activities in the footwear industry are still timid, focusing mainly the selection of less toxic or recycled materials, as well as efficiency in the use of raw materials. The last is connected to cost reduction, taking place in the component sector mainly in the chemical industry through the internal reutilization of byproducts and in the manufacture sector, through efficient cutting of the parts. In general, the Brazilian footwear production is characterized by high competitiveness, pursuing cost reduction and gain maximization. That presents challenges for the implementation of waste prevention activities for setting low prices as priority, usually obtained by the externalization of social and environmental costs. It also harms the interest in collaboration between organizations. The supply chains are wide and lack articulation, which hinders information and materials circulation between organizations. Regarding the materials, the research found cycling possibilities within the productive environment for several of them, although these are not put into practice. The case of the Brazilian footwear industry is emblematic for the crisis in the economic system based in the technical-scientific paradigm (according to which, development is equal to economic growth). It underlines the need for a paradigm shift, as well as a new material rationality.

Diagnóstico do gerenciamento de resíduos industriais e perspectivas de aplicação de economia circular: um estudo de caso em São Carlos-SP

“…Paralelo às atividades industriais, pode-se elencar demais motivos que contribuem para o agravamento deste quadro, dentre eles, o crescimento populacional e a crescente urbanização (FRANCISCO, 2016). A população mundial atual é composta por cerca de 7,3 bilhões de pessoas e estima-se que atinja 8,5 bilhões em 2030 e 9,7 bilhões em 2050 (ORGANIZAÇÃO DAS NAÇÕES UNIDAS -ONU, 2015).…”

“…Pode-se apontar ainda, como fator adicional, o crescimento econômico de países em desenvolvimento, o qual proporcionou o aumento do tamanho da classe média global. Estimase atingir 4 bilhões de pessoas pertencentes à referida classe até 2030 (FRANCISCO, 2016;ONU, 2010). Esse aspecto converge para maior acessibilidade à bens materiais e, consequentemente, para a expansão do consumo.…”

“…Outrossim, a extração e o consumo de recursos naturais causaram o aumento dos impactos negativos no meio ambiente, entre eles a intensificação da geração de resíduos sólidos (FRANCISCO, 2016), tanto por parte de processos industriais quanto pela cultura do consumo exacerbado e do descarte precoce de bens.…”

Design Circular: materiais biodegradáveis para a indústria calçadista

“…Posto isso, fica evidente que os resíduos gerados no final do ciclo de vida do calçado é um problema crescente e de complexa resolução. Tratase de um problema urgente, principalmente ao identificar o grande volume de produção de calçados de baixa qualidade (FRANCISCO, 2017). Apesar da geração de resíduos pós consumo corresponder a milhões de toneladas por ano, a fase de desenvolvimento dos componentes corresponde de 29% à 68% do impacto total (PACHECO-BLANCO et al, 2018).…”