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Brasil
PackTrends
2020
196
sustainability & ethics
7.5 MANAGEMENT OF RESIDUES & REVERSE LOGISTICS
Important diagnosis of the current situation of
solid residues in the country was published in document
Solid Waste and Green Economy (GARCIA, 2012b). In
this document some priority actions to be performed
along the production chain are suggested:
It falls to the private sector the challenge to
develop technologies that extend the life time of the
produced materials and the use of recycled materials
for the production of new products.
• The management of the plans National, State and
Regional of Integrated Solid Waste Management
should be done by the government, with priority
actions for remediation and closure of landfills,
construction of composting plants for treatment of
organic waste and construction of landfills.
• The development of technologies that extend the life
time of products and the use of recycled materials for
the production of new ones should be the challenge
of the private sector.
• The responsibility of to adequately separate the
organic material and the recyclables from the
garbage, as well as the changing of habits to a more
sustainable level with revision of real consumption
needs should be followed by all consumers.
The establishment of the reverse logistics chain is
not a simple task and involves many aspects. In fact, in
cases where the use of packaging in a second production
process already provides a financial return for the agents
involved, as in the case of old corrugated paperboard
boxes and aluminum cans, the return of post-consumer
packaging already exists. However, in most cases, that
chain needs to be created and established. In this
direction, the NPSW establishes the need for structuring
the reverse logistics chain to return the materials that
commercially, still does not have an aggregated value.
It is very important, however, realize that the
creation of this chain does not occur spontaneously. If
does not exists a clear determination of the generating
sector in returning these materials to the production
cycle, or gives an appropriate destination, this chain
cannot be established. In order to ensure that the
reverse chain is real and can be maintained, it must be
economically viable, which means that it must pay all
the involved agents in an adequate way.
This perception of the need to go beyond your
own gates was perceived long ago by Tetra Pak, which
is a great example of company that was able to foster,
encourage, and establish the reverse logistics chain
of the aseptic packages after use. These containers of
liquids are formed by the combination of three materials:
cardboard, which gives rigidity and packing structure,
alternating layers of polyethylene (PE), which protect the
cardboard from external moisture and also constitutes
the primary contact material with the liquid beverage,
and an aluminum foil (Al), which preserves the aroma
and extends the shelf life of the product which reaches,
in the case of milk for example, up to six months.
This multilayer material is currently separated
from the common waste (the current recycling rate
is 28%) and the cellulosic fiber content recovered in
“hidrapulpers” present in paper recycling companies.
The remaining residue consisting primarily of
polyethylene and aluminum, is currently intended for
the manufacture of PE/Al tiles and to the EET-Brasil
Aluminum and Paraffin Ltd. company at Piracicaba.
At the EET company, through a plasma process
(~15,000ºC), high purity aluminum is obtained and the
polyethylene is transformed into paraffin (VON ZUBEN,
2006). LCA studies carried out by CETEA attest that
recycling has environmental benefits, even considering
the impacts of all these stages of the reverse chain
(MOURAD et al., 2008a and 2008b).
The reverse logistics chain – Tetra Pak’s case