Understand how the shared responsibility of reverse logistics impacts your company

Did you know that your company has shared responsibility for all packaging used in the production and marketing of products?

In 2010, the National Solid Waste Policy (PNRS) restructured the way companies and consumers should deal with waste here in Brazil. Since then, a lot has changed and we have had several advances that culminated in the current uproar in reverse logistics.

The idea is that PNRS will provide solutions that solve solid waste problems in a practical way that is consistent with the reality we have in our country. In 2017 alone, according to the panorama released by ALBREPE (Brazilian Association of Public Cleaning and Special Waste Companies), Brazil produced more than 77 million tons of waste. Of this total, around 6 million tons were not collected.

Still, the biggest challenge is recycling, which currently remains at a maximum margin of 5%, that is, 70 million tons of waste ends up in landfills and dumps.

How shared responsibility can generate value for your company

Unfortunately, the problem generated by waste is not contained by landfills and dumps, on the contrary, the practice involves soil pollution and has exceeded the appropriate limits for the environment and society to exist in balance. In view of this, the urgency of putting the PNRS and reverse logistics into practice has mobilized many professionals and companies who still feel doubts about the legislation and, mainly, doubts about why the responsibility for packaging is shared among all actors in the cycle. of product life. We will clarify these issues and show efficient ways to deal with this new panorama, adding value to your professional delivery. After all, corporate sustainability is a mandatory issue in the 21st century.

What is shared responsibility and who are responsible?

The PNRS Law, 12,305/2010, more specifically in the third article, item XVII, defines that shared responsibility for the life cycle of products is a principle that divides the duties of mitigating the impact generated among all actors in the cycle, that is manufacturers, distributors, traders, importers, consumers and cleaning agents.

The idea is that everyone who is part of a product's life cycle is responsible for actions that will reduce its impact. So, if you buy, for example, a bottle of water, produce it, import it from China or simply sell it, there is some action you can and should take to help with the reverse logistics of packaging this product.

This means: an action that will help this bottle be sent for recycling and become raw material for a new product instead of overcrowding landfills and landfills. It is worth mentioning that reverse logistics is a process and instrument that requires further explanation, for this reason, we have created this material that will help you understand reverse logistics in general, as well as its specific points.

What are the objectives of shared responsibility?

Its main objective is to assist in the fulfillment of reverse logistics, by being a guiding principle for individual actions in favor of a collective good. In this sense, shared responsibility is a strategic principle that aims to organize and assign actions that jointly minimize the environmental impacts caused by growing industrial production. Before we get into the redundancy of the environmental appeal, it is important to emphasize that this concern does not arise strictly because of this bias. As we talk about in other sustainability articles, environmental care arises from the need to keep the economy and society functioning and in balance.

Keeping this vision in mind is what differentiates companies that think strategically in the long term. The reason is simple: economic and professional performance is linked to environmental changes, as they directly impact social dynamics, from food to transportation.

The ultimate objective of shared responsibility is to be an intrinsic value for the Brazilian citizen, for example, for the consumer, making them dispose of waste correctly or even for the manufacturer, making them environmentally compensate for all packaging.

How can this principle generate value for your enterprise?

By using shared responsibility as a guiding principle for action, in addition to being aligned with sustainability, your or your company's environmental impact will be rethought to mitigate negative impacts. Currently, businesses and people that have a positive impact gain the attention of conscious consumers. For this reason, it is essential that you communicate your sustainable actions based on this concept, through a good marketing strategy. By making shared responsibility part of your company, you will be adding value to the brand identity and consequently to the product.