Abstract
This study aims to identify the main barriers to fully implement the reverse logistics of e-waste in Brazil and prioritize them under a Multicriteria Decision Aid approach (MCDA) according to the perceptions of small and medium-sized companies, consumers, and the Brazilian government. Hence, the study was conducted in two steps: (i) Systematic literature review to identify the main barriers, with data collection carried out through a documental analysis, and (ii) MCDA application, through self-administered questionnaires. In order to deal with the uncertainty in subjective measures, the method of Composition of Probabilistic Preferences (CPP) was applied to analyze the results of each group of decision maker, opting for the progressive-pessimistic scenario to prioritize the barriers to be solved. As main results, a priority classification of the internal and external barriers considering each category of decision maker was obtained. Moreover, it was verified that the government and micro and small companies agreed that internal barriers with an organizational nature or related to infrastructure management are the main obstacles to the implementation of reverse logistics. On the other hand, consumers consider the managerial or organizational barriers as a priority.
Highlights
In Brazil, 1.4 million tons of electronic waste was generated during the year 2014 (7.1 kg per capita), which represented 52% of electronic waste generated in Latin America during the same period [1]
This study brings a quali-quantitative approach, as it uses the Multiple Criteria Decision Aid (MCDA) approach to analyze the data related to the perception of decision makers, namely: The Brazilian Government (Ministry of Environment), micro and small companies that act in the reverse logistics processes to revalorize e-waste, and consumers
Data collection was performed in two steps: (i) We considered secondary data, such as papers published in international and Brazilian journals, in order to identify the main barriers related to the implementation of reverse logistics of Waste of Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE), which contributed to the development of the questionnaires’ items; and (ii) the elicitation process, which consisted in the analysis of the perceptions of the decision makers and the establishment of values to evaluate the alternatives
Summary
In Brazil, 1.4 million tons of electronic waste was generated during the year 2014 (7.1 kg per capita), which represented 52% of electronic waste generated in Latin America during the same period [1]. In 2016, this number increased to 1.534 tons, 7.4 kg per inhabitant [2], an increase of approximately 9.57%. The increase in waste generated was greater than the increase related to population in Brazil, which in two years (2014–2016) grew by approximately 1.97% [3,4]. The increase of manufacturing and marketing of these products, combined with the reduction of their life cycle generated by the planned obsolescence, have caused more disposability and, more urban waste. These facts enable the emergence of reverse logistics as a means of disposal and conscious use of these products, both after-sales and post-consumption [6]. Reverse Logistics (RL) is the process in which the value is recaptured or the appropriate destination of products, used or not, is ensured, this being its main operation [7]
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