Transitioning to a circular economy in developing countries: A collaborative approach for sharing responsibilities in solid waste management of a Brazilian craft brewery

Abstract

The linear model practiced in developing countries as Brazil to solid waste management can no longer absorb the amount of waste generated by the cities’ economic activities, and it hinders the self-recovery ability of the environment leading to environmental problems. Consequently, it is necessary a transition to a circular economy model so that environmental problems may be avoided. Brazilian authorities have already been mobilized to seek ways to transitioning, and one way is centered on reverse logistics and shared responsibility for solid waste management laid down in Law No. 12,305/2010. However, this transition does not occur smoothly due to solid waste management in Brazil involves different segments of society, which implies different responsibilities for each segment, as well as a good interaction between them, but there is not an adequate approach to define the responsibilities. Therefore, this study seeks to develop a collaborative approach capable of defining responsibilities towards solid waste management. The proposed approach embedded three methods: Value Focused Thinking, Flexible and Interactive Tradeoff, and Shapley value. The approach was applied to a craft brewery located in a northeastern Brazilian city. The findings show that segments were able to define sustainable responsibilities for the tactical performance of solid waste management in transitioning to a circular economy.