Reverse supply chain practices for construction and demolition waste in the Brazilian Amazon: a multi-stakeholder view

R Brandao; D J Edwards; A C S Melo; A N Macedo

doi:10.1007/s10163-023-01680-1

Reverse supply chain practices for construction and demolition waste in the Brazilian Amazon: a multi-stakeholder view

J Mater Cycles Waste Manag. 2023 May 3:1-17. doi: 10.1007/s10163-023-01680-1. Online ahead of print.

Authors

R Brandao^{1

2}, D J Edwards^{3

4}, A C S Melo⁵, A N Macedo⁶

Affiliations

¹ Postgraduate Program in Civil Engineering, PPGEC, Technology Institute, ITEC, Federal University of Pará, UFPA, Belém Campus, Augusto Corrêa Street, 1, Guamá, Belém, Para 66075-110 Brazil.
² Business School, Rural Federal University of the Amazon, Tomé-Açu, PA Brazil.
³ School of Engineering and the Built Environment, Birmingham City University, Birmingham, UK.
⁴ Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa.
⁵ Centre for Natural Sciences and Technology, Para State University, Belém, Para Brazil.
⁶ Technology Institute, ITEC, Federal University of Pará, UFPA, Augusto Corrêa Street, 1, Guamá, Belém CampusBelém, Para 66075-110 Brazil.

Abstract

Construction and demolition waste (CDW) is an environmental problem that affects all regions of the world. Particularly in the Brazilian Amazon Forest region, the volume of CDW generated almost doubled between 2007 and 2019. Indeed, despite Brazil having environmental regulations for waste management, these have been insufficient to solve the environmental problem because there is no CDW reverse supply chain (RSC) properly developed in the Amazon region. Previous studies have proposed a conceptual model of a CDW RSC but have hitherto failed to apply them against real world practice. This paper, therefore, attempts to test existing conceptual models that describe a CDW RSC against real industry practice prior to developing an applied model of a CDW RSC for the Brazilian Amazon. To modify the conceptual model for CDW RSC, qualitative data through 15 semi-structured interviews with five different types of stakeholders of the Amazonian CDW RSC were collected and analyzed using qualitative content analysis methods using NVivo software. The proposed applied model includes present and future reverse logistics (RL) practices, and strategies and tasks necessary for the implementation of a CDW RSC in the city of Belém of Pará, in the Brazilian Amazon. Findings reveal that several overlooked problems, particularly the limitations of the existing legal framework in Brazil, are not enough to promote a robust CDW RSC. This is perhaps the first study to examine CDW RSC in the Amazonian rainforest. Arguments provided in this study highlight the necessity for an Amazonian CDW RSC that must be promoted and regulated by the government. This can be addressed by the utilizing public-private partnership (PPP) for developing a CDW RSC.

Keywords: Brazilian amazon; Construction and civil engineering industry; Construction and demolition waste; Reverse logistics; Reverse supply chain.

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