Challenges and opportunities in a circular economy for a local productive arrangement of furniture in Brazil

• Published in: Resources, conservation and recycling Vol. 135; pp. 202 - 209
• Main Authors: Oliveira, Fábio Ribeiro de, França, Sergio Luiz Braga, Rangel, Luís Alberto Duncan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 01.08.2018
• Subjects: Circular economy; Furniture; Industrial symbiosis; Local productive arrangement; Product development; Waste management; Waste management; Local productive arrangement; Product development; Circular economy; Furniture; Industrial symbiosis
• ISSN: 0921-3449; 1879-0658
• DOI: 10.1016/j.resconrec.2017.10.031

•Strategic guidelines for the circular economy are allocated to product development.•Challenges include planning and efforts beyond the environmental corrective models.•There is a lack of circularity actions in the furniture product conception stage.•Opportunities include partnerships and institutional support programs.•Solid residues’ destinations demonstrate potential for industrial symbiosis. The circular economy system represents the generation of opportunities in production chains. This is to ensure that product development can adjust to natural cycles, seeking minimization of the negative externalities of production processes. In Brazil, circular economy models are still incipient and need identification and articulation of actions that will be coordinated by companies. Starting with the endogenous characteristics of interaction and cooperation related to the composition of local arrangements, this study aims to contribute to the expansion of the circular economy in Brazil by identifying the challenges and opportunities for a furniture cluster. Methodological strategies included data triangulation using document analyses, observation of visual communication materials, and inquiry in companies of local productive arrangements of furniture. The study encompasses 23 companies specializing in wooden furniture situated in five different cities, and it uses a local furniture company as the benchmark. The results indicate the extent to which companies adhere to the strategic guidelines for a circular economy in the cluster context and identify the disposal mode and final destination for the main solid residues generated by the industries. This approach makes it possible to certify the potential for development and consolidation of the circular economy actions in the local productive arrangement.