With the social isolation adopted due to the Covid-19 pandemic, consumers are noticing how much waste is generated daily and rethinking their consumption habits, opting for products that do not generate so much waste or with waste that can return to the production chain. Until then, we were guided by the linear consumption model, which only considers production, consumption and post-consumption disposal. This model accelerates resource depletion and does not consider waste revaluation. The pandemic has brought reflections on the need to review and change the way we consume, putting the circular economy in the spotlight.
With the circular economy comes information, the possibility of integrated use, reuse, rethinking and sharing, reducing waste. Circularity changes the soul of the economy. In circularity, the future is more important than the past. In circularity, the attitude of the consumer counts. In circularity, we create inspiring systems for reflection and decision. We can't go back to the old linear model because we're not going to prosper. We must think in a cyclical way and engage all the links in the production chain. Within the circular concept, we can use steel for packaging, which preserves the initial value and is 100% recyclable and 100% reused. 80% of all steel produced in the world is still in use, but much remains to be done. We need to creatively rethink how to bring back 100% from materials so that we can truly build a future.
In this sense, much has been discussed to indicate solutions capable of reducing the waste generated by packaging, framing the sector in the requirements of the National Policy on Solid Waste (PNRS). We have as an example of effective action Prolata, an association created by the Brazilian Association of Steel Packaging (Abeaço), with a focus on the correct disposal of steel cans for recycling. Prolata was the first management entity for reverse packaging logistics recognized by the Ministry of the Environment. In addition to having almost 40 Voluntary Delivery Points (PEVs) across the country, Prolata now mobilizes more than 50 recyclable material collectors' cooperatives, has 6 partner warehouses and 1 own receiving center for large volumes. Since the founding of the association in 2012, almost 33,000 tons of steel have been collected and recycled.
Prolata's goal is to create conditions for the steel can recycling chain to be completed, involving can manufacturers, product manufacturers, cooperatives, end consumers and the steel industry. Today, 100% of the packaging collected by Prolata is recycled by a single partner steelworks. But the initiative seeks more partnerships in the steel industry. The recycling model instituted by Prolata was inspired by the cases of Sweden and Switzerland, successful countries not only in their recycling rates, which reach 82% in the case of steel cans, but also in the models instituted, which generate efficiency and the sharing of responsibility among all the links in the chain. The recycling model that Prolata is adopting in Brazil was established after rigorous benchmark work in European countries.
Although Germany, for example, recycles 96% from post-consumer cans, the model adopted is based on an extremely expensive reverse logistics standard managed by for-profit companies. In Sweden, a system was established in which the production chain has to create conditions for the consumer to deposit their packages voluntarily, already separating them by category, which makes the system efficient and reduces the cost. In addition, in Sweden the manager has no profit purpose.
However, actions like this will not be possible if we do not motivate the consumer to collaborate. Many consumers purchase products packaged in materials that are not recyclable. It is fundamental that consumers understand that taking products packaged in recyclable and recycled materials, such as steel, is an economy for the whole society. Steel cans can be revalued infinitely and become tools, cars, refrigerators, hinges, doorknobs, beams for civil construction and new packaging. In addition, they can be easily separated from other materials through a magnetic process, which facilitates sorting for reuse. The sustainability of steel can still be proven in its manufacturing process, as post-consumer steel packaging is fundamental for the manufacture of new steel.
According to the most recent data from Instituto Aço Brasil, 8.9 million tons of steel scrap were recycled in 2017. Among the main benefits of using recycled steel in the process of manufacturing new steel are energy savings of 74%, raw material savings 90% virgin, 40% reduction in water consumption, 76% reduction in water pollutants, 86% reduction in air pollutants, and 97% reduction in mining waste. By recycling steel, steel mills save energy equivalent to supplying 18 million homes per year. Companies are beginning to understand that they need to change and develop new products in line with the circular economy, including packaging. A company that does not adapt will not prosper.
