Produção e consumo à luz do desenvolvimento de práticas sustentáveis na cadeia de fornecimento varejista

Abstract

Sustainable production and consumption are practices that lead to sustainable development and retailers have a crucial role in this process because of its prime position between supply and demand. Given the importance of sustainable production in economic, environmental and social terms, this research analyzed the development of sustainable practices in the retail supply chain. The analysis included case studies applied in Brazil in seven manufacturers in the hygiene segment, cleaning, tissue paper, white goods and food. The research was developed through a qualitative approach, multiple study case, exploring information on sustainable production and consumption from the extraction of natural resources to post-consumption. Among the results it was observed that, in order to mitigate the effects of unnecessary materials in the production and transportation, the seven companies and a network of multinational hypermarket in codesign with consumers through market research information, developed products and packaging environmentally friendly, reduced raw materials production and improved logistics operations therefore decreased the amounts of waste from their products and eased CO² emissions in the atmosphere. Therefore, these large companies have achieved economic and ecological gains, while in the social prism, in one case it was possible to eradicate slave labor in some subsuppliers during the ecological certification process. The studied project is restricted to companies with large production capacity; high investments in research and development to redesign products and packaging; and instruments for analysis of the implications of this redesign throughout the product life-cycle management. The negotiating win-win scenario provided an opportunity to meet the demands of consumers with sustainable consumable products to lower prices than similar "unsustainable" of the competition and white line with increased of the payment parcels, however the environmental communication is not aimed to reach more consumers beyond loyal following. The conclusion is that sustainable practices are not performed in these organizations without economic gains, pressure law or restriction on raw materials access. In this context, it becomes relevant research on sustainable projects for small and medium companies; integration of environmental issues for children in elementary school, as well as, government incentives and benefits to support these causes. The research provides structural information for understanding the importance of the theme and its effective use at the companies, consumers, governments and societies.