Recycling in action: Shared responsibility, shared benefits

Shared responsibility

Businesses in Brazil selling packaged products to consumers must ensure that at least 22% of that packaging is recovered for recycling as part of ‘reverse logistics’ requirements under the National Solid Waste Policy.

The companies that make the packaging need to support recycling efforts too. And local governments and consumers also have an important part to play in making sure recyclable waste is separated and collected for recycling.

This collective responsibility has created opportunities for businesses, municipalities and communities to work together in exciting new recycling partnerships that can bring benefits to all involved – and, of course, the environment.

This is the ethos behind the Cidade+Recicleiros programme in Brazil and the model has been approved by the country’s environment agencies.

Shared benefits

We’ve already seen how Cidade+Recicleiros is benefiting cities, supporting cooperative workers and boosting recycling rates. But what about businesses?

Cidade+Recicleiros, developed by the NGO Instituto Recicleiros, is one of the projects approved by the Brazilian food and beverage association – whose members include major global brands – for its members to invest in to meet their regulatory requirements on reverse logistics in a sustainable way.

Critically, the programme is investing in additional recycling capacity by introducing selective collection systems where they don’t already exist, and its holistic approach includes a requirement for participating municipalities to adopt public policies that guarantee that selective collection will be sustained in the long term.

SIG is leading business support for the project as the seed investor. More than 400 businesses are now investing to help municipalities establish sustainable systems for selective collection of consumer waste for recycling.

“It’s good for the environment, good for society and good for business,” says Rafael Viñas of Espaço Eco Foundation, one of the organisations participating in Cidade+Recicleiros.

“The programme will reduce pressure on the nation’s landfills and enable more materials to be recycled into new products,” says Rodolfo Walder Viana, South America Sustainability Manager at BASF, one of the companies involved in the programme. “It’s supporting social inclusion by formalising jobs for vulnerable unemployed people. And it’s enhancing the reputation of the business ecosystem that BASF is part of by helping to structure Extended Product Liability value chains.”

Added value for business

SIG decided to partner with Instituto Recicleiros, not only because of the positive environmental and social impact the Cidade+Recicleiros programme will deliver, but the added value it offers for businesses.

“We wanted to offer a quality solution for our customers that enables them to be confident they are meeting their regulatory requirements by demonstrably increasing recycling in the long term,” says Isabela de Marchi at SIG.

“Cidade+Recicleiros provides such a solution. By investing in the programme, our customers get the added benefits of bringing positive impacts to communities and enhancing the reputation of their brand.”

Nestlé is the first SIG customer to join Cidade+Recicleiros.

“The packaging of our products is essential to prevent food waste, guarantee our high-quality standards and communicate with our consumers – and it’s also an integral part of the sustainability journey,” says Cristiani Vieira, Environmental Sustainability Manager at Nestlé.

“Nestlé’s vision is that none of our product packaging should end up in landfill or as litter,” she says. “Making changes to the packaging we use is a big part of the action we are taking as a company as we work towards our ambition for 100% of our packaging to be reusable or recyclable by 2025. But it is also important that the infrastructure is in place to allow recycling to happen.”

Collaboration is key to establish sustainable waste management systems that will improve recycling rates and drive circularity. The Cidade+Recicleiros programme is developing a complete waste management system that promotes systemic change.

“This partnership between Nestlé and SIG is the basis for the development of a lasting infrastructure that will deliver for the environment, communities and business,” Cristiani continues. “It’s a way for us to implement a shared responsibility that creates shared value for everyone across the value chain.”

Part of the bigger picture

Nestle also sees opportunities to further increase recycling rates by building the Cidade Recicleiros partnership to connect different players in the circular economy, scale up the model to more cities and develop the market for recycled materials.

Another important element will be working together to enhance consumer awareness. Cristiani says: “We aim to evolve the partnership between Nestlé and SIG to develop engaging and educational communications to promote increased recycling.”

Find out more about the critical role consumers have to play in recycling in our SIGnals blog on how cartons are recycled.