Reverse Logistics: evaluation of potential and challenges in Santa Catarina Highlands (Brazil)

This research presents an analysis of the potential and challenges of implementing reverse logistics for ‘batteries’ and ‘electronic devices’ in Santa Catarina Highlands. Shared management in Santa Catarina Highlands has been implemented through the Serra Catarinense Intermunicipal Consortium (CISAMA), with the implementation of ecopoints in the municipalities, which aim to receive not only this Reverse Logistics (RL) waste but also other recyclable waste. The Santa Catarina Environmental Institute (IMA), through the “I think, therefore I destiny” program, seeks to make the RL of this waste viable in conjunction with the city governments. In this sense, through a cooperation agreement, eleven municipalities in the mountainous region signed an agreement in 2022. As the main results of this research – through the application of a SWOT matrix considering Santa Catarina Highlands as an internal environment, and the State/Country as an external environment – ​​peculiar characteristics of the researched region could be identified, due to the municipalities having less than ten thousand inhabitants, as well as other factors that hinder the implementation of the aforementioned program, such as the lack of professional qualification of civil servants, the need for greater supervision, as well as raising awareness among the population, thus covering cultural, geographic and demographic issues, in addition to administrative aspects.