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Reverse logistics in plastics subsector: main facilitators and barriers
Logística de reversa en el subsector de plásticos: principales facilitadores y barreras
Keywords:
Barriers, Facilitators, Industrial Solid Waste, Reverse Logistics, Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (en)Barreras, facilitadores, residuos sólidos industriales, logística de reversa, pequeñas y medianas empresas. (es)
Industrial solid waste (ISW) is increasing in both quantity and complexity and it is a priority to establish strategies to manage it. Reverse Logistics (RL) is a strategy that enables material recovery and reuse avoiding the damage that ISW may cause; also RL organizes solid waste management activities and supports other activities such as ISW trading. Most of the research linking ISW and RL in developed countries is related to the electronics subsector because of the negative effects on the environment; however, research oriented towards plastics subsector waste is lower. This is the case in Colombia where the plastics subsector is composed mainly by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) facing diverse constraints for their operation. Main facilitators and barriers that face SMEs in the Colombian plastics subsector to undertake RL programs were identified. An exploratory study was carried out in which business managers assessed the facilitators and barriers identified in the literature. The results showed that the availability of skilled people to perform RL activities is one of the most important internal facilitators and the lack of secondary markets for recovered materials is among the external barriers. The findings contribute to the body of knowledge in the field that is still maturing in Colombia.
Los residuos sólidos industriales (RSI) están incrementando en cantidad y complejidad, y es prioritario establecer estrategias para gestionarlos. La logística de reversa (LR) es una estrategia que permite la recuperación y reutilización de materiales, evitando el daño que los RSI causan; también organiza las actividades de gestión de residuos sólidos y apoya otras actividades como comercialización de RSI. La mayoría de las investigaciones en países desarrollados que vinculan RSI y LR se dan en el subsector de aparatos electróni-cos debido a los impactos negativos sobre el ambiente; no obstante, se publica en menor cantidad acerca de los residuos plásticos. Este es el caso de Colombia, donde el subsector de plásticos se compone principalmente de pequeñas y medianas empresas (Pymes), las cuales enfrentan diversas limitaciones para su funcionamiento. En este estudio se identificaron los principales facilitadores y ba-rreras que enfrentan las Pymes del subsector plásticos en Colombia para la implementación de programas de LR. Se llevó a cabo un estudio exploratorio en el cual empresarios valoraron los facilitadores y barreras identificados en literatura científica. Los resultados mostraron que la disponibilidad de personal capacitado para desarrollar actividades de LR es uno de los facilitadores internos más importantes, y que la falta de mercados secundarios para los materiales recuperados está entre las barreras externas. Los hallazgos contribuyen al conocimiento en un área aún en desarrollo en Colombia.
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Copyright (c) 2015 Claudia Cecilia Pena-Montoya, Juan Carlos Osorio-Gomez, Carlos Julio Vidal-Holguin, Patricia Torres-Lozada, Luis Fernando Marmolejo-Rebellon
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