Product Take-Back in Brazil

Last Updated:	2004-11-08
Report Contents
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Introduction

Brazil has been a Latin American leader in developing and implementing take-back and recycling initiatives. Take-back policies have become an integral aspect of Brazil’s emerging solid waste policies. Currently, there are no federal comprehensive take-back programs for end-of-life products. Rather, the programs in existence have been implemented as component or product-specific mandates. To date, Brazil has in place national take-back programs for tires, used lubricant oil, pesticide containers, and batteries. For now, the battery take-back rules are the only federal scheme with a direct impact on the electronics industry, discussed in more detail the section on Components. "Brazil: Batteries." The related concepts of product take-back, re-use and recycling, and extended producer responsibility are all incorporated into legislative and regulatory initiatives that call for comprehensive solid waste programs, some with specific provisions for end-of-life electronic products and components. In particular, the Omnibus Waste Bill (PL 293/1991) in the Chamber of Deputies and the Working Groups at the National Environment Council’s (CONAMA) 2004 seminar on the National Solid Waste Policy both embrace these concepts. Additionally, although beyond the scope of this report, certain states already impose comprehensive take-back programs.