Analysis of consumer behavior in the disposal of waste electrical and electronics equipment and the reverse chain in a company at Sorocaba

Abstract

Society in increasingly concerned about the environment demanding from companies and governments greater responsibilities related to sustainability, which covers the following pillars: social, economic and environmental. The National Solid Waste Policy presents guidelines regarding the management of solid waste by means of proper disposal and treatment through reverse logistics, including Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE). The growing increase in the consumption of Electronic Electrical Equipment (EEE) related to factors such as accelerated technological innovation, reduction of the useful life, also intensified by the creation of new needs and desires of the consumer, implies in the generation of large amounts of WEEE throughout world and a concern regarding the correct disposal of this type of waste that can cause damage to the environment if discarded incorrectly. This work seeks to identify and examine consumer awareness regarding the correct disposal and evolution of the reverse logistics system implemented at a WEEE recycling company in the city of Sorocaba. The data will be collected with different samples to evaluate the behavior of the consumer and, in the company, will be followed the evolution of the reverse logistics system from the creation of the company to the present day. The obtained data will be analyzed based on the Theories of the Planned Behavior (TPB) and Values-beliefs-Norms (VBN). These theories together seek to understand what influences the proper behavior of consumers in discarding both internal and external factors and how they influence in making awareness a real behavior.