Desafios e oportunidades para a transição à economia circular em um complexo industrial e portuário

Abstract

The Circular Economy (CE) seeks to optimize resources, minimize waste, and promote reuse, addressing environmental and social challenges associated with the transition from industrial parks to ecoparks. The circular economy in industrial ecoparks involves the integration of processes (from administrative to manufacturing) to reduce waste, reuse materials, and recycle products at the end of their life cycle, creating a closed system. This dissertation aims to propose opportunities and challenges for the transition to sustainability with circular economy logic for an industrial and port complex. The methodology of this work is characterized as qualitative and is structured in two main stages. The first stage consists of an analysis of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Environmental Impact Report (EIR) reports, complemented by a scoping review. This process aims to categorize the products, waste, and manufacturing processes of the companies in the studied complex, extracting integrated information on inputs, processes, and waste, with the objective of identifying potential opportunities for circularity through material exchanges. The second stage involves the application of interviews with managers, followed by a Content Analysis that comprises the following steps: (i) definition of the research problem and objectives; (ii) selection of the material to be analyzed; (iii) development of categories or codes to classify the data; (iv) interpretation of information, identifying patterns and frequencies; and (v) analysis and discussion of the results in the context of the research problem. The originality of this work is due to the combination of methodologies to obtain the desired results, being addressed the mixture of a scoping review, plus a documentary analysis and a content analysis of interviews carried out. As proposals to mitigate the barriers encountered, it was proposed that the State should offer clear guidelines, reduce bureaucracies and encourage circular practices with financial incentives, companies should invest in qualified labor, logistics infrastructure and coordination in the exchange of waste. For effective advancement, collaboration between public authorities, companies, and society is essential, promoting governance, innovation, and sustainability. It is concluded that by transforming industrial complexes into ecoparks, promoting practices of industrial symbiosis and reuse of waste, it is possible to achieve environmental, economic and social benefits. However, the effectiveness of this process depends on robust public policies, financial incentives, clear overnance, and greater cooperation between companies and regulatory bodies.