Análise de possibilidades de reciclagem no processo de fabricação de calçados.

The footwear industry is relevant from the perspective of job creation, mainly for developing countries, due to the reduced level of demand and training time for the employed workforce. In this perspective, it also stands out for its importance in tax collection, the creation of productive clusters, consolidation of the local productive matrix, providing opportunities for the emergence of new businesses and stimulating entrepreneurship. However, at the same time, the footwear industry also contributes to the deterioration of the environment, resulting from its own production activities or related to the supply chain and disposal of products, at the end of their life cycle. Thus, research is justified with the objective of highlighting alternatives for recycling in the footwear manufacturing process, the results of which served as the basis for the preparation of this article. To achieve this objective, the authors opted for a single case study, in one of the largest footwear industries in the country, a qualitative approach, with the collection of empirical data through in-depth interviews with professionals appointed by the company, with deep knowledge of the process of footwear production, documentary survey and non-participant systematic observation. The content analysis of the empirical data showed that the characteristics of the shoes, as well as the operational practices adopted, make it difficult to recycle shoes. Even so, several alternatives were pointed out, technically viable and, in the perception of the interviewees, also economically. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]