SURFBOARDS OF DIFFERENT MATERIALS: A REVERSE LOGISTICS ANALYSIS

There are about 35 million surfers in the world and more than 3 million in Brazil. The surfer's lifestyle is associated with nature, although the materials used to produce a surfboard are usually toxic and difficult to recover its value. This study deals with the reverse logistics of surfboards made of three different materials. The production chain is characterized and the waste generated in the manufacturing process and in the post-use were identified. Waste recovery initiatives in Brazil and other countries were also listed. Data collection was conducted by visits to surfboards manufacturers in Florianopolis and interviews to manufacturers from other localities. The findings show that the three types of surfboards have similar reuse channels, and the polyurethane surfboards waste - the surfboard with the highest market share - are not recovered into the same industry, unlike EPS surfboards waste.