Reverse Logistics as a sustainable instrument for the management of expired medicines in Brazil
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29327/2384439.3.2-10Keywords:
Expired medications, Proper disposal, Reverse logisticsAbstract
The growing concern about the proper disposal of expired medications has driven the need for a more responsible approach to dealing with pharmaceutical products at the end of their lifecycle. This article explores the importance of raising awareness about the correct disposal of medications, highlighting the environmental and health risks associated with their improper disposal. Additionally, it discusses the crucial role played by pharmaceutical reverse logistics in the responsible management of these waste products and their packaging, aiming to mitigate environmental risks, protect public health, and promote sustainability. The challenges faced in implementing pharmaceutical reverse logistics, including logistical and public awareness issues, are also addressed. Through a deeper understanding of the role and benefits of pharmaceutical reverse logistics, the aim is to promote more efficient and sustainable management of medications. In an effort to minimize improper disposal and to analyze the main impacts of expired pharmaceutical reverse logistics for sustainability and safety contributions, methodologies such as ethnography, participant research, bibliographic review, among others, were used to conclude that with the application of this tool, the trend is a decrease in environmental damage, contributing to a sustainable future.
Downloads
References
BRASIL. Decreto nº 10.388, de 5 de junho de 2020. Regulamenta o § 1º do caput do art. 33 da Lei nº 12.305, de 2 de agosto de 2010, e institui o sistema de logística reversa de medicamentos domiciliares vencidos ou em desuso, de uso humano, industrializados e manipulados, e de suas embalagens após o descarte pelos consumidores. Diário Oficial da União: Brasília, DF, 2020. Disponível em: https://www.in.gov.br/en/web/dou/-/decreto-n 10.388-de-5-de-junho-de-2020-260391756. Acesso em 05 abr. 2024.
BRASÍLIA. SINIR - SISTEMA NACIONAL DE INFORMAÇÕES SOBRE A GESTÃO DOS RESÍDUOS SÓLIDOS. s.d. O que é Logística Reversa. Disponível em: https://sinir.gov.br/perfis/logistica-reversa/logistica-reversa/. Acesso em: 16 abr. 2024.
CONSELHO REGIONAL DE FARMÁCIA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO (São Paulo). Setor de Orientação Farmacêutica do CRF-SP. Orientações sobre logística reversa de medicamentos e suas embalagens. São Paulo, 2022. 8 p. Disponível em: https://portal.crfsp.org.br/images/datep/informes%20t%C3%A9cnicos/Informe_Tcnico_-_Logstica_reversa_de_medicamentos_-_DOF_GTT.pdf. Acesso em: 01 abr. 2024.
CAMPOS, Alexandre de et al. Logística Reversa Integrada: sistema de responsabilidade pós-consumo aplicados ao ciclo de vida dos produtos. São Paulo: Érica, 2017. Disponível em: https://www.google.com.br/books/edition/Log%C3%ADstica_Reversa_Integrada/e4uwDwAAQBAJ?hl=pt-BR&gbpv=1&dq=LOG%C3%8DSTICA+REVERSA+INTEGRADA&printsec=frontcover. Acesso em: 04 abr. 2024.
CARVALHO, Mateus et al. Descarte irregular de medicamentos causa impactos à saúde e ao meio ambiente. 2017. Elaborado pela secretaria de estado de saúde. Disponível em: www.saude.mg.gov.br/component/gmg/story/9819-descarte-irregular-de-medicamentos-causa-impactos-a-saude-e-ao-meio-ambiente. Acesso em: 11 abr. 2024.
DRUCK, Tânia Franco Graça et al. Padrões de industrialização, riscos e meio ambiente. Ciência & Saúde Coletiva, Salvador, v. 3, n. 2, p. 61-72, 1998. Mensal. Disponível em: https://www.redalyc.org/pdf/630/63013484006.pdf. Acesso em: 09 abr. 2024.
FEBRAFAR (São Paulo). Logística Reversa de Medicamentos: veja impactos para consumidores e farmácias. Veja impactos para consumidores e farmácias. 2022. Disponível em: https://febrafar.com.br/logistica-reversa-de-medicamentos-farmacias/. Acesso em: 05 abr. 2024.
GUPTA, Surendra M. Reverse Supply Chains. Boca Raton: Crc Press, 2013. 422 p.
KOTLER, P. Administração de Marketing: análise, planejamento, implementação e controle. Tradução de Ailton Bomfim Brandão. 5. ed. 9. reimp. São Paulo: Atlas, 2011. KOTLER, P.; ARMSTRONG, G. Princípios de Marketing. Tradução de Sabrina Cairo. 15. ed. São Paulo: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2015.
KÜMMERER, Klaus. Pharmaceuticals in the Environment: Sources, Fate, Effects and Risks. 2. ed. S.l: Springer, 2004. 528 p.
LAR PLÁSTICOS (Atibaia). Como a logística reversa contribui com a sustentabilidade? 2020. Disponível em: https://www.larplasticos.com.br/ultimas-noticias/como-a-logistica-reversa-contribui-com-a-sustentabilidade/. Acesso em: 11 abr. 2024.
LOGMED (S.L.). Saúde Para Toda Forma de Vida: logística reversa. Logística Reversa. 2024. Disponível em: https://www.logmed.org.br/. Acesso em: 05 abr. 2024.
MINISTÉRIO DO MEIO AMBIENTE. Logística Reversa. Disponível em: https://antigo.mma.gov.br/cidades-sustentaveis/residuos-perigosos/logistica-reversa. Acesso em: 16 abr. 2024.
MOURA, Adriana Maria Magalhães de et al. Governança Ambiental no Brasil: instituições, atores e políticas públicas. Brasília: Ipea, 2016. 352 p. Disponível em: https://repositorio.ipea.gov.br/handle/11058/6800. Acesso em: 10 abr. 2024.
SCHIAVON, Fabiana. Como descartar remédios para não contaminar o meio ambiente. 2022. Disponível em: https://saude.abril.com.br/medicina/como-descartar-remedios-para-nao-contaminar-o-meio-ambiente. Acesso em: 11 maio 2024.
SEVERINO, Antônio Joaquim et al. Metodologia do trabalho científico. São Paulo: Cortez, 2013. 274 p. Disponível em: https://www.ufrb.edu.br/ccaab/images/AEPE/Divulga%C3%A7%C3%A3o/LIVROS/Metodologia_do_Trabalho_Cient%C3%ADfico_-_1%C2%AA_Edi%C3%A7%C3%A3o_-_Antonio_Joaquim_Severino_-_2014.pdf. Acesso em: 10 abr. 2024.
SUPERINTENDÊNCIA DE ADMINISTRAÇÃO DO MEIO AMBIENTE - SUDEMA (Tambiá). Descarte incorreto de medicamentos contamina solo e traz riscos à saúde. 2022. Disponível em: https://sudema.pb.gov.br/noticias/descarte-incorreto-de-medicamentos-contamina-solo-e-traz-riscos-a-saude#:~:text=%E2%80%9CPor%20menor%20que%20pare%C3%A7a%2C%20a,afirmou%20Walesca%20Lacerda%2C%20engenheira%20ambiental. Acesso em: 11 abr. 2024.
POLACOW, Marcelo. Descarte de Medicamentos e Embalagens. 2024. Disponível em: https://www.crfsp.org.br/index.php/sobre-o-crf-sp/transparencia.html?id=12249. Acesso em: 14 abr. 2024.
ROIG, Benoit. Pharmaceuticals in the Environment: Current Knowledge and Need Assessment to Reduce Presence and Impact. S.l: Iwa Pub, 2010. 198 p.
UNIVERSIDADE FEDERAL DO VALE DO SÃO FRANCISCO (Petrolina). Descarte de medicamentos vencidos: como e onde descartar corretamente. 2019. Disponível em: https://portais.univasf.edu.br/sustentabilidade/noticias-sustentaveis/descarte-de-medicamentos-vencidos-como-e-onde-descartar-corretamente. Acesso em: 20 abr. 2024.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Gabriella Silvestre da Silva, Júlio Cesar Silva Santos, Álvaro Camargo Prado

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Copyright Policy
By submitting a manuscript for publication in the journal Advances in Global Innovation & Technology (@_GIT), authors agree, in advance and unrestrictedly, to the following terms:
- The authors retain the copyright and grant to the Journal Advances in Global Innovation & Technology (@_GIT) the right of first publication of the manuscript, without any financial burden, and waive any other remuneration for its publication in the Journal of Advances in Global Innovation & Technology (@_GIT).
- Upon submission to the Journal of Advances in Global Innovation & Technology (@_GIT), the manuscript is automatically licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which allows the sharing of the work with acknowledgment of authorship and initial publication in the Journal Advances in Global Innovation & Technology (@_GIT).
- Authors are authorized to enter into additional contracts separately, for non-exclusive distribution of the version of the work published in the Journal Advances in Global Innovation & Technology (@_GIT) (publish in repositories or as a book chapter), with acknowledgment of the initial publication in the Journal Advances in Global Innovation & Technology (@_GIT), provided that such agreement does not imply an endorsement of the content of the manuscript or the new vehicle by the Journal of Advances in Global Innovation & Technology (@_GIT).
- Authors are allowed and encouraged to publish and distribute their work online, in institutional repositories, for example after the editorial process is completed.
- The authors warrant that they have obtained proper permission from their employers for the transfer of rights under this agreement, if those employers own any copyright in the manuscript. In addition, the authors assume any and all responsibility for possible copyright infringements of these employers, exempting Advances in Global Innovation & Technology (@_GIT) from any and all liability in this regard.
- The authors assume all responsibility for the content of the work, including the due and necessary authorizations for the disclosure of data collected and results obtained, exempting the Journal of Advances in Global Innovation & Technology (@_GIT) from any and all liability in this regard.