By Brazil Stock Guide – Brazil’s federal government published Decree No. 12,688 in the Brazilian Official Gazette on Tuesday (Oct. 21), establishing the country’s first national reverse-logistics system for plastic packaging. The rule compels manufacturers, importers, and retailers to recover half of all plastic placed on the market by 2040, while requiring packaging to contain at least 22% recycled content in 2026, rising to 40% by 2040. The measure aligns with Brazil’s National Solid Waste Policy (PNRS) and forms part of Environment Minister Marina Silva’s broader push to combat plastic pollution and strengthen the circular economy.
Industry Accountability and Cooperative Inclusion
Companies can comply individually or join collective systems managed by accredited “entidades gestoras,” responsible for collection, auditing, and data reporting to the federal waste-information platform (Sinir). Annual progress reports, due by July 30, must include verified invoices through a black-box traceability system.
The decree also mandates a national network of drop-off points (PEVs)—at least one per municipality of up to 10,000 residents, and one per 10,000 residents in larger cities, within four years. For the first time, manufacturers and importers—not waste-picker cooperatives—must handle the final disposal of sorting rejects. The rule covers primary, secondary, and tertiary packaging, as well as plastic-equivalent products such as plates, cups, and cutlery.
“The decree stimulates the return of plastic packaging to the production cycle, generating green jobs, social inclusion for waste pickers, preservation of natural resources, and a reduction in soil, water, and marine pollution,” said Adalberto Maluf, National Secretary for Urban Environment, Water Resources and Environmental Quality at the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change (MMA).
Chemical Industry Welcomes the Rule
The Brazilian Chemical Industry Association (Abiquim) praised the decree as a milestone for building a circular-economy model grounded in shared responsibility, regulatory predictability, and social inclusion. The association noted that, for the first time, Brazil has national targets for reuse and recycling across the production chain—from manufacturers and importers to distributors and retailers—helping reintroduce recycled materials into new products.
By 2040, the country aims to recycle 50% and reuse 40% of all plastic packaging, fostering more sustainable industrial practices and closing material loops across sectors.
The decree, Abiquim said, clearly defines the roles of manufacturers of packaged products, packaging producers, and importers, setting quantitative benchmarks—recovery and recycled-content indices—as mandatory references for measuring the system’s effectiveness.
“The decree is an important step to make Brazil’s reverse-logistics framework more transparent, efficient, and aligned with international best practices. It reinforces co-responsibility among industry, government, and society, provides regulatory certainty for new investments, and values the entire circularity chain, including waste pickers and recyclers,” said André Passos Cordeiro, Abiquim’s Chief Executive Officer.
He added that the reform strengthens the domestic industry and positions circularity as a strategic vector for sustainable economic growth.
The association emphasized that implementation will integrate voluntary drop-off points, selective collection through cooperatives, sorting facilities, and PCR (post-consumer resin) plants, in addition to credit mechanisms such as CCRLR, CERE, and the Future Mass Certificate. Abiquim said the decree’s inclusive design—developed through broad consultation—lays a stronger foundation for innovation, eco-design, investment attraction, and recycling expansion in Brazil.
Circular-Economy Framework and Global Context
Under the plan, Brazil will recover 32% of plastic packaging by 2026, rising to 50% by 2040. Recycled material will be reused in products such as flooring and furniture, while new packaging must include verified post-consumer resin (PCR). The Environment Ministry estimates the program could redirect billions of plastic units from landfills each year.
The new framework, supported by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Minister Marina Silva, ranks among Latin America’s most comprehensive producer-responsibility systems. It positions Brazil closer to the OECD’s Global Plastics Outlook, which found that only 9% of global plastic waste is recycled. Industry groups welcome regulatory clarity but warn that limited domestic recycling capacity could raise compliance costs.
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