Reverse logistics for manufacturers and importers
Whoever manufactures or imports electronics carries Brazil's reverse-logistics obligation — along with a permanent flow of warranty exchanges, recalls and non-resaleable product. Ecobraz runs the operational link: it receives, de-characterises when required and disposes, with the documentation that supports your figures in the format group reporting, audits and Scope 3 questionnaires ask for.
The daily reality of whoever answers for the brand's after-sales
Is even one item on this list true for you? Then this page was written for you — describe your situation in one minute and get a technical reply, not a sales call.
- The warranty-exchange warehouse grows every month — and no one wants to sign off on where it goes
- The organisation has a reverse-logistics target to report and the figures have no backing
- A product exchanged under warranty turned up refurbished for sale — competing with the new one
- You imported it, the batch arrived faulty, and returning it abroad is not worth it
- A compliance audit asked for the post-consumer trail and the answer was an old contract
The legal obligation does not end at the sale — and neither does the brand
Three fronts that hold the manufacturer to account long after the product has left the factory.
The reverse-logistics obligation is yours — by law
The National Solid Waste Policy — Brazil's framework waste law (Law 12.305/2010) — assigns manufacturers and importers responsibility for the reverse logistics of electronics. Without a structured operation and without proof, the obligation becomes a regulatory liability.
Real cost: exposure in enforcement and reverse-logistics figures reported without backing — indefensible when challenged.Warranty exchange that is reborn on the market
The product replaced under warranty that escapes intact reappears refurbished — competing with the new product, breaking down again and triggering support again.
Real cost: the same unit costing twice, three times over — in warranty, support and reputation.Target reported without an auditable trail
A sustainability report and reverse-logistics targets require a trail: how much came back, from where, where it went. A drawer contract with a recycler does not build that figure.
Real cost: the organisation's public indicator left vulnerable to challenge — the worst place to discover the weakness.From after-sales liability to a closed loop with proof
The reverse flow becomes a routine operation — and the reported figure gains backing.
How it is today
- Warranty warehouse piling up with nowhere to go
- Exchanged product escaping intact to the market
- Reverse-logistics figures with no documentary trail
- Each recall negotiated from scratch
- Compliance asking and after-sales improvising
With Ecobraz
- A disposal schedule for the after-sales flow
- De-characterisation recorded — the unit dies documented
- Inventory, MTR and CDF where applicable, per batch
- Consolidation by period for reporting and audit
- One supplier, one standard, one trail
What the brand gains from the closed loop
Legal obligation, brand protection and reporting — resolved in the same flow.
Obligation with backing
Reverse logistics stops being a regulatory risk and becomes a defensible figure.
Brand protected
Exchanged or rejected product does not reappear competing with the new one.
Reporting ready
Consolidation by period feeds the sustainability report and targets.
Warehouse turning over
After-sales stock flows on a schedule — no build-up, no deferred decision.
What is included — and what is not
Scope declared before scheduling reduces rework and surprises. Each batch is assessed technically.
In scope
- Warranty exchanges and after-sales recalls
- Post-consumer products received from channels and customers
- Imported batches that are faulty or unfit for resale
- Electronic samples, prototypes and showroom items
- Recurring flows with a schedule by origin
Viability depends on categories, volume per period, origins and de-characterisation and reporting requirements. Each flow is assessed before the schedule is set.
Out of scope
- Loose household batteries
- Toner and cartridges
- Lamps, oil, polystyrene and packaging
- Chemical, biological, radioactive or contaminated waste
Materials out of scope require specific chains and are not part of this service.
How it works, from contact to final destination
No collection is confirmed without a technical assessment. That is what keeps the operation predictable and documentable.
Describe the flow
Categories, volume per period, origins and what the target or audit requires.
Technical assessment
We analyse materials, logistics and the level of de-characterisation and proof.
Scope and schedule
Disposal cycles, responsibilities and documents agreed.
Recorded disposal
Receipt or collection with inventory and de-characterisation according to scope.
Consolidation and reporting
Documentation per batch and consolidation by period for your targets.
The backing behind your reverse-logistics figures
The documentation reflects what was actually carried out in each batch — no generic promises.
Inventory per batch
What entered the reverse flow, recorded at origin.
De-characterisation recorded
The unit rendered unusable in a documented way, when contracted.
MTR and CDF
Transport and disposal certified, where applicable to the material.
Chain of custody
The path of each batch through to final disposal.
Consolidation by period
The totals that feed targets, reports and audits.
Documented scope
Responsibilities and conditions defined before the operation.
Why Ecobraz on the brand's reverse link
The manufacturer needs an operator that generates proof — not a scrap buyer.
No conflict of interest
We do not resell what you want to eliminate: the flow ends in recorded de-characterisation and disposal.
15 years of operation
An association founded in 2011, with recognition on EU and UN platforms — scope declared on the evidence page.
Proof in the format of the report
Documentation per batch and consolidation by period — the format that targets and audits call for.
Recurrence built in
Schedule, multiple origins and a single standard — designed for a permanent after-sales flow.
What after-sales, compliance and supply ask
Does this meet the legal reverse-logistics obligation?
Ecobraz runs the operational link — documented receipt, de-characterisation and disposal — that gives backing to your reverse-logistics programme. Programme design and regulatory framing remain with the organisation; we deliver the operation and the proof.
How do you ensure the exchanged product does not return to the market?
When de-characterisation is part of the scope, it is carried out and recorded, and the batch continues in chain of custody through to disposal — the documented set that protects the brand.
Do you handle a continuous flow, not just one-off batches?
Yes — a schedule by period and by origin, with documentary consolidation. It is the ideal design for after-sales and permanent recalls.
Do you receive products with batteries?
Yes. Batteries and products that contain them have their own packaging and transport requirements, defined in the technical assessment.
How does the cost work?
Conditions depend on categories, volume, origins and the level of de-characterisation and proof. The technical assessment defines the model — with no promise of a free service.
Can our head office verify the documentation from outside Brazil?
Yes. The final destination certificate carries a QR code that any auditor, anywhere, can check for authenticity in seconds — the system itself confirms its authenticity, with no calls to Brazil and no translation needed. Every client also uses the Ecobraz evidence portal free of charge, with no contract: the records of each collection are organised under your company registration and can be exported to feed the compliance or ESG system your group already uses.
Could also be part of your operation
Marketplaces and e-commerce
Returns and damage at scale, with a schedule by distribution centre.
View solution →Damaged and out-of-warranty products
Damage, returns and non-resaleable stock with brand protection.
View solution →Documentation and traceability
How each operation generates the evidence that supports reporting.
View solution →Published basis, with a persistent identifier
This subject is developed in an original technical report by Ecobraz Emigre, published with a DOI on the open Zenodo repository.
VILLANOVA, Marcio. Qualificação de Prestadores de Logística Reversa: Due Diligence Baseada em Risco para Compras, Compliance e Auditoria. Zenodo, 2026. doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21398879 · All publications →
Does your reverse-logistics target have the backing to be audited today?
Describe categories, volume per period and origins. The team responds with a schedule, scope and the standard of proof — in writing.